500HP 460 build review and cam question
 

I know this is a dead horse but I have been doing research for a few weeks and would like some opinions on my build before I get started. I was planning on doing a diesel swap but not until late next year and have a knock now.

I plan on getting my machine work done before I order parts. ( A good Denver machine shop recommendation would be appreciated)

My truck will be used for mostly street / snow, some mountain wheeling, and the occasional Honda spank at the light.

I am aiming for ~500HP @ ~4500 RPM, and ~10.5:1 to 11:1 compression.

What I have now:

• 77 460 mostly stock
• 750 CFM edelbrock carb (almost new)
• Decent headers

What I am planning on getting:

• Porting my D3VE-A2A heads (unless I stumble upon a set of D0VE-C's in some dream JY find) I purchased the reincarnation subscription and have been studying
• Head rebuild kit (valves / springs, ect. )
• Summit racing engine rebuild kit with hyp. flat top pistons http://www.summitracing.com/parts/fe...view/make/ford
• Cam, No clue what size to get
• New performance fuel pump
• Machine shop work, bore .020 over.
• Weiand stealth intake manifold

So my question is can I attain my goals with parts listed and what cam should I get? I'm trying to stay under $2500 for the entire build.

I built a 429 for my 79 . Close to the parts you already have. 1st let me ask what are you planning for the truck towing daily driver off road?
each 1 would be a differnt combo. Also tire size and rear gears?
I had a 759 AFB on my 429 I think they are out of business replaced by Edelbrock look a likes. I never had a luck with Edelbrock carbs. They do make some great street intakes though especially for big block fords. If your looking to get 500 HP out of a 460 you need a cam in the 270-280 duration stay away from anything over 300 duration it will kill your torque. If you want easy maintenance stay hydraulic flat tappet but be prepared to use a zinc additive in you oil. Find a cam that has a power band from 1500-6k.
Keep your compression under 10-1 Ethanol sucks in new fuels. Also eats fuel systems.
You should probably have your rebuild kit before machine work a good shop will require this to fit the pistons to bores.
Here is a cam for good mid range power with a little thump exhaust note.
Comp Cams Xtreme 4x4 X4270H Hydraulic Flat Tappet Camshaft Small Kit
Lift: .554''/.574''
Duration: 270°/278°
Lobe Separation Angle: 111°
RPM Range: 1600-5800
Will need matching Valve springs and Good set of roller rockers.
Is the intake a dual plane or a single plane?
Is you truck stick or auto?
If you want to go bigger on the cam you possibly will need a different torque converter than stock If stick truck no worries.
Good machine work will probably run you 5-600 including cleaning and cam bearings.
You can proably stay close to 2500. heads may be the problem for your hp goal. Especially if you want to go that high in compression.Plan on useing race fuel or an additive. Steel heads hol more heat. Prone to detonation.
Good luck
Pm me if you have anymore questions maybe I can help.
Tom

tom hit it right on the head very good advise with my stoked 460[501 cid] I used a cam similar to the one noted 10.1 compression, scat rotating assembly,ballanced and blue printed air gap intake,roller rockers,3/8 hardened push rods edelbrock aluminum heads/750 cfm carb 8 qt marine oil pan with rear sump pickup 6250 rpm redline according to the parts I have into this engine it is around the 500 hp mark totally drivable [idles very nice @ 700 rpm] but put your foot into it and my "hemi who" bumper sticker seems to come alive lol and yet I get a honest 16 mpg with the gear venders over drive with 3.54 rear end pics in my gallery

Reincarnation has some good stuff on porting those heads as well as some known build combos. When I researched this stuff for my engine I saw alot of guys saying to zero deck the block. I never did this and wish I did while it was at the machine shop. Decking helps with quench especially on a 77 block.

I just did a similar build. Went with the Edelbrock performer intake. My compression is pretty low though because I have D3's with stock pistons. I also used those porting instructions which were awesome. You may already be considering it but check into zero decking the block to get good quench. Also check out Paul Kane's block oiling mods.

Check out custom cams from Cam Research they can even brake in the cam and lifters for you which takes out some of the risk associated with a new cam. Was my first build so wanted to leave as few things to screw up as possible. CR also provided some pushrods for me. Custom cam doesn't really cost that much more and they can really tailor it to your application and use. I spent about 30 min on the phone talking enigine and working out what was going to give me the most power.

Read this...

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

My truck is an auto. Right now I have 35s on it but was planning on eventually going to the 37" Hummer MT's

My rear is a stock D60. I have my eye on a small 14bolt and a 9inch in a junk yard just haven't pulled the trigger. Not sure on gears yet since I will be street driving a lot but may need to pull some jeeps out of snowy ditches.

I have seen the 270 range flat tap cam mentioned a lot so I will put that at the top of my list. I wasn't planning on getting roller rockers or swapping from the stock push rods but sounds like it would be a minimal investment if I want to push the red line over 5000. Thank you for the advise.

Question: I was hoping that at my altitude having the compression around 10.5:1 I would still be able to use pump gas? I know octanes on pump gas are adjusted already for up here but was hoping it would be ok still.

This is good stuff. Thank you. This states that for 500HP you need the D0VE heads but the stats for the D3VE are almost identical after exhaust porting and plugging on the intake side. Perhaps grind out the D3VE for larger valves?

Rear gear I would suggest at min 4.10. Keep your D60
I would not go over 10.5 especially with today's gas quality. All it takes is a bad load of fuel. Hyper u pistons will take a little abuse. But not a lot of compression generated detonation.
My opinion is your heads are limiting your power even ported. Pro comp aluminum ported with valves are 1300 a pair. I know that's over your budget, but they will get you to 500+
Tom

I think 500 is gonna be real tough with those heads.

Get with Cam Research and have them spec a custom cam for you. They are local and highly recommended

......you beat me to it.

I envy you 385 guys and all the cubes you can make.:)

i used to have a few BBs then went to Mustangs and small blocks handle better. Now it just diesel for my trucks. Had 3 7.3s and now a 6.7. I still love the sound of a ford big block with a decent cam. The 385 series are great towing motor too. If you don't mind single digit fuel mileage. Again I think 425~450 will be max your gonna make. Still plenty of power and probably 500 lb/ft. A stroker kit would get you in 500 range. But not your budget I know.

Well, 500 hp @ Denver elevation is a very tall order on pump gas. Watch the deck height, to get you into your desired CR, but a 270 ish cam advertised will work well with a pump gas build @ 10:1 Cr. Comp Xtreme 4x4 would work well with either a performer rpm or a weiand stealth. Another thing to look at is a CJ intake and port match your D3s to that. Pay close attention to pushrod length as well, makes a big difference on these engines. Have your heads cut for stud mount rockers or buy the adjustable pedestal mounts from RMcomp.

I highly doubt you will see 500 hp, as these engines need to spin around 7000 to support 500 HP, at sea level. 400 might be a reasonable goal, but the torque and grunt will make it a blast to drive. L&L makes a realy nice truck header, and they should support 400-500 hp with 1 3/4 primaries and 3 " collectors.

Might pay to install 2.19 intakes in those heads as well. 460s like a little more exhaust duration in the cam profile as well.

Are these just recipes for 500hp, or do guys actually put them on an engine or chassis dyno or run them at the strip to verify? Just always curious I know a few guys that claim this or that makes X amount of HP and the claims never really match up with reality.
Sounds like a fun build Jimmyrig, with the 460 grunt why not keep the build as cheap as possible if you are going to go diesel next year, save the money for that swap. I'm not trying to tell a man what to do with his money, sounds like fun either way. In to follow.