Ford Motorsport Catalog?

[JLHARVEY1]

I remember reading a while back, maybe close to a year ago before the SC was released that there was a deal between Trilogy and Ford to put the SC in the Motorsport Perf. Part catalog. I have yet to see it in there. Is this still going to happen? I would love to buy the SC but I'd like for it to be installed by a Ford/Mercury dealership and covered under the factory warranty. I think it would be dumb of Ford not to put it in there.

[SergntMac]

I think it was last October, when the '04 Ford Racing catalogue came out, and without the anticipated Trilogy kit listed. Back then, I called Ford Racing and spoke with a gentleman who claimed he was the author and editor of the catalogue. His explanation was that the Marauder was not a Ford, and his catalogue would not carry any parts for non-Ford vehicles. Technically speaking I suppose, he is correct. Silly, but correct

Now, today, if you follow this link, you can buy crate engines for the Marauder, the Aviator, and the Navigator, through Ford Racing on-line.

http://www.fordracingparts.com/crateengine/modularreplacement.asp

Looks like an issue internal to Ford, and I too, am disappointed that they missed the boat here. Maybe they're waiting until all the Marauders out here are out of warranty? Just guessing...

[JLHARVEY1]

Thanks :-D

[FordNut]

When I picked up my catalog at FFW ATL I asked about the 5.0 DOHC crate motors. They are not in the print catalog either. The guys attending the booth told me that neither the 5.0 information nor the Trilogy information was ready for print at time of publication but they were both intended to be in the catalog. And he brought up the Trilogy subject. Maybe next year?

[BillyGman]

The Ford racing catalog leaves much to be desired as far as I'm concerned. For an example, when you buy their 4.56 ratio rear end gears, it doesn't even tell you in the catalog that you're going to need a special cross shaft pin, while their competitor, Richmond gear, not only informs you of that ahead of time, but even offers the special pin for $37. I found this out the hard way, by getting the rear end all back together w/the new 4.56 gears after Summit racing had specifically told me that I did NOT need the special pin for the Ford gears like I would for the Richmond gears w/the 4.56 ratio,, and lo and behold when I went to slide the two axles back in, I couldn't get then stock cross shaft pin out!!!! So I had to take apart the rear end all over again, remove the pressed on ring gear, just to get the stock pin out, and then call Summit to order Richmond's special pin!!! I was furious!!!!

Summit racing explained to me that the reason that they didn't know about the need for a special pin w/the Ford 4.56's was because it doesn't inform of that in the Ford racing catalogue. So I went on the Ford racing site to verify that, and sure enough I saw that it doesn't even tell you that the special pin is needed.

I then called Ford racing and spoke to the dpt that handles the catalogue, and they didn't even care. They told me to shave down the teeth on the ring gear in order to remove the pin!!! I told the guy that after spending money on their product i expect it to be useable right out of the box just like their competitors' products are. I don't expect to have to become a machinest just to make the ring gear work simply because Ford racing neglects to inform their customers of the need for a special cross shaft pin w/some of the gear ratios thast they sell.

I also asked them to atleast place an asterisk along side the 4.56, 4.88, & 5.13 gear ratios for the Ford 8.8 rear end in their next catalogue, and the guy said that he will "look into it". Well, needless to say, that even though itold them that before their latest catalogue came out, the last time I looked in the PDF file of their catalogue on the site, it still didn'tlist any need for the special cross shaft pin.

So as far as I'm concerned, the guys at Ford racing who are responsible for the catalogue are a bunch of dirt bags who care nothing about their customers. They also probably never even worked on cars themselves and know nothing about that, since they didn't even bother to list the need for the special pin in the firsdt place. If Richmond gear does, then why can't Ford??? Sorry for the rant, but it just makes my blood boil every time I hear any mention of the Ford Racing catalogue.

[Jerry Barnes]

Well Guys and Gals,

We were all set to be included in the Ford Racing Catalog when on the last day for making it to print, Ford Racing had some issues with the calibration process we used for our kit. Ford Legal wanted to re-calibrate the car, again, after the work was already done to verify with their calibration people that it met Ford standards. We already had met Ford standards, but they wanted us to do it again. So, our inclusion into the catalog was delayed, which was not a big deal for us. Kit sales were doing fine without inclusion into the Ford Racing Catalog.

We had to get quotes from Ford calibration people to do the calibration again and the cost came out to $200,000. I told Ford Racing if they wanted to pay for the car to be re-calibrated, I do not have a problem, but based on our cost model we would have yto sell thousands of Supercharger Kits to break even. They said the expense would have to be incurred by Trilogy and at that point we hit a bump in the road, as they say!

I asked a couple of questions :

How many Superchargers has Ford racing sold? The answer : 258 for the last 2 years for all models. ?????258!! for all Ford vehicles? Yes!

How many Trilogy Superchargers does Ford think they can sell if our Supercharger is in the Ford Racing Catalog? The answer :
Jaime Allison - Manager of Catalog Sales 12 Units!
Hank Dertian - Manager of Engineering 25 Units!

At this point I laughed. So, for spending an additional $200,000 to repeat the tests I would pick up somewhere between 12-25 additional units!

Now, my Mom and Dad did not raise a rocket scientist, but even I can figure out that an additional $200,000 for 12-25 Units does not compute!!!!!

Now understand, I have become good friends with Jaime and Hank since our first meeting. So, I made a little bet. I made them a little wager, when they threw out those numbers. I bet each of them lunch at the Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn, that I would sell more then their estimates without being in the Ford Racing Catalog. I even let them rethink their original targets to make them feel comfortable. they stuck with their numbers.

Jaime's lunch was very satisfying and tastee! I even ordered dessert!

Hank still owes me lunch, but I know he's good for it! It will also be very rewarding and tastee! Because as everyone knows, we are over the 30 mark since last November when they went on sale.

They have since come back a second time and asked to include it in the Ford Racing Catalog, but I won't spend an additional $200,000 for re-calibration, Sorry! It would cause the kit to be about $15,000/each, NO WAY!

Sooooooo, sales are doing very well. I still buy parts from Ford Racing and the customer gets a Supercharger Kit at a much cheaper(reasonable) price.

And Ford Dealers DO install our kits. You just have to ask. If you are dealing with a dealer that has not done a Trilogy Supercharger Kit yet, let us know and we will make some calls.

Our car has repeatedly been taken by Ford engineering to compare to the Roush version and the results are always the same from the engineers, This thing kicks butt on the others, drives better and handles like a daily driver!

Just ask our customers! If you want their names and telephone numbers, please call!

Have a good day!

[merc406]

That was good reading Jerry! :rock: Don't forget I owe ya one and the man from Pande's next time I see ya.... :beer:

[Dan]

The Trilogy kit, installed, will run about $7,800.00. That is a savings of over $7,000.00 based on the new cost of the kit after having it "re"calibrated so it could go in the FMPP catalog. The benefit, of course, is that by buying it from the catalog we keep what is left of our warranty.

Suppose that both your motor and tranny went in the warranty period. Could they both be replaced for that $7,000 savings?

Now this has me thinking one more thought. Are there any companies out there which will sell an aftermarket warranty that will cover the engine/tranny after the Trilogy install?

I wonder.

Best,

Dan

[Jerry Barnes]

Dan,

Sorry to say, when you add Ford Racing parts from the catalog, you void your warranty, unless the dealer allows warranty claims. Many of the new SVT products do not have warranties due to the performance nature of the vehicles. Ford's philosophy on performance cars is you bought it, you fix it!

So, once again, just because you buy it from the Ford Racing Catalog it still has the same effect as any aftermarket performance parts, no warranty!

I was at Ford Racing today and they are over worked, understaffed and unable to keep up with just the requests for information. When you visit the Ford Racing trailer at racing events, the guys running the trailer are not even Ford employees! They are contracted through Ford to represent Ford Racing and travel around the country. Very knowledgeable people, but not even real Ford people! These guys belong to a company called Total Performance, owned by John Vermish. I hope this is how you spell John's name. These guys are very good and are about a mile from Lidio's.

Ford should staff the Ford Racing trailer with Ford employees, assisted by other contract personnel, so they hear first hand what the public wants. Just my opinion. I very rarely see Ford people at most of the races.

See Ya!

[SergntMac]

Jerry, if I may, what's the point behind this "recalibration?" Is this a recheck of specs? Adjustment of specs? It's okay if you would prefer not to get into it, but reading about has me curious.

[Bigdogjim]

Jerry: Thanks you for so honest and up front about your dealing with Ford.

It is unlike Ford to miss the boat on an issue like this.

Maybe jist maybe some body at Ford will wake up and smell the coffee??

Thanks again for the insite. Give up "little" people some hope:)

[JLHARVEY1]

That's odd that Ford's Warranty doesn't cover the Motorsport parts. Dodge's Warranty will cover Mopar parts (as long as they're not tagged for off-road use only) when installed by an Authorized dealer. I think GM's Warranty also covers street legal use GM Performance parts when installed by an authorized dealer. I'm almost positive that thier supercharger kit for the Ecotech 4 banger is covered.

And what's the deal with Ford and the Re-cal? It's already been done once; right? Sounds like they're not upholding thier end of the bargain. Also sounds like there has already been money spent towards getting this into the catalog.

[merc406]

That be John Vermeerch, Ford Blue run's in their veins over their at T/P, maybe more than those at Ford.

[Jerry Barnes]

O.K., let me answer some of the questions you folks have asked.

Yes, John Vermeesh knows more about Ford then Ford knows about Ford sometimes. Very Knowledgeable people and John is a great guy! But, my point is, Ford Racing people should be meeting the public face-to-face in order to know their customers, not a representative. John can run the display booth, but Ford people should be talking DIRECTLY to the customer, that's the way we run our business and it only makes sense to me. That's my point!

Re-Calibration. The results would have come out the same, but they wanted THEIR PEOPLE to run the tests. Hank Dertian, Manager of Ford Racing Engineering, said "This is the best engineered S/C package I have ever seen". That was after several test drives. So, why do I need to spend $200,000 more????? And Sarg, if you want to know what I am talking about, try to get your Mac and Zack Control Arms in the Ford Racing Catalog. It will take you years, cost you tons of money, they will have to be designed using Ford Computer Aided Design(CAD) and Computer Aided Engineering(CAE) tools, follow the Ford Engineering and Design process(which is very lenghtly), go through their legal staff for product liability and for what!

We did all of this for our S/C kit, but said "NO" to the re-calibration.

Clarification. Yes, Ford Racing may warranty the PART, but the Vehicle warranty is another story when you modifiy your car. Once, you change the vehicle as it was delivered from the factory, most companies will not warranty the vehicle. Then it becomes a dealer issue. Some will support you and some will not!

Anyway, I think that addresses the next set of questions. If I missed something please let me know and I will respond.

Thanks Guys!

Jerry

[Ross]

Jerry, thanks for all of the info on this. It seems like Ford just doesn't get it. There are people who buy cars, and then there are enthusiasts who spend a lot more money (and who know a lot more) than the average car buyer. There are a heck of a lot of enthusiasts who own MM's and who are only holding back from a SC because of warranty issues. If Ford would wake up, offer your proven (safe) set up, and continue to honor the warranty when the SC is installed by a FLM shop, they would start to see sales of these things overnight.

[merc406]

[QUOTE=Jerry Barnes]O.K., let me answer some of the questions you folks have asked.

Yes, John Vermeersch knows more about Ford then Ford knows about Ford sometimes. Very Knowledgeable people and John is a great guy! But, my point is, Ford Racing people should be meeting the public face-to-face in order to know their customers, not a representative. John can run the display booth, but Ford people should be talking DIRECTLY to the customer, that's the way we run our business and it only makes sense to me. That's my point!


True......

[Jerry Barnes]

Jerry, thanks for all of the info on this. It seems like Ford just doesn't get it. There are people who buy cars, and then there are enthusiasts who spend a lot more money (and who know a lot more) than the average car buyer. There are a heck of a lot of enthusiasts who own MM's and who are only holding back from a SC because of warranty issues. If Ford would wake up, offer your proven (safe) set up, and continue to honor the warranty when the SC is installed by a FLM shop, they would start to see sales of these things overnight.


I agree! It would be great for Ford, it would be great for Mercury and it would be great for Trilogy, but there are a lot of attorney's putting their 2 cents in. It's unfortunate!

However, Supercharger sales are going well, just sold 2 S/C kits to a Sheik in Saudi Arabia for his Marauders!

Thanks!

[Dan]

I am also a BMW enthusiast. I have owned 2 in the last 7 years. BMW is an example of a company that "gets it."

You can put just about ANY Dinan Engineering product on your BMW and NOT, I repeat, NOT, void the factory warranty.

Obviously BMW realizes that their customers are a little more enthusiastic about their cars than the average car owner is.

Best,

Dan

[MARAUDER S/C]

Supercharger sales are going well, just sold 2 S/C kits to a Sheik in Saudi Arabia for his Marauders!

The Marauder S/C has gone worldwide !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:up: :bounce: :banana2: :bows: :burnout: :rock: :P

[BillyGman]

Supercharger sales are going well, just sold 2 S/C kits to a Sheik in Saudi Arabia for his Marauders!

hey Jerry, couldn't you have atleast worked some type of clause in that deal that would lower our gasoline prices? Come on guy, now that your dealing w/Arabian sheiks, help us out a little, uh???

[Jerry Barnes]

hey Jerry, couldn't you have atleast worked some type of clause in that deal that would lower our gasoline prices? Come on guy, now that your dealing w/Arabian sheiks, help us out a little, uh???

With my luck, they would have wanted to trade Camel dung, instead of cheaper gas!

[Haggis]

With my luck, they would have wanted to trade Camel dung, instead of cheaper gas!


I wonder how many miles to the gallon you would get with Camel dung?

:stupid:

[BillyGman]

hey, go for it Jerry, maybe that stuff will raise octane!!!!

[Bradley G]

I was talking to an aquaintence on the phone when I first got my MM.He said "one of the guy's here has one(at work) that car ****'s an gits" :confused:

[Jerry Barnes]

I was talking to an aquaintence on the phone when I first got my MM.He said "one of the guy's here has one(at work) that car ****'s an gits" :confused:


What does that mean?

[MAD-3R]

What does that mean?

Thats Deep south for "Haul's ass"

[PhastPhil]

If I remember correctly, John Vermeersh used to work for Ford. I believe he was the head of SVO. Then came a man named Kranefuss. I met John at the Ford Motorsprot Nationals at Maple Grove in PA, he was a great guy, and extremely knowledgeable. Maybe he retains a working relationship with Ford and is much more than just a contractor running a booth. I believe that the his Total Performance was a skunk works of sorts for Ford, much like Roush is today.