Ford 460 Query

[ReMorton]

Have a friend who's considering a used Superformance SPO series in the low 1600's. So I'm guessing its 2002? vintage.

The car comes with a 460 Ford Crate Racing engine, approx 4000 miles on the car and engine.
Any feedback? Plus or minus. I know you guys are not opinionated.:

I had heard that some Ford 460's had cam and lifter issues. But might have been custom builds and not the crate.

Mine is a 392 FE Ford Crate Racing, vintage 2004, and have had virtually no issues.
Thx
Bob

[*13*]

Intersted in this too. For the Engine info. I just picked up a 79' ford F250 with a factory 460. I don't know a lot about this engine. Runs & sounds great, though.

[PurpleVenom]

I have a 460 Crate engine in mine. The only modifications I've made are having the Edelbrock Torker II (it's what fits under a F5 hood) runners port matched to the Cobra Jet heads. The car makes 435 RWHP and 460 RWTq. When I bought the car it had 2.73 rear gears. The engine had enough torque that it did fine, but, it was lagging on the track. I swapped out to 3.55 gears and that has really helped.

I have 38,000 trouble free miles on the engine having only replaced the valve seals last winter and kept the oil changed regularly. I have a Quickfuel 750 on top which is plenty for the engine. I know some put 850 carb's on, but not being a race engine, mine is performing fine for what I do...mixed street and track.

It's a great engine, to me. Try taking off in 3rd with a little block HTH

Tim

[Silverback51]

The cam/lifter issues were with the 514 that used solid roller cam and lifters.

I had a 460 in mine and loved it.

[ReMorton]

Hey John, thanks for the input. I remember following that yellow with black striped beast up to Mt Baker.
Yeah, seemed like the issue was the tappets wearing down the cam lobes.
I'll pass along your info.
Bob

[Bill D]

It's not the engine but the oil. When you use a hydraulic or flat tappet cam and modern oil, the cam lobes and bottoms of the lifters wear out due to lack of zinc phosphate in modern oils. Happened to me in my first roadster. Lasted all of 30 minutes. Switched to linked hydraulic roller lifters And new hydraulic roller cam after rebuilding the engine. No problems after that.

[ReMorton]

Thx. Yeah, I have to use a ZDDP additive in my 57 t-bird 312. Flat tappets. No the conversation I heard had to do with the cam shape itself. Not being a cam guy, I don't know the term, but the rate of opening (steepness of the lobe?) imposed a very high mechanical loading on the lobe itself causing a failure.
Long time ago.

[Saleen09]

Recently purchased an early Superformance myself which has a 460 based 514 SVO. I drove small blocks, strokers and big blocks before settling my search to big blocks only.

As we said previous, only issue is the cam/lifter possible issues with the 514 (mine were swapped out for roller units). Add the right valve covers, air cleaners and it looks completley proper in the engine bay as a 427 would.

460's have an excellent track record on the street, strip and race applications. Mine has 7k miles on it, doesn't burn a drop of oil and goes like a raped ape from side to red line.

I had hesitations at first as well looking at a Cobra with a "truck motor" but now glad I went this direction. IMHO, you get all the advantages of the cubic inches without the draw backs of a stroker small block or FE motor design flaws.

[olddog]

Originally Posted by Saleen09

IMHO, you get all the advantages of the cubic inches without the draw backs of a stroker small block or FE motor design flaws.

Quick take it back. The purists will stack small blocks on your chest until you recant this blaspheme.

[Jake]

I had a Ford Racing 460 in my first SPF. Loved the car and engine until I had a piston break at the rod on the track. It turns out that the bottom end is stock 460 with cast piston and rods. Keep it under 6k rpm's and it should be fine. Mine saw 7k rpm'sa few times and blew at about 25k miles. I did a striker 501 kit and had $10k in the motor when I was done and it ran like a raped ape. After I drove a striker small block I loved the way the car felt with 200 lees pound over the front end. Long story short I bought SPF 1628 with a 427 W. Love it!

[Saleen09]

Originally Posted by olddog

Quick take it back. The purists will stack small blocks on your chest until you recant this blaspheme.

OldDog, I would merely reply with : how many people have you ever heard say "I sure wish I had gotten a small block instead" and rest my case.....

[olddog]

Originally Posted by Saleen09

IMHO, you get all the advantages of the cubic inches without the draw backs of a stroker small block or FE motor design flaws.

The blasphemy is stating that the FE has design flaws. Its record of success as a high performance engine speaks for itself. It is a design that requires a good engine builder who understands and pays attention to all the details. That is not a flaw. It was intentional. Any moron can build a small block Chevy, but they fail at the FE.

Certainly the 385 series engine is easy to make big power. It is economical to build and easy to assemble. It will fit in a Cobra and there are quite a few out there. That said, they look huge in a Cobra engine bay. I suspect they have to use a large teflon shoe horn and magic mirrors to get them in. Good Luck!

[James460]

Have flat tappet 460, 38,000 miles, use Diesel engine oil as it has additives that protect motor that modern oil does not contain.

Love the motor, get all of 15 mpg @ 70 mph, lots of torque. has stock rods don't spin it above 6000 rpm.

Like the deep sound. It fills the engine bay though...