[SFfiredog]

There were no rules against building a FE engine.
The cost to build a FE was not a factor.
If you look at Kasse's winning engine, the spec (bore, stroke, rod length, etc.) are much closer to a FE than a 385 series engine.
I would guess there are 2 reasons a FE wasn't built.

1) Contingency money. The engine builders enter this contest for the adverisment and the fact that if the builder can manage to use parts from all the sponsoring companies he stands to make over $100,000 if his engine wins.
More of the sponsor companies make competitive parts for 385 series engines than FE engines therfore the builder stands to win more money by building a 385 than a FE.

2) There were no FEs simply because no one built any.

Unfortunatley I see the Engine Masters contest evolving into a pro-only contest. Can you imagine spending $25,000 to build an engine that is basically useless except to run on the dyno;
13.2 to 1 compression ratio on pump gas? Flat tappet cams that are gauranteed to go flat in a matter of hours?
If you lose, you can't sell the engine to a street guy and a race guy is going to expect more power and reliablity for the price you would have to charge for the engine just to break even.

Things are going to have to change or all we will see are dyno queens and the same 2 or 3 guys winning all the time

--mike