Hemmings: 429/460 Heads

[Don]

From the Hemmings Motor News web site

PERFORMANCE

Lima bein’ overlooked?

Trick Flow Specialties has been offering its A460 aluminum head for the 429/460 for several years, but recently introduced a new version at the ’06 SEMA Show

Ford’s “Lima” 385 series of V-8s (429/460) may be the most underrated in hot rodding. The beefy block topped with large-port canted-valve cylinder heads is not so different from the heavily hyped Chevy big-block, and cores are far easier and cheaper to source. The major hindrance to big output numbers with the 429/460 twins has always been the cylinder heads. Like many ’70s Ford heads, most factory casting for the 385 engines featured small ports and big chambers.

Thankfully, today’s aftermarket recognizes the potential of this engine series, and high-performance cylinder heads and intake manifolds utilizing modern port technology, along with the benefits of lightweight aluminum castings, are readily available. Trick Flow Specialties has been offering its A460 aluminum head for the 429/460 for several years, but recently introduced a new version at the ’06 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The major feature of the new castings is the 18-bolt configuration, which adds one head-bolt hole for each combustion chamber, bumping the total from four-to five per hole. This is a significant benefit for anyone running a boosted Lima engine, as the additional clamping should go a long way toward improving cylinder sealing, warding off blown gaskets under high boost conditions.

While they were at it, the Trick Flow engineers also modified the pushrod holes for additional clearance to facilitate the use of shaft-mount rocker systems, and they also shrank the combustion chambers from the standard A460’s 91cc to 83cc. The rest of the specs for the A460 remain the same, including the 340cc/172cc port volumes for the intake/exhaust and 2.30/1.88-inch valves. The 18-bolt version of the A460 should be available in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on www.trickflow.com for updates