steeet 460 build (daily driver)

I am looking to build a nice 460 street engine for my cougar and could use the wisdom here. This is a 79 cougar about 4500 lbs a 9 inch with a 2.75 gear. I have a set of d3 heads and will get the block soon. I am guessing ill have to go with a c6 unless i can find a aod. I want a nice idle with good vacuum. I was going to go rpm air gap and a 750 holley dp. I have read on the oiling mods some things to do but open for suggestions or parts for that matter. Nothing is set in stone yet as i am sure i could sell the heads i pulled. so fill free to advise away.

question on the aod , is there a non electric version so i dont have to pull in a computer? I know sbfs have electric and non.

Peace and love Ron

Here is a build tread on a one he might can answer some of you questions if he still on here https://www.429-460.com/t1195-1978-mercury-cougar-xr7


http://www.460ford.com/forum/showthread.php?t=131329&highlight=psquare75

A stock type rebuild with flat top pistons, an early timing chain, a recurved distributor, and a good valve job will really wake up your car. If you add a Performer intake, a good carburetor, and some headers with a cat delete exhaust, you will be surprised.


What is a majik455? You could get a Buick Stage 16 from a Grand International and put it into your car, and it would be much faster than any Ford junk. I'm just sayin'.......

the majik 455 is from the days of my poncho 455 ho in a firebird (i just kept the name) and majik460 was taken

majik455 wrote:the majik 455 is from the days of my poncho 455 ho in a firebird (i just kept the name) and majik460 was taken

its alright mine from "The dark days" of the past too...... I've seen the light !

majik455 wrote:the majik 455 is from the days of my poncho 455 ho in a firebird (i just kept the name) and majik460 was taken

Cool.

The AOD trans IS a NON-electric transmission ... the AODE is the electric version.
If using the AOD I would recomend getting the wider ratio and stronger internals from Ford Racing Performance Parts.

Use a flat-top piston and deck the block to .005"/.010" clearance ; THAT, (along with a "straight-up" timing set), will be the largest performance gain of a production D3VE engine which you can actually feel.

EDIT: A low restriction exhaust system, a 3.20 something rear gearset and other simple changes will mean a whole lot BEFORE other stuff will be much help.

Sorry ... Double Post

Still here, I'll post more later.

Ok. I have two (yeah, two, I'm a hoarder) 77-79 Cougars with big blocks.

78 XR7





And a 77 XR7





78

Carl (carsbycarl) built 523" "Street Bruiser" ~10.3:1 compression. Hyper pistons, on some worked DOVE heads I had hanging around with larger valves- Edelbrock performer, no spacer, Holley 850 (80531), Carter 172 GPH mech fuel pump, Comp Cams full roller rockers. Crane adjustable electronic distributor off an MSD 6AL. Spectre ram air box. Built C6 (extra clutches), 2500 RPM torque converter from Scott here, 3.5:1 rear gear, 28 spline trak lok on 275/50/17 tires (28.5" tall? not sure). Hooker 1 7/8" Super Comps to a 3" X pipe, 2.5" Borla ProXS and 2.5" tails.

77.

Mild 460 build, 9.3:1 compression. Forged pistons, head studs, C9VE heads.Crane 260HMV cam 216/228 .518/.513 Weiand Stealth, no spacer, Holley 750 (3310 with elec choke added), Generic aftermarket fuel pump, Comp roller tip rockers. Mallory Unilite with a Petronix conversion. OEM big block air cleaner setup (functioning flapper). Mild built C6 (Wide ratio kit installed), 2.47:1 rear gear, 28 spline open on 225 70 15s. Hooker 1 7/8" Super Comps to 3" Catcos, 2.5" Dynomax Super Turbos and 2.5" tails.

Both cars have their strengths. The 78 is obviously much faster, however it's much snottier on a cold startup (but it will start and hold an idle). As a daily, I know I'd get tired quickly of the 3.5:1, and exhaust noise is subjective. The 77, is an excellent daily driver. I actually used it as a daily from April until November or so last year. 20 degree weather, no problem. The Crane 260 is an old grind (previous owner built this car about 14 years ago). The Crane idles stock or near stock. I used the car for work deliveries and probably averaged 200 miles a week. It WAS thirsty. The wide ratio kit helped (probably made the rear gears feel closer to 2.70s or so in first), but off the line it's still a slug. I have a 3.0:1 trak lok I plan to install that I think will GREATLY improve all around performance. Right now, from zero to 60 the car is 'tame', but 65+ the nose will lift, the car gently buries you in the seat, and it just pulls. Great highway cruiser due to the gears. It runs on garbage (from no name stations) 93, I haven't tried 89, but I suspect with numerically higher gears, it'd be fine, as I haven't heard a peep from the engine.. The build has 65K miles on it, and it burns no oil and runs excellent, (oil pan gasket leaks but that's unrelated).

I reinstalled the OEM air cleaner in place of a 14" chrome job because in the cold weather climate I'm in (MA) the car took longer to warm up and it wasn't happy about it. I noticed no drop in performance, did see a slight (.5?) rise in MPG. Car averages 10-13 MPG.Right now the car cruises around 3K RPM.. at 80.

If I were building a 100% daily driver that I wanted to be able to hit cruise nights with, I'd opt for the gray car build, but I'd change
the intake to something less radical
do a numerically higher gear (3.0 or so and keep the wide ratio).
Add an X pipe.

This help?

very interesting read. Those cars sound like alot of fun!

Shane

that helps quite a bit, and thank you very much for sharing. where you able to drop the engine in without any mods? I believe its a big enough bay to hold it i was just wandering about motor mounts. I think a tbird had a 460 stock so ill just need to know what year and model to get or order them from. my poor car is slow from the start also and I know a gear change will help. I have a extra chunk right now but same as whats in it now , a 2.75 open :-(. so a 3.5 is to much gear for these things as a daily and a 3.0 is better?

3.25 - 3.50 will accelerate alot better.

majik455 wrote:that helps quite a bit, and thank you very much for sharing. where you able to drop the engine in without any mods? I believe its a big enough bay to hold it i was just wandering about motor mounts. I think a tbird had a 460 stock so ill just need to know what year and model to get or order them from. my poor car is slow from the start also and I know a gear change will help. I have a extra chunk right now but same as whats in it now , a 2.75 open :-(. so a 3.5 is to much gear for these things as a daily and a 3.0 is better?

Whether or not the trans you're going to use has an overdrive or not will help determine the best rear gear

majik455 wrote:that helps quite a bit, and thank you very much for sharing. where you able to drop the engine in without any mods? I believe its a big enough bay to hold it i was just wandering about motor mounts. I think a tbird had a 460 stock so ill just need to know what year and model to get or order them from. my poor car is slow from the start also and I know a gear change will help. I have a extra chunk right now but same as whats in it now , a 2.75 open :-(. so a 3.5 is to much gear for these things as a daily and a 3.0 is better?

Mounts are from a 72-76 Torino/Ranchero, 74-76 Cougar, Montego, or a 77-78 Lincoln Mark V. I think 72-73 Tbirds work. My mounts are actually from a bird, but I'm not sure on the year, I'm sorry. Trans mount is OEM, nothing special.

It depends how much highway driving you do and what transmission you have, as to what is 'better'. I think the 3.0 will be great with the wide ratio C6, but I daily drive the hell out of that car with typical Massachusetts "If you aren't doing 75 you're going slow" highway speeds.

The car with 3.5s and the stock geared C6, I tend to stick to backroads for now. No reason I COULDN'T do highways, just running at 3K+ for an hour with loud exhaust gets tiring quick IMO.

For what it's worth, The white car originally had a 351W and 2.47s. One of the first mods I did was the 3.5:1 rear. It helped somewhat, but the car wasn't a barnstormer by any stretch of the imagination. Actually.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4161105945085313481#

That's the 351W with 3.5:1 and zero mods. (ignore the dash it's been redone since then). As you can see, it was hardly 'fast'.

I want to go with a aod for the better mpg factor, but for now it would be a c6. At what point do you lose mpg when increasing the ring and pinion gear? I am sure there is a formula somewhere but I have to idea of where or how to calculate. My donor car (1978 Lincoln) was a 460 d3 heads c6 and today i looked and the gear in the rear and it was a 2.5 with the strangest "thing " at the end of the drive shaft and before the gear yoke. it looked like a steering knuckle for lack of a better word. about 12- 16 inch long knuckle joint?????? It DOES have a limited slip though and mine is a open so i think ill pull it it its a 31 spline to match mine OR should i get a detroit locker?


peace and love Ron

It's a Lincoln therefore it has "constant velocity" U-joints.

My experience with Detroit lockers on the street: they disengage/engage a bit too dramatically winding through tighter turns when street driving. You'll feel the whole car sorta jerk when this happens. It was a little unsetteling until you get used to it. It might freak out someone who's not a regular driver of you car to take it for a spin. A clutch or spring type diff is much smoother and better suited IMO for a daily driver. I'd say a Detroit locker is better suited for a hi-po street/strip machine.

What kind of Lincoln? If it's fullsize, it has a 9 3/8" rear end, which won't fit into the 9" housing. A lot of it depends on YOUR driving location. I had an 85 Cutlass with 2.14:1 (!).. Highway on longer trips to school, I'd pull 24-25 MPG with a 307 and a 3 spd auto. It was ridiculous, as the car cruised at a very low 1800 - 2K RPM on the highway. Around town? Driving normal, I'd pull 12 MPG.. On a good day. YMMV.

WOOT i pulled my 460 short block today !!!!!! LOL poor thing has a RICHWAY oil filter for those of us who remember RICHWAY dept stores :-). missing alot of smaller things now timing cover,dizzy,intake,water pump,all pulleys and bolts. SO anyone have any extras for sell speak up. I am going rpm airgap for the intake but havent purchased one yet.

THANKS for all your help up to now and ill need more later as i build.

Peace and Love Ron

OH and on the rear end , what is different on the chunk from the full size lincoln? Is the houseing larger and the internals the same or all completely different? I pulled the carrier as it seemed to be a ls but left the rest there. AND how can i look at a carrier and tell if its a ls or open? I have never installed or or taken apart one. Both of the ones i have have openings where you can see internal gears in the ring housing, is that a ls type?

Peace and Love Ron

ok dropped the block and crank off at the machine shop yesterday to be cleaned and checked :-)

wot ok i now owe the c6 that was mounted to the 460 off the 78 lincoln :-).

anything i need to do to ID it or mod it?

I want to go thru it but have never worked on a transmission and saw you can "rollerize" one?

Peace and Love Ron

What tailshaft does it have? You may want to change to a 'regular' mount tailshaft if it already has the lincoln specific piece

I have no clue want tail shaft it has , i thought there was just long and short..... Ill post a pic later today.