Hello, I just bought a 429 industrial motor and I noticed off the bat that the crank was huge! It doesn't take the normal size 429 harmonic balancer. Was this a good investment or a bad one? Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

 

im in the same boat as you. havent bought mine yet though. mine is out of a state plow truck and all i have to do is strip it and return my buddy the money i get for the scrap.... (torched out of the frame, still attached to half of it and the trans is bigger that the engine.)

so far from what i can tell, the block is good thicker webbing possible on the mains. small chance they could be 4 bolt but that never seems to matter in fords as much.

the rods are shorter, so the pistons are taller. (if you intend to reuse the rods you need to know that)

the crank is steel. its good but it needs a lot of machining. turn down the snout for the balancer, and the rod journals are huge so you can offset grind them alot, again im new to this engine so im not big on the specifics. i know it is costly and easier to get a cast crank which can handle some 750 or more horse anyways

i suppose if you are going into a truck just turn down the snout and rebuild the rest as is, unless you are going for crazy.

im going to drop a post on 460ford.com as soon as they activate me

 

Thanks for the info. This motor I have has been re-built. I had to order a new harmonic balancer for it. I am trying to figure what the compression ratio is. I am also thinking of changing the cam in it because I heard threw the grape vine that these are low rpm motors. What are you putting your motor in. Any more information would be appreciated. Thank You.

 

Truck motors normally run 7.5 to 8.0 compression ratios and are cammed for low end torque, not for reving. Rated horsepower is usually in the 3500 to 4000 rpm range. Some are even goverend to keep the rpm down.

 

im probably going with a 502 stroker kit, 300 cfm heads rpm intake and a roller cam. i want about 500-575 hp. its going in a 67 stang. someday, someday

 

Don't scap the crankshaft. That's what I use in my pulling motor and they are getting harder to find. I turned the snout down rekeyed it and had it offset ground to use a long rod. PM me I might want another one.

Dennis

 

well ill let you know as soon as i grab the engine and strip it. it may be a minute...

for pulling wouldnt a big damper be advantageous. the extra mass to keep things rolling???

tell that to the tarts and their 4 bangers with aluminum flywheels

 

Actually the block is the same as the later model 460 block used after 1979, it IS different then the passenger car 429 blocks due to the longer cylinder walls etc but it's nothing special. And they are NOT 4 bolt main (this was a myth perpetuated by a uniformed writer in a hot rod magazine about 20 yrs ago that just won't die)

The other difference is the front cover that needs to be replaced to use a standard crank in them with the regular front seal. Also do to the block differences you can NOT use the earlier internally balanced crankshafts in the industrial 429 blocks without a LOT of clearancing.

 

Just want to add that the 429 engines were the commercial truck engines and that the 460's were the industrial/marine engines.

The 460's did not come with a forged crankshaft and were essentially passenger car engines with a few upgrades (truck rods, CJ-style intake, valve spring cups, fully grooved bearings).

The big snout 429 is a different combo with forged crank, cast iron timing cover, double-roller chain, full-length 8-quart oil pan, 4-ring pistons and shorter rods. BEWARE of the 370 which has a crankshaft of the same configuration but is almost always CAST.

Paul

 

Can you run this engines in a regular truck or they mostly set-up for something bigger? If it is a low rpm motor then I think that changing the camshaft in it would be a good start.

 

ok sorry bout the 4 bolt main comment i read it somewhere, it seems its wrong.

im formerly a fe guy. but ive found they are like electrical sockets, stick your finger in once and you wont do it again.

so i need to know now about the crank. is it worth it to me to use the block and heavily offset grind the crank? since i apparently cant use the common stroker kits?

 

Can you run a bigger cam in these motors or do you have to run the stock cams due to valvetrain issues? Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

The flywheel flange is different, and the crank snout/balancer/pulles/etc are differnt. Cast iron timign cover. It IS possible to machine the crank to the configuration of the 429 passenger car engine....but for a truck I would recommend simply buying a production 460 crank and rods and then rebuild that way.

If you are not familar with all the detailed differences between the commrctial and passenger car engines, you may be in for a lot of headaches. Feel free to call me, I think I can help a lot....without all the typing.. 310-435-1900

Paul

 

Again, with proper machine work on the heads (retainer-to-guide clearance), 0.550 lift cam no problem....bigger lifts with additional machining. Again, the commercial truck engines don't have the best heads to start with.

Paul