460 and handling?

[fiveohwblow]

Agreed, it makes a difference! I want an all around car and I believe I have been doing well at attaining this. Ive got a few hundred ponies and can still carve corners.

 

[NIKwoaC]

what transmissions would be able to hook up to the 460? could i still use a tremec 5-speed or would i need to switch to a something else? i'd like to stick with a manual?

the reason the big block came up is that i might have the chance to get into a nice 460 for a very good price. the motor is reportedly putting out 480hp as is. can you guys direct me to any good writeups for this type of swap?

all of the input is much appreciated....as always...

that's the same reaction i had! looks like it's back to the world of small blocks worst part is, just by dropping that motor in, i'd be sitting on 500hp (it's not a complete stocker 460 ). that's alright, i'll trade some HP for the ability to actually turn the car

I'd almost be embarrassed to have a 460 making 480 HP. That's about 1.04 HP/cubic inch, and most any performance engine worth its weight (pun intended) will do 1.25 HP/CI or better. A "built" 460 should be making 575 or better.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't feel bad for passing up on that motor! You can do just as good if not better with a Windsor.

 

[faststang90]

if he is wanting a car for road racing,handling, or anything but drag racing dont do the bbf

 

[SMOKEDYA]

Thanks!

you doing a 351 now? peace



john

 

[fiveohwblow]

you doing a 351 now? peace



john

Looking at my options... Wanting to build something to the next level but probably not for this car. Probably get a roller.. just ideas at this point.

 

[Shaolin Crane]

i was wondering if you were going to post on this thread, and if so, just how bad the "flame" would be for even thinking about a 460

the ONLY reason i considered this option was because a good opportunity came up for a good motor at a good price. but i talked with a guy at MM last night and after i got him to stop laughing he finally said...."oh we could definitely get it to handle. BUT, the car would weigh 4000lbs when it was done. because of the extra weight in the front, we'd actually have to add lead weights to the back of the car to get the balance put back to where it needs to be. the simple answer is to use a different motor"

so to make a long story short, i will NOT be using this motor.

i know you can get any engine to handle, but there would be so much modification to the entire car it wouldnt even be worth the effort

4,000 lbs........wait, like the GT500, Terminator, Auto pervertible 05+.....

yes but those cars are so well balanced and designed from the factory the weight doesnt hurt them, especially since ive seen stripped versions of those cars in the 3300-3400lb area

 

[deric89460]

Just my input I have a DOVE 460 with the C-6 and 3,500stall (very loose) unmatched cam and intake and a 750 carb went 12.50 at 108. so for drag racing it's good. car with over all stock interior came in at 3080 lbs. I now am building in a diffrent car, a stock bottom end Trick flow heads and intake single turbo car to play with. The 460 went in easy and was worth the build. but not a very streetable car.

 

[GBrucato]

 

[GBrucato]

It is a 1971 460 with C9VE-A heads. C6. Comp Cams extreme energy . 585"/. 588" lift. Weiand Stealth II. Edelbrock 780 vac sec, man choke.
B&M Hammer Shifter. Roush FR500 rims.
Hooker Super Comps (ceramic).
Strange man mast cyl.
Oh ya, it's a convertible!

 

[90sickfox]

This thread is 11 years old. Cool car though. Should start your own thread and detail some of the stuff you've done.

I had a big block ford in a clapped out 87 LX hatch. That thing handled and stopped like a beached whale slung down the street by the ghost busters marshmallow man. Slow to start but there was no stopping or turning without feeling like your life was on the line. It felt like that anytime I was above 20 mph. That car was pieced together and deadly. Wasn't even fast. Smh

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

One of the fairmonts in my past had a 460/c4 that i drove ( occasionally) on the street. that car ran 9.40’s in the quarter.
It was loud, and miserable to drive, with manual brakes and steering. And yes it wouldn’t corner ( not the desired goal) it took longer to stop, ( not the desired goal either).

MOF, it was almost the same as the recent posters combo..
But I drove it to Steele ( the same track I just had the Monster at)..and uncomfortably watched from the driver seat as the lexan windshield buckled inward when the car hit 145 mph...
Then I drove it back home.

All depends on what you want i guess.

 

[xecute]

The "460-and-handling" issue will become more common with 445 swaps and such. The answer is that tall deck engines work better in Foxes, Fox4's and SN95/99's. Exhaust wise and service access, a 10.2 to 10.3 decker 370/429/460 is nicer than the 8.206/9.206/9.469-9.500 deck engines. The new 7.3 liter is 9.649.

The serpentine belt matters were all sorted out with the old Mark Sanchez/AEW/Kaufman kits, so you can keep Power steering, air con and add an electric fan and not have it all collide with the fan shroud, another advantage of a K member drop.

But you gotta teach em how to play it with lower center of gravity from aluminum heads, intakes and some means of lowering the K member, even if it means a spacer. In our awd Skylines, a body lift helps reduce center of gravity.

The 460 is such a great, care free engine. It seems Ford made the Fox just for it, so much arm room compared to the crap fight fitting one to a 64 to 73 Mustang.

 

[93FOXLX]

A buddy did a 460 swap in an 87GT and it handled like a dump truck. He invested in aluminum heads and it helped a little bit but he still hated it on anything but a perfectly straight road. After looping the car on an offramp at 30mph he gave up and pulled the 460 and went with a 331 turbo combo that has been in the car for about 10 yrs. now.

It's worth mentioning that he did work with a race shop and attempted to sort the suspension with the 460 and they would never come up with a spring, shock, sway bar combo that would make it handle.

 

[ChillPhatCat]

Not at all the same car but this brings back memories of my '74 Camaro, which was until 2010, the heaviest year for the Camaro... previous owner swapped in a 454 bored .030 (so it was 460 BBC). The car probably tipped the scales at 4000-4100 lb. And the best part was the shocks in the front were shot... it handled like a boat and it was literally like driving a boat down the road because the front end would be slightly bobbing up and down as if you were driving on waves... spun through all three gears and it made a hell of a nice racket... but combined with non power brakes, two foot emergency stops were mandatory, and handling was not a word that you ever used in its presence. Loved that car.

That's what I imagine all BB swaps into a pony car are like.

 

[LILCBRA]

For some reason I picture this when someone mentions a big block in a Fox car....

 

[93FOXLX]

Not at all the same car but this brings back memories of my '74 Camaro, which was until 2010, the heaviest year for the Camaro... previous owner swapped in a 454 bored .030 (so it was 460 BBC). The car probably tipped the scales at 4000-4100 lb. And the best part was the shocks in the front were shot... it handled like a boat and it was literally like driving a boat down the road because the front end would be slightly bobbing up and down as if you were driving on waves... spun through all three gears and it made a hell of a nice racket... but combined with non power brakes, two foot emergency stops were mandatory, and handling was not a word that you ever used in its presence. Loved that car.

That's what I imagine all BB swaps into a pony car are like.

Pretty close. I knew another friend that had a 540BBC in a Mustang coupe. Another wallowing mess of an idea but at least that was a drag car. He actually ditched the BBC for an LS and dropped 250lbs and went faster with less power. Only problem he had then was that the car would suddenly wheel stand

 

[xecute]

With you, 93FOXLX!

I grew up when the short deck Alloy Alan Root block was made for the Boss 429, 1986 or so.

Its 100 to 50 pounds lighter depending on bore size. Boring a 460 block 260 thou over removes 50 pounds of iron or iron liner. "Alumin Nutti" Heads and alloy intake save 100 pounds. Headers save 30 pounds or so. So a stock 720 pound 460 with power steering and a/c compressor and serpentine drive could become 440 pounds....same as a power steering and a/c compressor equipped 5.0 HO EFi with alloy heads.

IMHO, The most legendary big block was the 1969 Camaro COPO 9560 430bhp aluminum ZL-1 427 cu in.

It had 302 Z 28 weight with blue printed 600 hp capability.... greater than LS6 454 Chevelle performance.

https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/fast-car-history-lesson-1969-camaro-zl1

The way they did it back then was to save weight. Ford saved weight on the basic 429/460 by having it thin wall cast, but with thick cylinder walls, not those dagnabbit evil 130 thou egg shell molded castings found on Cleveland's. The 385 program was light, but very strong.

Factory Alloy heads came out with the Boss 9, but it took another 15 -17 years for Ford to re-release 1969 Small and Big block alloy heads and blocks. Ford and Chev was doing it for Can Am the same time, but Ford opted out of aluminum blocks and the cost savings on the withdrawal from Total Performance mean we pay 4 grand to save 280 pounds while LS and LT guys can get an all alloy Small Block at the junkyard. The 385 engine with its glorious 4.9" bore spacings is three times the engine an LS or LT is. No one looks at 460's through Chebby style Aluminum sunglasses