I am new to this board as well as my 429. I have spent the last week waiding through the many threads here and have been impressed by the knowledge and experiences shared. I know that I have an awfull lot to learn from you all and plan on asking many questions in the near future. Here is what I have to work with and what I want to do. 1971 429 with the casting numbers DOVE-A on the block and DOVE-C on the heads. From what I gather this is a decent platform to work from. It will be going in my 1987 F-250 that I have put a 94 body on. This truck will be a daily driver general purpose work truck, occasional towing and hauling of construction equipment.
I am not looking for a drag racing motor but a good solid on road truck with *****.
The first thing I need to sort out is what compression ratio that I should shoot for. I don't mind having to run on premium gas to keep it up a little but realize the stock cr is probably too high. What is a good # to work with to help keep power up and not run in to problems?
Once I settle on the best compression ratio for my application I need help on deciding if I should go with a 460 crank to open up piston selection. It doesn'nt look like they offer many aftermarket pistons for the 429. If there is a good choice for a 429 piston I think I will go that route for the savings of not having to buy the 460 crank. What are your feelings on this? Are the added 30 ci worth the expence in the crank and added fuel bills ? I apologize for being so long winded but I need this project to work the first time around and am trying to provide all of the information that you will need to give me the correct informatoin.

 

hi and welcome aboard!! from what I understand you have a very good platform to start with. don't quote me but I think a 460 and 429 have the same bore I could be wrong. for what you want to do with it on the street I bet you would want to go with 9.5:1 compression. A good cam that yeilds alot of torque for hauling stuff with. keep in mind the rpm's you will be in wether lower for the towing or higher for racing to chose the cam. In chosing your cam keep in mind that bigger isn't always better. Do some reaserch to find what will work for you. A good ignition, headers, carbeuration, and gearing will all work together if set up right and when your done you will be more than happy with yor biuld. As for the mileage I really don't see a diffrence in the 2 so thats up to you and your wallet. Keep us posted on your build up

 

There's a limited piston selection for the 429, usually flattops that provide 10.5:1 c/r with your early heads. I'd go to the 460 crank and use pistons that provide a c/r of 9.5:1. With stock heads, I'd recommend a cam with maxiumum .490-.500 lift and 205/215 @ .050 duration. Use 10-15 degrees of higher duration on the exhaust side to help the 385's resticted exhaust port. As you're after a work truck, that'll keep the rpms down and you can use the stock valve train and rods. I'd suggest adding a Performer intake manifold, Edelbrock 750cfm carb and L&L headers.

The extra 30ci will allow you to achieve the same power band at lower rpms and prolong engine life. Gas mileage differences between a 429/460 are negligible. It won't be great in a heavy, aerodynamic brick shape no matter what you do.

 

Thanks for the reply guys. Both of you seem to think the magic # is 9.5/1 for the cr. Other than stock rebuilds of sb Fords, this is all new to me. 9.5/1 for good pump gas it is.
I've also decided to find a 460 crank for the better selection of pistons and the ability to get the same power curve down lower to extend engine life.
Is there anything that I should be made aware of before buying the crank and pistons? I think that any 460 internally balanced crank will work. Am I correct in this assumption?What else , if anything, should I take into consideration? As far as pistons go, I probably don't need to go with forged for this current application but if I can find some reasonably priced I might go with them just incase I plan on doing something a little more radicle in the future. Any suggestions? Once again thanks.

 

With a new (turned) crank, new pistons and new rings, I'd recommend you have the entire rotating assembly, including the rods, balanced by a reputable shop.

I consider the minimal additional cost of forged pistons cheap insurance, especially if you're towing heavy loads in hot weather up grades and might encounter detonation with bad gas or a faulty advance system.