Thread: a 460 and a 72 mustang ???

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so i have this 460 motor that I built a long time ago 490HP 550Ft lBs torgue it was out of a 72 LTD
i need to know if it will fit in a 1972 mustang
i know it will clear the braces its those damn shock towers i worry about ?? im still tearing threw the motor i have a feeling the block might not be good do to a scar at the bottom of the cylinder wall "1"
from were the rod busted loose and blew out the oil pan" I think it was puor oil circulation i know 460's are notorious for that. I still have good heads and all the nifty performance stuff on it intake carb water pump
i just need to know if the block will clear the towers or if i should start looking at a 347 or 400 modified?? would like around 450 Hp

i can't say about it fitting but if it is just a scar you are worried of any compitent shop can have it sleeved. as for the oiling i've not heard of anyone having any trouble in that department open the passage between the pump and filter to 9/16" same goes for the passage from filter to the galleries bush the lifter bores and you are on your way stock setups (this my opinion only) were not set up for much over 6k rpm. i would say there would be a swap kit for your application

p.s. when / if you start putting this beast back together get with Paul Kane he frequents this site about your oiling he is the guru of the 385 series oiling.

429 CJ's came as an option those years and they didn't have to move towers like the 69, 70 Boss 9's. I sold a regular 429 (same block) to a kid who put it in his 73 a few years back to replace his 351. I think he just bought 429 cj frame pads from a wrecking yard and used the stock 429 motor mounts. Be sure to hog out yer exhaust ports before you put it together again, if you have'nt already. Otherwize all your speed parts are for not. Also use either aftrmarket rods or fords's CJ rods, with the football shaped rod bolt heads. They can be found on many 460 truck cores. That's where I got mine. CjJ oil pumps are an improvement over stock. Also Boss 9's use 1 more mill clearance stock over passenger car cranks. If your crank is in good shape you can use boss 9 bearings, which have the extra mill dialed into it. If your are really into spending money, have the journals cut to chev 454 specs and use after market, chev rods made to the 460 length. Then you can offset grind it for more stroke if you want even more cubes....

jerry

Originally posted by onezaner
so i have this 460 motor that I built...i need to know if it will fit in a 1972 mustang

Yes it will. Believe it or not, when the Mustang was redesigned in the early 1970's, one of the key things that Ford wanted was for the 429/460 to bolt right in.

Originally posted by onezaner
... the block might not be good do to a scar at the bottom of the cylinder wall "1" from were the rod busted loose and blew out the oil pan" I think it was puor oil circulation i know 460's are notorious for that.

The 429/460 engine family has a better than average production oiling system. Very little needs to be done to it to sustain 6500 rpm, occassional 7000 rpm bursts, specifically meaning the design & layout of the oiling galleries and their internal (volumetric) dimensions are far greater than the passenger car 460 engine really needs. The stock rods, however, are questionable...some people luck out and others experience disaster under the mildest circumstances. They are the weakest link in the motor, certainly NOT the oiling system.

In regards to the scar in the bore, as long as it is smoothed out AND does not go high enough in the bore to where the piston rings will cross over it at bottom dead center, you may be okay with your mild build. But if the piston rings pass over the scar, then you may need to rebore or sleeve.

Paul