I can buy one compleet with C6 Tranny. '71 Stock 4Barrel intake and Carb, not a CJ. Ran when it was pulled, water got in it, can turn it but not all the way round. Are these Engines any good? Are they very expensive to build/soup up? Is it Traditional enough for the HAMB Drags? Is it fast enough for the HAMB Drags? ( in a '52 MG TD ) Should I buy it just for the Heads and Tranny, and use a 460 instead? Or should I keep looking for something better...
Mr. Shapes... Got a few of them motors. Not exactly what I'd call traditional but easy to make run good. If the price is very good but the motor got water in it, I'd trash the 429 block and freshen up the heads. 460's are cheap enough, you can usually find a running Lincoln for less than $500. Find a good aluminum manifold, saves weight and breaths better. Lots of headers out there, how bout some drag boat headers for the MG? That motors awfully big though, where you going to put it? And they're heavy. Dan
No, I guess they are not really Traditional... All I have is a MG body, so the frame and suspension will be Hot Rod parts. I read Pat Ganahls Ford Performance book, and from what he writes, it seems that the 460s have large pockets in the pistons to lower the comp ratio. Or was that just the Trucks? I'd probably build my own Headers. I havent even really desided if I'm going to build this thing or not, but I guess I'm parts hunting for it already... Thanks for the info Cougardan.
how'd ya feel about a 430 lincoln eng? boss has got a stock fresh one w/trans that i think he wants to get rid of.. i'll out ya in touch if yer interested
The '71 is the last "good" motor. It should have flat-tops in it, and the heads should read "D0VE" over the exhaust port. These heads are considered some of the better ones with their closed chambers (around 75cc). Starting in '72, the pistons were dished for 8:1 CR. Ditto on others comments: Use a 460 block with the D0VE heads. You'll make plenty of power. Also, you can run the light-weight, smaller C4 behind the 460 with the right bellhousing. That's my '31 coupe with 460, Police Interceptor (D2OE-AB) heads and home-made headers. I'm running a C4 behind it.
Also get early timing chain. They reduced emissions with an 8* retarded chain in early '70's so the early setup will make a tire burner. HUGE engine and tranny, though, so not sure it's the best choice.
The biggest drawback for your application will be the physical size and weight of the engine/trans combination, but aside from that, it's an excellent choice! 429/460 engines are just like many other Ford V8 designs of the 60s and 70s...they need the most help on the exhaust side. A dual pattern hydraulic cam and a good set of free flowing headers will make a BIG difference, and a little clean-up work in the exhaust ports wouldn't be a bad idea, either. (Theses engines originally had to be stuffed into some vehicles still equipped with shock towers, which resulted in a compromise on the exhaust side of the cylinder head to insure that the engines would fit the Mustang/Torino chassis.) Factory 4v intakes are cool for mild performance useage, and believe it or not, some of these motors even came from Ford with Rochester Quadrajet carbs! It's a decent running combo, but you can gain some power and lose some weight by swapping on a factory or aftermarket aluminum intake. I'd run with an old 780cfm vacuum secondaries Holley, or a 700cfm 'double pumper', but that's just me. Factory distributors are available in both points style and electronic, and the aftermarket has you pretty well covered as well. No problem finding a good distributor for these motors! As mentioned, be sure to get an aftermarket timing set WITHOUT the 'retarded gear'...it's a goof-up I've seen far too often amongst locals!
I agree w/above, as I've ran quite a few of the 429/460's. Plenty of aftermarket parts available... definitely run timing for 68-70 429, the early heads w/the 460 short block makes for a good combo...Have fun holding on in the MG!!
I've also had a number of 429/460's. The 429 is a good engine, same bore as 460 just a shorter stroke which allows for a little faster acceleration. The engine I just recently completed started as a 1978 Mercury 460, I used C8VE 1968 429 heads, a 540 stroker kit, a Hollman Moody factory 2-4bbl intake with 2 650 Holleys. Msd dist and ignition. Very strong and responsive engine. Runs fine on premium, and very dependable, and ready to rock and roll at the touch of the throttle. Putting it in a 56 ford panel truck. Should have it at the next HAMB drags!!! Put one of these engines, mildly tuned etc in an MG, better hang on! Also if you are just wanting to put together a car to race, as long as the cyl isn't rusted too bad, just hone it and run it, save some $'s and have fun. Not like it's a daily driver. Just my $.02
My take? The 385 series Ford big block engine family of which the 429 belongs is way underrated. I believe you have a DOVE headed engine which is an excellent power per doller engine. The cyl heads have canted valves but the angles are shallower than a big block Chevy. The result of this is a smaller combustion chamber thus more compression with less dome. Less dome= lighter pistons, better flame travel and less ignition advance. The intake ports are generous and need nothing more than a bowl blending. The exhausts require more work but can be made to flow very well with some straightforward home porting mods. The heads should already be drilled for screw in studs, though the stock studs are "positive stop" non- adjustible. Simply convert to adjustable valvetrain by screwing in aftermarket studs. No machine work neccessary. The bottom end is very sturdy with no major mods needed except for better quality fasteners. The connecting rods check out above 500hp, but stronger aftermarket rods are cheap and easy to get. Eagle I- beams $250 and H- beams $350. The concensus is the I- beams up to about 600hp and the H-beams for 700hp and above. I have a DOVE 460 that I am preparing to build and have been checking around for parts on. I found a 514" stroker kit with a SCAT crank, H- beam rods, and Probe forged pistons for about $1500. This would slip right into your block. Not bad when you consider what it would cost to turn your stock crank, rebuild the rods and buy new pistons if you need them. Your other two questions about tradition and would it work in an MG at the drags. Well first I would say based on what I've seen, using any Ford engine besides a Flathead in a rod seems to be "un-traditional" Which is yet another reason why I like 'em. As far as is it fast enough for the drags?, I'd have to say you're covered on that one. In fact for an MG I'd forgo the stroker kit put in the better rods cam it pretty healthy, aftermarket intake, 850 carb, and some basic porting and then hang on!
I may be competely wrong, but D0VE is a 1970 head. A D1xx would be a 71. The 1st letter should be the decade and the number the year. C = 1960's D= 1970's. A C9 casting would be a 1969 and a D5 would be 1975.
I don't know about the 429 in a TD but in the late 60's my buddy had a TD with a 327 that ran very fast, that car weighed in at about 1800 lbs. I am sure that 429 will add a few hundred lbs to that. Sounds like fun.
Trailer-Ed got it right. The block is basically the same as a 460. Take it apart, clean it and have it checked for cracks. If you don't have any broken skirts, put it back together with a new set of rings. Spend your money on a new cam and kit. You'll do 12.00's or better cheap and easy! I would make it period correct for a 68-70 altered. Give it a mod paint and some sort of name like T-Totaler. If could get my shit together by then, we could have a match race.
I ran a D1VE motor in a 52 ford pick up, mostly stock and it weighed in at about 3600 lbs. and it ran consistant 13.01s in the quarter at 105 mph. I have a D6VE motor in my 31 coupe and it does not have the early timimng chain set and I have ran a best ET of 12.38. I have been running the LIMA motors since about 83, and I love em. They are cheap and make lots of power. Currently I have stuffed a 68 460 365 hp motor in the 51 Studegasser and it should run great. Pretty much a good motor as stated above in the previous responces. As far as traditional, there's no replacement for displacement. That thing will realy go like hell, and to me, thats traditionally what hot rodding is all about.
[ QUOTE ] I may be competely wrong, but D0VE is a 1970 head. A D1xx would be a 71. The 1st letter should be the decade and the number the year. C = 1960's D= 1970's. A C9 casting would be a 1969 and a D5 would be 1975. [/ QUOTE ] You are not wrong about the Ford parts numbering system. It has a very logical and informative basis for its use. The thing is when considering casting numbers such as the DOVE-C that might appear on Metalshapes' cyl heads, well they don't change unless the casting itself is changed in some way. So it is very possible to find a DOVE casting number in a 1971 automobile. The DOVE head was first employed in 1970 hence the DO in the part number and that same casting carried till 1972 when the D2VE appeared with some slight changes.
Thanks again guys. I will have to decide what to do... If the 429 is cheap enough I'll probably snap it up. If not, I'll put the MG body in a corner and work on the projects that I really should finish first. I might not even keep the MG ( I only bought it to save it, the guy that owned it was going to charge .25c a hammer blow with a sledge, starting at noon which was less than 1Hr away when I bought it from him...)
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