Honest opinion on 460 Fords

I have a 460 Ford Cobra Jet, that i want to build a rod around, we have 'em in all our trucks and they're an absolute riot, un goddly amounts of torque. which brings me to the problem, i think they have to much torque for a little rod, am i right? I just have never seen one and thought it would be kick ass, so let me know what you think.

bobby

 

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Sorry, I couldn't help but laugh. The urban myth, ever since the 385 series Cobra Jets were first introduced, is that they have no bottom end torque and are dogs. Total myth, as you know. I've had to listen to this myth for years. I've been dispelling this myth, person by person and car by car, by putting the money where the mouth is with my '70 Torino CJ since 1979. Since 1970 (even before my time with the car), it has only lost three races.

If a hemi or a BBC will work in a rod (and there are plenty of those two engines used in lightweight hotrods), then so will a CJ. Think "heavy duty" in your construction, though. Use a nine inch Ford rearend.

 

Personally, I think it should be in a car that has a hood so you cant see it.

They arent the best looking engine & IMO they look outa place in a Hot Rod.

 

Are you sure you aren't thinking about the 428 CJ? Those are some ugly engines. The 429/460 is a very good looking engine (maybe beauty is just in the eye of the beholder). You're right though that they look out of place in most early, open-hooded, traditional style rods. I do like them in T-buckets, though.

 

Just 'cause it runs , don't mean you have to keep your foot in it does it ? I also run all 460's in everything I have, mostly because if I concentrate on one enging and build 'em all that way I can more easily keep a good supply of parts and don't have to have such a variety . I love the 460/429's and you are right they do produce all you want in the torque dept , I am not sure what you mean by a 460 CJ as far as I know there is no such animal , unless you are talking an aftermarket head motor .Even the stock engines are good , add a good flowing head to any of them and you'll really see the power . I believe if you cam it right you can run a very tall gear , and get some decent milage as well as run great and you know ther isn't anything that sounds a good as a big block . I am building a 460 based engine now , it's all aftermarket , though a 605 cu inch A-460 heads and 2 -1050 dominators and putting it together in a sand/mud rail that should produce somewhere in the 1100 horse range --nope --there isn't such thing as too much power -just have to use it wisely !!

 

You are right 429/60's are nice lookin engines 428 is ugly. i was thinkin' of gettin' my granpa's center door t, throwin a 460 in it, a 9 inch, a set of radir cheater slicks, on steelies, and bunch of other shit, but there i go thinkin' again.

 

Damn right it's an urban myth, we pulled a D7 Cat out of field with my dad's F350 that's got the newer 460cj in it. And on the racin' thing just last night we were screwin' around in the 350, and raced a kid in a 5.0 mustang, it was sad. It was fun watchin' the bed and the rear half of the frame flexin' in the mirror though. The engine i have i think came from a torino, it used to be in my dad's fairlane. and thanks for the info i thought that but i wasn't sure.

 

I can attest to the torque.. I had a '78 ford f-150 with a 460 and c-6.. It was a beat -up, craptastic farm truck before I got it.. well and while I had it as well. Anyway my parents motorhome broke down. We pulled it back to the house with the truck. It was a 26' motorhome and it pulled it up the hill to the house like it wasn't even there. I was very impressed.

 

I've had a couple of 460s in some of my cars. I liked em' alot. Chep plentiful and parts are everywhere for em', Smoke the tires without so much as a thought.
But I do think that it would look realy out pf place on a open engined car. They aint the worst looking engine out there, but they aint gonna be winning any beauty pagents either.

 

Ford never made a 460 Cobra Jet. Ford only made 429 Cobra Jets. The 460 is/was a truck and Lincoln engine.

 

Yea, the 460 is from the 429 familly. The 429 got all kinds of Hi-Po upgrades like Super CJ stuff...even a shotgun hemi variant. Not so much for the big brother though.
But the 460 is a great and reliable engine.

 

The new 429/460 SCJ heads from Ford and the P-51 Kaase heads really wake a 460 up. I think that was what kept them from being legendary back in the '70s - the lack of a good cylinder head. The similarly-sized Chevy 454s, the B/O/P 455s, and the Mopar 440s would run all over them. Now, with a good head on top of one, the 460 Ford can really hold it's own.

I'd do whatever Jon Kaase says to do with one - that guy rules!

~Scotch~

 

Literally, everything. Not even close.

The 390/406/410/427 engines (I'm sure I'm missing a few ci variants) were the "FE" series engines. The 429/460 were "385" series engines.

They look a lot different... and they're both ugly.

 

great motor...good oiling, decent heads, especially on the intake side...canted valves, lots of speed parts, torque a-plenty...out of place in an early fenderless car? yeah...kinda, but so what. The way you dress it has a whole lot to do with it! I am putting one in my F-100 gasser...it ain't "trad" like an F.E., but...they are a dime a dozen, so WHEN I hurt it...I won't cry. I'll just find another $100.00 core...
but, if had lots O' $$$...I'd probably use an F.E....which also looks a little outta place in an early, fenderless rod, too, to me...but, again: who cares.

 

LOLOL .... OK, I KNOW ALL THAT.... BUT YA STILL DIDNT INCLUDE THE 428........WHICH SERIES IS THAT ? FE ? "385"?

The first guy said the 428 was ugly, I thought that a 428~429~&460 were all the same family. so they all looked as ugly as each other.

So..... Can anyone tell me... is the 428 like a 426~460 .... or is it in the FE family

 

428 is an FE.

 

HAHAHA .... FINALLY !!

Thanks for clearing that up .. Had me stumped for a bit..

 

Damned hateful people.... (mutters under breath about lack of taste.)

FE's are beautiful! Best engine ever made, just had a few problems with the cylinder head design, weight, parts availability, and that "leaks out of every gasket" thing. But who's countin'?

 

Any 460 is an intake, a set of heads and a cam away from 500+ hp and 500+ lbs-ft. Here's but one example.

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/ccrp_0602_big_block_ford_engine_build/

 

HaHa! yep...they are a red-headed step child...but, an ill-tempered one, that you should never turn your back on. I LOVED my 390 Galaxie...it was flat out mean. but, they are more costly to build for performance than the 385 series motor, bang for buck. but...the FE DOES have more "freakin' cool" points.

 

I just need to know --what is a good looking motor to you ?? a SBC ?

 

small block mopar, or a blown hemi

 

Don't get me wrong...I really, really like FE's. I just don't think that they look too good. Their performance capability is an entirely different matter!

 

Well, since you put it that way, i'll let it slide, but just this once!

 

Scotch, I don't mean to start a pissing match (especially with a senior member!), but this just ain't totally true. Back in the day, a 429 with the CJ heads on it would run all over some of these engines. Pontiac 455 HO's were not equal to it, and neither were Chevy 454's. You can add the 400 Ram Air III and the performance versions of the 396 to that list, too. The 440 Magnum in a B-Body would run neck and neck with the 429 CJ Torino. On the other hand, the Buick Stage 1 and the STANDARD 442 engine (500 ft/lbs of torque!) would blow away the 429CJ Torino. (I don't know about the W-30, though...no experience there.) I'm speaking from many years of experience, not from looking at magazine test results. By the way, none of these engines had good flowing heads by today's standards.

 

the blown Hemi I can understand, but a SB Mopar is really hard to discern from a SB Chevy..????

~Scotch~

 

I take it you aren't talking about a blown "boss" hemi ?

All BS aside though I guess that's also why women come in all sizes and shapes , for all of us to have something to admire

I still like the looks of my "385" and don't see that much difference in any motors as far a a beauty contest , in their stock form aside from the exotics or SEMA queens . The every day driver as it came off the floor wasn't anything to really drool over look wise , except when you are a Ford nut , Mopar nut ...on and on --it's the things you do afterwards that help the looks

As far as the true CJ's go , yes the lack low end torque because of the huge intake ports , but the new heads do bring to life those sleeping giants that ford produced . Even when you really get into things , look over a set of early Police heads --they have good sized valves better flow than anything else cast iron and stock , and the port sizes are between a stock and the CJ --they will work great with just a little work. Not as good as the aftermarket , but not the price either

 

Again with the urban myth!