so i have an '89 f250, (5.0, mazda 5 spd, BW 13-45 t case), that i use primarily as a beaster/backup vehicle. . .i've always dreaded the lack of power the 5.0 has. . .my original plan was to put a 4bt in it but ive been pondering the idea of swappin a gasser for ease and cost sake. now i just have to decide what motor im gonna put in.

the biggest thing that swayed my decision away from the diesel is that i came across a '90 f3 with a 460 EFI, zf5, and the 13-(56?) t case that i could buy as a parts truck.

to my understanding, the motors came with ~ 230/380ish hp/tq. with that bein said, i was wondering what kinda power these things make if i went the 460 route; ported the heads and milled for ~11:1 compression, matched a cam, tore off the emissions, and slapped on some long tubes into a bullet muffler? it will be a budget build which means it will be a lotta work and i just wanted to get an idea of what kinda power those motors make before i embark on the project. my second choice is an LT1 which i would love to do (to keep it a light smallblock), but of course i would be givin up the opportunity of acquiring a motor/trans combo for dirt cheap. . .cuz i know the mazda 5 spd is not a great power holder on top of all the incredible abuse its seen already. . .

any input would be appreciated, i have a lot more questions about fuel system etc but ill just hold off til i get all this outta the way.

 

a buddy's got a 76 high boy with a newer 460 a guy we know built it it was a 2wd with a 390 in it, anyways its carbed mild cam forged internals bored i think .60 over but holy f*ing power guess its somewheres close to 500 thing is animalistic in the woods he can two wheel most holes the locked jeeps get stuck in

 

Good news: Your small block Mazda trans--if that's what it is, I thought F250s got the ZF, won't bolt up to a 460.

So, along with your shopping, get a trans to fit the 460. ZF, or older 4 speed, or NV4500 via adaptor to a Ford stick bell.

As for what you can get out of a 460, this very GENERAL info will give you an idea:

460 Horsepower Chart (revised 1/24/09) - 460 Ford Forum

 

lol or u can youtube mudfreak79 for an idea of 460 capabilities his trucks tarded

 

Man the biggest thing is if your 5.0 is EFI...Im not sure about 89, but if it is you need all the electronics, harness, fuel system, and speed density rear axle swapped from the donor.

The biggest issue with modding the 460 EFI is the speed density / tuning limitations. You need to tune a specific ecu (tweecer? ) to the new mods like higher compression bigger cam...Or convert it to MAF (good luck )

In my opinion, not worth the trouble. You can slap on cold intakes, good ignition, and a SD friendly cam with some headers, bump your compression a little, and your MILES ahead of that 5.0 without pissin off the SD ECU.

OR, convert your EFI 460 to carb, which means you'll needs carb heads and intake...

 

yea, i have the mazda trans in my f2. the f3 that i have my eyes on has the 460, AND the zf5, along with the more stout 13-5x t-case. that is why the 460 swap is so appealing, because for basically nothin i can get all that stuff without the headaches of trackin down odds n ends if i was gonna go the bowtie route (LT1). not to mention im gonna be trackin down a t-case soon anyway cuz mines on its way out. blah blah blah.

by the way thanks for the HP chart. i know these are mean motors carb'd up, but since its purpose built i wanted to know what guys were squeezin out of them with their efi since thats what i'd be keepin.

 

its a whole lot easier to put a 460 in it than sum pos chevy swapping everything out just go buy a chevy.....i love watching em fail in the woods

 

so thanks for all the info, so the fuel system on the stock trucks is pretty weak? at what point would i have to upgrade if i was just stickin with the 5.0 (which i wont do, just wanna get an idea of what it will ultimately support)? what are the optoins for the in-tank pump? and the 460 sd is more "restricted" than the 5.0's? i.e. if i was to leave compression stock on the 460, i couldnt run cam+long tubes?

 

sorry bud im a fan of anything nice. ya wont see any chevy motor i put into my truck failing in the woods due to quality of parts. i wasnt tryin to make this a ford vs chevy pissin match. i own both, am a fan of both (single cam that is), but i dont think you could possibly win an argument that a fuel injected chevy swapped into this truck would be a "pos". . . .especially considering the power i'd be making with a cheap LT setup. not to mention it would be almost the exact amount of work strippin a donor down for either a 460 fuel injected, or an LT1. if i was carbin it it still would be swappin motors and trannys. . .

 

If you have a donor truck get the engine perches off the front crossmember and the exhaust manifolds unless you have headers lined up.

You can buy a carburetor adapter plate that fits the lower FI intake manifold for about $125
From Price Motorsport. Look for part # CS 460- EFI

11-1 is really not worth it.
Build something you can run on pump gas.
Remember, there's no replacement for displacement!

 

so basically the general consensus is that the efi is junk and should be ditched for a carb setup? no1 is makin power with the efi? ? ? i dont expect a nasty drag racer, but i would love the power band (low rpm) of 460 cubes under the hood with a ~300/450-350/500 power range and the 4wheelin benefits of the efi. cam, long tubes, and head work (headport/mill/valvejob on stock heads) is all i wanna do.

 

i just dont like ppl puttin chevys in a ford u wanna chevy buy a chevy i was raised with em and despise em lol i have ran the 5.0 in my unknown mileage 83 bronco to cherry red without so much as burning a qrt of oil i tried and tried to kill it and couldnt, as for the swap why not just do a 351 throw in some goodies you could get some power out of it and they're pretty much the same block

 

Another way to go is 351w. You can stroke and poke those to 393 or 408 or even 427 if you want to go nuts. Pay particular attention to posts by Conanski here. Check his other posts if you like. IMO he is a real guru on the sbf/351w.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...e-engines.html

 

No, the efi is not "junk", but if you want to install a big cam the stock SD system is not going to handle it.
So after swapping in the entire wiring harness from the donor you will still have to hack it apart and/or modify it to accommodate your planned engine build.

"budget build" and 460 swap + porting & compression + no emissions just don't exist in the same universe...
Oh, and don't forget to grab the donor radiator as well. There's no way that bitty 5.0 rad will begin to offer enough cooling and the hoses won't fit anyhow.

 

i appreciate all the input. so, if i understand correctly, on any of the ole SD motors, its basically a matter of deciding whether im satisfied with close to stock power and bolt ons w/ maybe super-mild cam/headwork, OR throwin down serious cash/time to upgrade the system to a tunable setup, and doin what i want with it? THERES where the money lies. . .i think its best to start with somethin tunable. or save my damn money for the 4bt

keepin the 302 is basically outta the question. no doubt its venerable, the truck has 240000 on the odo (has much more than that w/ bigger than stock tires its whole life) with 1 motor rebuild. trucks been rolled twice been starved of oil n she just keeps tickin. . .literally (pesky chronic egr leak). but its not a motor for a truck, i know im stirrin the pot for some but a 5.0 smog motor in a 3/4 ton truck with <200/300 hp/tq at the wheels just isnt cuttin it for me. ive thought about pullin some of the gt40p heads off an explorer but i just dont think the gains justify the work.