I am going to buy a 69 Thunderbird for $400 to part out. The seller says it has a 429-460 with a C6 transmission. I assume he doesn't know which it is but I don't know much about these either. Is this something that would make a good engine for a hot rod or just big and heavy? Anybody ever build anything with one of these? It's currently not in the car so I'm guessing it's got something wrong with it.
Great torqey engines. Though in my personal opinion, too ugly for an open hood hot rod. I bought an A pickup with one a few years back for the body and stuff. It (the engine) was so long the guy couldn't get a radiator in it so he put it in the back, things went downhill from there. Dont get me wrong, the motor had a shit ton of power, but boy was it hard to make it look right. Once again let me state that this is my opinion. I know there are a couple Hambers with 429's in their rods, and that's fine. Just not my bag I guess.
There's been a lot of discussion of these on the HAMB, but its hard to find using the search engine, since the search engine doesn't work with three character search terms. Try "thunderjet" or "cobrajet". One of the best engines Ford ever made...but they're not very HAMB friendly. The best source of info on these engines is at 460ford.com. That site has the second best auto related forum on the internet (just behind the HAMB).
If its the factory motor for a 69 its gonna be a 429, don't think the 460 came out tell '71. Either way the "Lima" or "385" series can put out a lot of power, especially the pre-smog (pre 1972 castings) motors (500hp range with cam, intake, carb and headers) , though they are heavy, an all iron 460 w/C6 can get close to 1000lbs, and there not as easy to look at as a lot of the older engines.
The only real difference between a 460 and a 429 is the crank and pistons. I think that the first T-Bird to get the 460 was in 1972.
I had a '69 Linclon 460 in a small car. That much motor in a little car is going to be fun. I didn't think it was ugly. Not really pretty either.
The 460 in my Merc is a low compression 1973, stock 4 BBL. Only run the 1/4 mile a couple of times. Bias tires, 3.00 no posi, and much wheel spin it ran mid 15s, but the trap speed was 97 mph. Loves that upper end!!!!
Great engine, kind of expensive to build, a bit heavy, fairly unattractive, but make good torque/power in usable rpm range easily.
I thought these things were super cheap to build since the stock parts are pretty good? I think ford racing parts has aluminum heads for these things. To me 429 just sounds cooler than 460.
The good thing about the '69 Lincoln I had was It was free, It had closed chamber high compersion heads, it came with screw in studs so going to a solid lifter cam was easy. A PAW master super stock rebuilders kit, swap meet Offy Port-O-Sonic, MT valve covers, Mallory distributer, BBC roller rockers. Didn't cost much at all. Big motor X small car = fast ride.
Cheap enough if you're starting with a pre-72 engine with decent heads, screw-in rockers, etc. If you're building from scratch, or later model, you probably want earlier heads (find 'em, buy 'em), etc. Like any engine, they can be built more or less expensively based on personal desires, abilities, & bank accounts... In general though, parts cost more than other "common" engines...
I think these early blocks had thicker cylinder walls good for the boreing and stroking also the timing gear is a little different degree. Going off of old memory here lots of brain cells killed since. Lowlidx50
They're great all-around big block engines...but their downfall (as far as most hot rods go) is their physical size and their weight. They are wide, long and HEAVY...making them impractical for most pre-40 cars...but they can really wake up most 50s to 60s rides, assuming there's room to hide 'em under the given hood! You can buy them dirt cheap and they make gobs of low-end grunt...but drink a whole lotta gas doing it! I'd use one in a truck or heavy car...but probably not in a light car or cruiser.
I've only ever checked the gas mileage on my '70 Torino (heavy car) with a 429 Cobra Jet one time. During the check, I drove 120 miles on the highway, about 30 miles in the city (bumper-to-bumper cruising), and ran two 1/4 mile drag races. It got 13 mpg. I thought that was great mileage under the circumstances.
I have a 71 Lincoln Mark 3 that has the 460/365 hp and in town I get 16-18 mpg <br> Highway 20 under 65 mph Factory Duals <br> Car weight 5000 lbs
Hey Guys....just out of curiosity, why is this ugly? What makes a V-8 engine ugly? With the right accesories , and the right amount of them, all V-8's look good to me. Yes, a pair of M/T or Cal Custom valve covers would certainly be more traditional here, but ugly? I guess I'm miising something here. Please, no drama or arguments, just an explanation on what makes an engine ugly. Bernie Scheuerman
My only question is I've always wondered why guys on here like Cal Custon crap. It was crap when it was new and always has been. Is it nostalgic or something. Nobody out here wanted it back in the day Ron
I'll paraphrase a supreme court judge commenting on pornography - I can't explain it, but I know it when I see it! Seriously, some engines just look cool - Nailhead Buick comes instantly to mind and Flatheads have a timeless simplicity. Defining ugly is harder to do...there is no one 'thing' that makes 'em ugly, really, they just...are.
The 429 in the '69 T-birds was a really fast and strong engine. I remember driving a '69 T-Bird and it really flew for such a big heavy car. It had a pretty high compression ratio in 1969, something like 10.5 : 1 or something. It was made to run on premium gas. The later 460s in the '70s dropped the compression way down. That's a really good engine, but it is a little homely and huge looking compared to some other engines.
I don't think they're ugly, but I think in a small hoodless hotrod, it sometimes looks too big and industrial looking, and that big extension for the water pump at the front of the block makes it look too long. Sometimes they look cool though. I guess it depends on how you fix them up. They do look really impressive crammed into a small engine compartment because they usually just barely fit.
Nope....although the stock passenger 429 crank & the two 460 cranks are tough as hell....they'll go far beyond what most cast cranks can handle. Some 429 medium truck cranks are forged...fairly uncommon, plus they have to be machined to be used in a conventional passenger 429 application (the snout is different). The truck pullers like 'em, but they aren't really worth pursuing otherwise, for the most part. I personally don't think they are any worse looking than any other big block...never got that one. But then, I've seen what they can do....
I ran a 429 super cobrajet in my '64 falcon gasser, and i don't think they look any differant than any other big block, and if built right they run real hard.