main girdle

how much of an advantage is the main girdle on a stock 460 block?      my moroso pan scrapers and mesh  hit the pan and won't let me install it.   this is a 2 bolt main block.

also  what width difference is there in main cap widths?

Main girdle value...not much i.m.o.

save your money and buy some cracker jacks much better value...

There's lots of chatter on this topic if you do a search. Not much on the positive side .

Lem Evans wrote:Main girdle value...not much i.m.o.

so which would I be better advised to do?  remove the main girdle or the screen and scrapers from the moroso pan?


also I was wondering if the block I have is a thick web mains or the thin ones. the casting code was ground off when I got the block.

Larry Williams wrote:

Lem Evans wrote:Main girdle value...not much i.m.o.

so which would I be better advised to do?  remove the main girdle or the screen and scrapers from the moroso pan?


also I was wondering if the block I have is a thick web mains or the thin ones.  the casting code was ground off when I got the block.

Sell the main girdle ... buy a good oil pump.

i have the Kaase oil pump

i originally assembled this 545 a few years ago then decided to go with a 598. for my '68 'stang

i find my self getting this motor ready to install in my fox body mustang.

545 with flat top pistons and P51 heads with a Kaase spec cam and valve train

going to try an SV1 1400 cfm carb on the ford manifold

i would'nt use the girdle.i've ran one and could'nt see any gain from it as far as cap walk.JMO......the block should be flat from pan rail to pan rail if its a thick one.

cool40 wrote:i would'nt use the girdle.i've ran one and could'nt see any gain from it as far as cap walk.JMO......the block should be flat from pan rail to pan rail if its a thick one.

would you have a picture of that?

Larry Williams wrote:

cool40 wrote:i would'nt use the girdle.i've ran one and could'nt see any gain from it as far as cap walk.JMO......the block should be flat from pan rail to pan rail if its a thick one.

would you have a picture of that?

the area you can see in the pic outside the studs should be flat.a thin block will have rough casting over to the pan rail. https://www.429-460.com/t5163-main-girdle-info?highlight=main+cap+walk

It makes a good handle to pick the broken pieces up by........

The only advantage i ever saw was when i kicked a rod ,the girdle caught it and saved my aluminum pan.Still had cap walk with it.Best money you can spend is a A460 block

Larry Williams wrote:
i have the Kaase oil pump  

REALLY? ... Then you already know that the girdle won't clear that oil pump either, without modification.

i have the girdle installed with no oil pump clearance problems

this is the ford girdle I got from Kaase

its only the pan that is causing me problems.

Larry Williams wrote:i have the girdle installed  with no oil pump clearance problems

this is the ford girdle  I got from Kaase

its only the pan that is causing me problems.

It honestly seems you were asking here only so you could get some reassurance of what you already wanted to do and don't really wish to listen to anybody else' ideas and experiences about it.

Do whatever you have in your mind to do ... because you obviously will anyway.

If a guy already has it and can make it fit without too much issue I see no harm in using it. I would not spend any money on one or put a lot of effort in making it fit though...................

Randy   I haven't made up my mind as yet.  my problem is oil pan clearance.  Last nite I removed the bolt in screen from the oil pan and still have clearance problems. Later today I will remove the girdle and see how it fits and make my decision from there. I just hate to have wasted the money on the girdle.  Its a nice looking piece too.  it may become a decoration to hang on my garage wall. I now understand there is minimal value to the girdle, and I think there may be a lot more value to the screen and crank scraper in the oil pan. My only hope now is to make both fit, if not the girdle goes.

as hard as I tried I couldn't make both fit. so I removed the main girdle and put the screen back in the pan. Once I had the girdle off I could see where I had modified the girdle and the main stud under the pump for everything to fit. Its been so long since I assembled the engne that I had forgotten the fit problems I had.

Since you're building a 2-bolt block, i bet you're not planning to make insane power. That said, I figure oil control is a much more important issue than cap walk (it usually is.), especially since cap walk can be minimized with a sensible tune-up. Bad oil control is bad oil control, no matter what the power level.

the reason I started disassembling the motor is to improve the oiling system as well as fitting the fox body oil pan

 Carry on.

rmcomprandy wrote:

Larry Williams wrote:i have the girdle installed  with no oil pump clearance problems

this is the ford girdle  I got from Kaase

its only the pan that is causing me problems.

It honestly seems you were asking here only so you could get some reassurance of what you already wanted to do and don't really wish to listen to anybody else' ideas and experiences about it.

Do whatever you have in your mind to do ... because you obviously will anyway.

there he is....

maverick wrote: Carry on.

will as soon as i get this darn spacer off lol

with factory block, YES , how can it not help hold everything together , when assembled it becomes a structural part of the block !!

werneil wrote:with factory block, YES , how can it not help hold everything together , when assembled it becomes a structural part of the block  !!

Adding structure, (not even helpful structure as the older girdles used to offer but, people didn't buy them because it was required to machine the main caps flat), when the metal itself failing is the problem, doesn't solve anything except, (as you say), to keep it all tied together when it breaks.

The older girdles used to somewhat support the weaker main caps.