OK so a new development has come up......my father bought a 406 from a guy we know that closed up his machine shop(had been paid for and left for years). He has the block w/mains, crank, rods and pistons and bare heads, all the machine work is done(cam bearings and everything). Now the question is..will issing pieces like oilpan, front cover and all the little necessities from my 352 work, I'd like to keep it "sleeper" style, I know I'll have to buy valves/springs and keepers but are the rocker arms the same setup or do they have to be shaft mount like I've seen on most.
Cantstop, The front dress, pan, etc. will fit. All FEs have shaft-mount rockers (the SOHC, of course, is a completely different setup in terms of parts). However, there are different rocker shaft stands...your existing ones will *** probably *** work with these new "406" heads....but, possibly not, given that the "406" heads may not be original to the 406 block. If you post the casting numbers from the new heads, it will help.
Pop the tin and take a look. If you are going with a rebuilt block/heads...shouldnt be hard to swap the remainder on your new 406. I wish I had a 406! As mentioned, if you are on a budget, a stock 4bbl intake works fine. There are few differences in FE heads from the beginning to the end of the run except a few race specific castings. They were pretty much made to interchange from top to bottom with minor work. A good ignition setup goes a long way. Pull your tin, clean up, paint it, drop it in and enjoy! These FE's will effortlessly pull a large car.
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