Hello, I am new to the forum and new to 460 Fords. I need help with info on 460 versus 7.5 liter engines. I have a California 95 F250 with a bad luck Fuel Injected 460 or 7.5 engine. The engine is a Ford crate engine installed at a dealer by the previous owner. It blew a head gasket and 1K later wiped out the cam, 1K later tossed a rod through the pan. I have a newly rebuilt carb 460 but I want to retain the FI so the CPU will work. I know that the Carb heads will not bolt up to the FI set up. Can I use the heads off the FI engine on the rebuilt 460 short block? Is the deck height the same? I used Sealed Power flat tops, new truck rods with new football rod bolts in the 460 rebuild.
I just bought a 96 7.5 complete core. Should I just rebuild this engine and sell my carb motor?
I guess the base question is: Are the short blocks on a carb 460 and an FI engine the same? Is a 460 and a 7.5 the same short block?

 

Welcome to FTE.

The deck height is the same from '72 to '96 at 10.322".

The basics of the engine are the same 7.5 or 460, it was just a change to a metric designation.

Your FI heads will bolt to your shortblock. However, the wheels come off with the pistons. If you raise the compression, you will probably go over on the NOx emissions due to higher combustion chamber temps. And there will be little you can do to fix it. (EFI pistons have a dish and you have flat tops, right?)

I think rebuilding the '96 core to exact '95 specs (probably the same) is the way to go. Time and money spent and then failing smog with no fix will not make you a happy camper.

Any idea why the Ford reman was such a POS? Or was it just a claim by the PO?

Stand by you may get other responses with better details.

 

Thanks for the reply. A Ford dealer in Costa Mesa California installed the crate engine for the PO. I believe that they used oil with out a zinc additive. That dosn't explane the head gasket but the metal from the cam could have caused the rod failure. The truck looks like it is just off the show room floor. I bought it because it was so clean and had a new engine. I have all the paper work. Just bad luck I guess. I own the truck to pull my sons 88 Super Coupe to the strip. He built the car himself and is finally ready to take it to the strip. He put a built 5.0 and C4 in the car along with a nine inch. It should be fun for him. That is if I can ever get the car to the track!

 

BTW, We do not have emissions testing in Ohio. I am also thinking of adding headers to the truck to wake it up a little more. I don't want a race truck just something that can tug a car trailer down the road and not feel under powered. I hear Headman has a set up that includes a Y pipe.

 

The EFI set up on your short block might be the way to go.

Is it the stock cam?

Is it a MAF set up or SD? MAF, according to others here, will tolerate a bit more fiddling than SD.

 

I think that both the engine in the 95 and the 96 engine that I just picked up are SD. Before I rebuilt the carb 460 I could not find a 95 or 96 7.5 to rebuild. So I rebuild the carb motor and a week later I find the 96 7.5 complete from the fan to the flex plate and from the air intakes to the pan. The cam in the carb engine will have to be changed out if I use it. I'll go with a Lunati EFI cam. That cam will work well with the CPU in the 95.
I am thinking of selling the carb engine and using that money to rebuild the 96 7.5. I believe it is pretty much the same engine as the one in the 95. I just hope I have better luck with it than I have had so far. This is my first experience with a BBF and it has abviously not been good. My biggest fear in using the carb motor short block was the deck height. I was told that ford raised the deck height when they went to the 7.5 FI engines. I am happy to hear that that is untrue. I live in Southwest Ohio. This is chevy country except for a few mustang people so there is not much place to talk Ford. Any additional advice would be appreciated!

 

All 460 all the time:

460 Ford Forum

Sounds like you have a handle on it, just proceed with due care and caution and you'll be good.

You can always build both engines, one a low end load hauler and the other a 700 horse axle breaker....serving suggestion....

 

The carb motor is already built. I use Sealed Power flat tops new truck rods, a comp 270 Cam Kit, sealed power rings and King bearings. The block was cleaned and magnafluxed and bored 30 over with torque plates. Internally ballanced with a new harmonic balancer and flex plate. Moroso oil pan, pump and pick up. I did it right in my estimation.