The motor has been at the machine shop for a week now and it appears we're going 0.060 over. 472 cubic inches of Bronco motivator. I'm itching to get it done. The combo has been revised a little, and I've added something else to the stable to distract me, but it's another Ford.

• 
  69 429 block bored 0.060 over
  75 460 crank
  Dished Probe or KB pistons (24cc), set as close to zero deck as possible
  Compression ratio target is 9.75:1
  Total Seal rings
  460 crank and rods reconditioned
  C9VE heads with CNC porting job, larger valves, hardened seats, and appropriate valve springs for cam selected
  Weiand Stealth or Performer RPM intake manifold with 850 cfm carb (TBD)
  L&L headers with 2.5" exhaust & flowmaster 40's
  Comp Cams XE274, Lunati 272/280....or something close
  Ignition system TBD. Not going to be HEI

And here's the new toy. 93 Mustang GT 5.0/5speed with a bunch of racing goodies already on it. Got it for less than it would have cost to buy a set of aluminum heads for the Bronco. Needs a throw-out bearing and some minor clean up. Should be a fun ride.

 

Nice score on the GT Josh!!

 

Thanks Scott....hoping it doesn't distract me too much! I find myself perusing the summit catalog looking at mustang parts. I have to stop that till the Bronco is done.

 

Haha, nice little distraction to have!! When I restored the 79 F350 last year, it was good therapy to step away for a week or so but it was also good to get back after it too.

 

The engine being at the machine shop gives me a bit of time to step away, and I agree on it being therapy. I need to replace the Mustang's throw out bearing before I can drive it. I think I can tackle that project in my spare time with minimal mission creep (there's always something else that needs done).

Maybe by then I'll have my brother's truck done too....I should start a thread for that build now that I'm almost done.

 

A little update on the motor.

I've been in full time vacation mode, having been to New York, Southampton, Iceland, and a few other places in the last three weeks. I was able to get a few details nailed down with the machine shop before I left so now the block is done. It's been bored 0.030, honed with a torque plate, mains checked, new cam bearings and freeze plugs installed.

Rods and crank are also ready to go. As soon as the new pistons, flex plate, and damper arrive, the entire assembly will go off to get balanced.

The biggest news would have to be the heads. I purchased the mustang with the money I would have spent buying some fancy aluminum heads, so we went forward with building a decent set of iron heads. Then, Summit started a sale on the Trick Flow heads right as I was about to send the iron heads off for some CNC port work. I would have ended up spending $1400 on the porting and new larger valves had I continued with my plan. Summit derailed that when the flyer announced I could buy a set of bare Trick Flow Powerport 290's for $1300. They arrive Tuesday.

This has prompted a different piston selection. Looks like we'll be pushing the compression up a point. With the KB flat top's (12cc dish) this motor will be at 10.4:1.

I have yet to select a cam. I'm interested in hydraulic rollers, but wonder if they are worth the trouble when my goal isn't that wild. A 5-600 ft/lb motor that performs off idle, but can run well above 5000rpm doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility for a flat tappet hydraulic. I have cam recommendation requests in with Comp, Crane, Crower, Lunati, & Howards. I'm really curious to see what they come up with.

Anyone here care to recommend a cam? Here's the details:
460 BBF
4.390 Bore
3.85 Stroke
Trick Flow Aluminum Heads
2.2 Intake valves
1.76 Exhaust
290cc intake runner
130cc Exhaust runner
Rockers TBD (most likely 1.73:1 rollers)
750-850 cfm carburetor
Stealth dual plane intake

Vehicle is a 79 Bronco, weight is 5500lbs. Current gear ratio is 3:50, soon swapping to 4:10. Converter is a no-name thing, stall is approximately 1800 rpm. Runs on pump gas, 91 octane.

During the summer I drive this rig on trails up in the mountains. Mostly slow speed stuff, negotiating technical trails, but occasionally blasting through large mud holes, requiring lots of top end power. In the winter, top end power rules. Lots of time spent at full throttle as we blast through snow drifts, long snow packed roadways, and long uphill climbs through the snow.

Any input you guys have is appreciated. I'm looking forward to finishing this one up so I can go enjoy it.

 

Cylinder heads showed up yesterday, along with the new flex plate and harmonic balancer.





Still waiting on Comp/Crower/Crane to recommend a cam.

 

Subscribed...good work on the Bronco!

 

Snowy,

That's a NICE looking rig you've got there! Good luck with the 460 build. I don't have any input there, but as an incurable gearhead I totally get the desire for MORE horsepower! I rebuilt the 400 in my 78 to be right around 1 HP per C.I., and it was a fun project. An aluminum headed 460 has to be a pretty good combo in the Bronco. I see some drivetrain upgrades in your future!

 

Thank you!

Thank you! I'm pretty excited to ditch the heavy smog era turd and put this far lighter/stronger motor in it. Wish I could get one of the cam companies to cough up a cam recommendation so I could finish it!

As you mention, I also envision some broken/upgraded parts in my near future.

 

Finally bought a cam. A buddy of mine (Wyoming4x4) recommended that I call MPG heads and discuss it with them. He had great luck with them so last Friday I made the call. Today I ordered what Scott recommended.

MPG Heads - Index

The closest cam that Comp makes is the XE274H. This is a flat tappet hydraulic cam. Using Comp Cam's simulator, it should be good for 560 ft/lbs at 2500, 500hp at 5500rpm. Plenty of grunt to move the Bronco.

The machinist also had some news for me. The Sealed Power 12cc dish pistons arrived and the dish is larger than advertised. He's going to do a true zero deck on the setup to make up for the larger dish.

One step at a time, but we're getting closer to assembly time.

 

Glad to hear you're making progress!

Choosing the right cam can be daunting, it's the single biggest decision when building an engine IMO. That 500HP will make you want to tickle the go pedal often!

 

Brought the motor home from the machine shop tonight. Other than the painful dent in my savings, I'm excited to put it together!



Cam and lifters got lost in transit, so I'm hoping that gets resolved quickly.

 

Awesome build!!

 

Great build!