Ok, well I am back from Iraq and have decided that I want to build a 429 that puts out around 600 hp. The only thing is, I am relatively new to engine building. Where do I start? Cam? Pistons? Cyl. Heads.? I will end up putting a supercharger on it, so what I have been told is to keep the comp. as low as I can get it. Does anyone have any advice on what to start with.
Your 429 should be a dove block and heads, which is a great starting point. The factory crank and reconditioned rods with arp bolts will hold up just fine. Do some research on porting (460ford.com). That website should provide you with similar builds to what your planning. Dove heads with oversized valves and port work will support 600horse with no problem. You'll need to get some dished pistons to bring your compression ratio down with those heads. Shoot for around 8:1 compression, that will be safe if your not going to put serious boost to it. Plan on spending some serious coin putting a blower set-up on a 429 though.
Answer.... cubic inches coupled with sufficient airflow. Simply put a 429 Ford can be expanded to 557 cubic inches relatively easy. Probably a little smaller with a 4.3" stroke would be a good compromise for the street. The supercharger is only a means to fool the engine into thinking it's bigger by forcing it to ingest more than it would be capable of N/A. With a big block Ford you don't have a problem building cubes inexpensively, so why not take advantage of that? The stock heads if prepared correctly (not too hard) will support the 600hp mark you're looking for. Take this for example.... http://www.speedwaymotors.com/p/5530,278_429-460-Ford-Stroker-Kit.html
Quite a bit of info in your original thread... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=201575
don't build a 429. use a 460 crank. the rods are the same. bore it .060 and it becomes a 471. i think. makes 500 streetable hp with a fairly mild cam and a set of dove 70 model heads alum intake and a 750 vac sec carb. i went 9.30s in a van with a similiar set up in the 1/8 6000 lbs.did mine with a 600 holley and factory intake.
a 429 block is the same as an old Ford car/truck 460 block. Find an 460 from (up to about 1975 I think) Ford Truck or car as it'll be a lot easier than trying to find or buy one from somebody who thinks their 429 block is rare and worth a bucket of gold. Good heads will help, stock 73 and earlier allow great air flow. If you got money to spare than by some Aluminum heads for better flow (it's still hard to beat the D0VE AND D1VE factory, 70-71 CJ/SCJ but good luck in finding a set cheap). **** sells complete balanced crank/rods/piston ***emblies in any stroke you want. **** also sells just stroker cranks but they will cost you 8 hours or +/-$500 to balance via your machine shop. whereas, the **** complete balanced ***emblies will only need to be checked and maybe lightly 'tuned' via your machinist, so you'll save 8 hours labour if you opt for the balanced **** crank ***embly... Keep your compression ratio down, maybe 7 or 8 to 1 when selecting pistons for a blower. Even less if you can. The lower you keep your cr via pistons, the more boost you can apply via blower. More air makes more hp. Blowers/turbos create detonation (kills $$$$ engines instantly) with the more boost you throw into the engine. Detonation gets very hard to control the more boost you add, Use an MSD 6BTM ignition (google it) to accurately control detonation/ignition. If you start out with pistons of about 8 to 1 CR, and add 8 lbs of boost via blower, you in effect have 16 to 1 compression ratio. Hence problems with detonation, running on Very expensive Race fuel and very short engine life if you don't follow instructions. Blowers. Figure out what cubic inch your engine will be when you purchase your stroker crank. For instance, if you buy a stroker crank that turns your 429 into a +/-514, then you'll need to size your blower to the cubic inches. So your gonna need something like a 871 blower to get close to the cubes of the stroker. Blowers are measured (usually) by takeing the first digit and multiplying by the next 2 digit number. So 8 X 71 or 8 cylinders X 71 cubic inches = 560+/- cubic inches of blower capacity. That's a rough estimate and is about ball park to your 514 cubic inch stroker crank . Don't make the mistake of buying a 6:71 and overdriving it for a larger engine and don't buy a huge 10:71 and under drive it for a smaller engine. For maximum effeciancy, you want the blower to work at it's designated 8x71 cubic inch range. Blowers can be overdriven but this shortens life of the bearings due to higher speeds of revolution... Blowers can be under driven but the more you deviate (under drive) a blower, the less effciant it becomes. Size your blower close to your cubic inches within reason. Buy a new blower/kit, not some old "It's rebuilt, honest" blower at a swap meet. If you buy used, you'l waste more money than it's worth on trying to get it to work and it;ll still be an old blower with a million miles on it and a ****ty/rough casting. Buy a new kit. Up until recently, All blowers can from just one main source, industrial diesel engines. Many came from buses and semi trucks and they really do have a million mies on them when you buy your "great deal" used swap meet blower with no warranty. New 8:71s are available and they have a much nicer casting as well as they are made for your gas peowered super cubed monstor engine and not a diesel bus engine that never revs over 2000 rpm. Don't be tempted to save money and get a used blower, you have been warned. (hey, it can be down but it's seldom cheaper and must be tended to by someone that knows what they are doing). Personally, I wouldn't put $5000 or $10,000 dollars into a brand new engine build then take a chance on an old blower but that's just me. Carburation, when you get that far will need special attention as you never want to run a blown engine lean.. Rich is better so you'll need to fool with jets to get it spot on otherwise you'll end up with big holes in your new pistons in no time at all. 460/429's are capable of huge and reliable power for under $5000. Your total bill includeing good heads, MSD 6BTM and New blower kit should not run more than +/- $10 or $12,000. Start with the basic first, block and machine work, then crank and pistons and heads... I usually purchase parts in 'chunks' and take the first 'chunks' to the machinist when I ca afford that logical step. Make sure you have your plans well laid out before you get to the machine shop. Your machinist can help you with some decisions but You will both need to plan every part of your block/crank/heads/blower and most importantly, the MSD ignition. This is a custom grouping of parts you will be working on so a viable plan will help[ you concentrate on each logical step and each purchase as you progress. Your machinist should be well versed in your particular type of build. Search out and find the Ford specific machine shop in your area. Don't take it to anybody that you don't feel 11-% confident in building for you. Otherwise you could end up looking for your shiney expensive parts in the field and ditches of the last 1/2 a mile you just traveled. Remember, Failure to properly design the system as a whole, will cause all your money to fly several hundred feet in all directions some day in the not too distant future. Blowers need special consideration and an attentative and well informed owner. Make your plan and try and stick with it, Work closely with your Knowledgeable Ford specific Machinist. He maybe the first person to find as he may help you in finding and selecting parts and/or a block for sale. Don't take anything less than accurate info and knowledge from the machinist you find. If your not happy, find a better more knowledgeable machinist. Good luck with your build, Hope you have some fun with all the Reliable hp when it's done.. moe .
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