460 newbie

Hey folks, i love the site you have here...very informative and helpful. However, i'm a young guy, and not much of a mechanic. I have a few basic questions that i was hoping you guys could help me with.

I bought my first vehicle about 3 years ago, a 1976 Ford F250 regular cab, regular box, with a 460 under the hood. It ran pretty well, but i decided i'd get something more economical for my daily driving, and do some tinkering on my 460 to give it a bit more pep. 3 years later, i finally have the extra cash sitting around to work on it.

The first thing i plan to do is replace the carb. Most people i've talked to recommend a 750 edelbrock. If I do the carb, i'll likely do the intake manifold as well, probably a model from edelbrock, but i'm not sure what to choose. I was wondering what sort of things i should watch out for when i do the swap, and what extra parts i might want/need.

I am also considering installing a new exhaust system, headers included. Two questions...how do i ensure that the headers i buy will fit the truck, and is this something i should attempt to tackle on my own without much experience?

Thanks guys, and i appreciate any tips on this. just trying to figure things out.

- Rob

Welcome newbie , I would go with the Edelbrock Performer Intake with the 800 CFM Performer carb. And the headers will be specifically made for your truck to fit right in. But the headers will not bolt right up to the rest of the exhaust, and to do it right you will have to replace the mufflers and tubes, not reuse the existing exhaust because it will restrict all the new upgraded stuff you just put on. It is a fairly easy swap if you take your time and make sure you do everything as laid out in the set up instruction. Dont rush it and take all week to do it right. Xtras will be Gaskets for the headers, Intake, Carb, valve covers, also a new air cleaner to go with the purdy new top end, Possibly a little fuel line modification to mate it all together. But without seeing it in front of me thats as best I can tell you right now. Just remember patience is the key to doing it right.

You also want to start out with a sound engine. I would do a compression test first and see how even all the cylinders are. If that looks ok I would start with the intake and carb setup Mooneye suggested, and headers too. Generally, the better known brands of headers are worth a few extra bucks. They cost more because they are made from heavier tubing, are tuned better, and fit much better. I have had headers over the years that take a lot of tweaking to get them installed.

From the headers I would run a couple of turbo mufflers or Flowmasters, with a Y pipe between the two pipes before the mufflers. Lastly, I would maybe install a good ignition system and do a basic tune up with better wires and new plugs. The 460 engines respond pretty well to minor hop up parts like mentioned above.

Oh, and welcome to our little group. :D


Don

Thanks for the advice, guys. I hadn't even thought of a compression test, and i may as well, since my dad has the gear to do it.

Will an Edelbrock carb perform well right out of the box, or am i going to have to do alot tweaking to suit it to my engine? I hear those stories about Holleys, i know not what amount of truth they have to them.

It might be O.K. out of the box, if not. The Edelbrocks are an easy tune without a big mess of spilling fuel as with the Holley. They come with easy to understand instruction. Also if you get to the point where the exhaust is new. Leave the H-pipe out until you get it running.

Go back from the headers and spray a light strip of NON HIGH HEAT paint down the exhaust tubes back to the mufflers. Start the motor and drive it around the block a few times and where the paint starts to peel 1st is where you want the H-pipe installed.

The Edelbrock carb is less likely to need to be worked on.. Holleys can deliver a little better peformance but are much more prone to malfunction.. On the 460 I would look at a fresh timing set as those tend to get sloppy and the nylon cam gear is brittle, plus if you put the thing in at zero degrees it will make more torque.

Would finding a replacement timing set be a tricky endeavor? I haven't had to look for parts for this engine much (other than the oil fill cap)...only 70k on it, so it tends to be quite reliable!

Also...header bolts...worth the money, correct?

Just gotta wait a couple months for things to warm up a bit up here. -30 here today =D

I have the 750 on my truck and had to jet it for an altitude of about 4700 ft. The carb comes jetted at sea level from the factory. I took it to a shop in my home town that still works on older carburated vehicles and let them run it on a dyno and fine tune it. It ran me $180.00 to get this done but it was well worth it. I see you live in Alberta dont know the elevation there but I am pretty sure jrtting it would help..