Neither - both are good engines in their own right. The 428 was overshadowed by the 427, but in CJ form, the 428 proved more streetable for the masses while still delivering impressive power. The 429's only downfall was it came in at the beginning of the smog era, but the early engines produced a lot of power. These days, the 428 requires cubic dollars to build & the 429 is actually harder to find than the 460 as a base to build. It ain't cheap to build a 429/460 either, but it's a damn sight cheaper than an FE. Add to it more parts availability and it's easier too. Neither is a boat anchor. Both are deisrable in their own right.
I can't vouch for the 428 but I do have a 429 CJ in a 55 f-100 and man the truck runs like a raped ape. Pretty much stock spec except for a lunati bracket master cam, a weiand stealth intake, and a demon 750 carb.
428": bigger 390, 1950s technology 429": Ford's version of BBC, inclined valves, big ports, far superior - think of it as a giant Cleveland
If only they didn't stick us with the traditional Ford lousy exhaust port! oh, well...still, solid, cheap easy power... hell, Anything can be made to run...just depends on how much you wanna think, or spend.
Both will run in the 10's in NHRA stock form. If you want to run that fast bring a fat wallet, real fat.
A 429 with accept any of the heads that will bolt to a 460. Edelbrock, Trickflow, FRPP, et al... Any exhaust port issue can be dealt with.
That really sums it up - the FE can produce great results, but not in terms of power per dollar compared to the 385. There's a wide range of factory head castings for the 429 and they all interchange but watch for misleading names - Cobra Jet was used for both FE and 385. Super Cobra Jet IIRC is a killer iron head from the Mustang 429. Don't invest in a manifold until the head choice is known - port sizes and chamber volumes vary. The 429 bore is much larger - the stroke is only 3.59" compared to 3.98" on the 428". The crank is really big, and cheap to stroke by grinding down to BBC 2.20" journal. The 460 offset + .030" gives 4.39" × 4.15" = 503".
and those above mentioned aftermarket heads be the best way! They are both great motors, thats for sure...I am putting a 460 in my F-100...fairly easy 500 horse. And...still plenty cheap cores for next time!
As an engine shop owner and Ford enthusiast, The 429/460 engine is the way to fly. Just like PANIC said, the 428 FE series engine is 1950"s technology. I rebiuld lots of FE engines becouse of the muscle car market right now. But if you have your choice the 385 series engine is the way to go. You can get LOTS of RELIABLE HP from the 460 engine. Tons of aftermarket parts are available to get 550 with 10 to 1 compression. We dyno every engine we build so my figures are not off. Pro-Formance Specialties 1115 East Main St. Rochester, NY 14609 585-288-1499 / M-F Good Luck: Matt
Nobody has a problem with the unequal bbc ports, but the big Fords can't live down the ext port deal, right? I guess that's good because if Fords were mainstream I'd have to start pulling for some other underdog. Seriously would you rather have junk intakes that rely on vacumn to draw breath, OR weak ext ports (that incidently arefairley easy to fix) and rely on a piston popping up the cylinder and forcing the spent gases out. I don't know about you but I know which one I'd pick. Did I mention that a big block Ford is capable of 550 + cubic inches from a stock garden variety block? Oh and the stroker kits are cheap too, you cannot beat this engine for horsepower for dollar anywhere. $1295.00 from Speedway Motors. Fits 429- 460 block. 552 cubes in a .060 block.
Valium, man! Valium! I L-O-V-E my Big Fords...I have defended them before on here, and elsewhere...They are strong, plentiful, and have their hurdles that you have to overcome, just like any other motors... Very easy to make 500+ horse, AND with no fancy bottom end, to boot...but, when one beholds the beauty of that giant, gaping intake port, he just has to wonder "what the hell?" when considering the opposite side...
The FE isn't such a pretty thing, it's just that the Lima is fugly - industrial looking - ugly (so are 351C/M/400).
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