what is a 429 thunderjet?
 

Like the subject says, what is a 429 thunderjet? I came upon a 70 t bird with one I can get for cheap. How much power do they produce, do they have forged anything, what heads, what intake, compression ration, cam profile? Any info on this would be great.

*I did a search for this, but I couldn't find just what I was looking for

I personally have never heard of a "Thunder Jet", are you sure it's not a Cobra Jet. Any way somebody else here should have the numbers but if I remember it was a pretty good motor.

Oh yea, thunderjets. If memory serves the 429 thunderjet debued in the 1968 t-bird and eventually was available in a couple other things as well. Don't recall exact specs or how long they were offered but they were a strong and desireable engine. I'm sure if you did an online search you could find all about them.

Yep, Thunderjet is what it is.
Used in T-Bird's,Lincoln's, & other large Merc's

320 HP 2v
360 Hp 4v

This is a good but short read.

http://www.oemfordparts.com//faq/bigblockv8.htm

That's why I like this site learn somthing new every day.

Nothing special, nothing forged...just good reliable engines. They are pre-"unleaded" engines with high compression. You may need octane-booster to run without detonation and the valve-seats will wear more rapidly unless you change them out for the newer hardened seats required for unleaded fuels.
Still a desirable engine to have...

Deen

I have one in a 74 highboy. Don't like having to use/buy high octane gas. Even with the high grade gas it still falls way short of what I expected before putting it in the truck. I think the book specs lthe hp at 365. They also have the highly sought after "DOVE-C" heads. Which is part of the problem which requires high grade gas, high compression (I think 10:1 or 10.5:1). High compression is cool if your a drag racer, but if you want to run 87 octane gas in your wood hauler, it sucks!

The Thunderjet refers only to the 360 HP, 4V engine. It was advertised as having 11-1 compression, over the 2V with 10.5-1. Where this came from, nobody has ever been able to figure out, since they have identical pistions, heads and cam as the 2V model.

I run my 429 2V with the timing retarded to prevent pinging. It's bad on mileage and power, but the alternative is to change the heads to low compression ones.

I've had it since 1985. It does not have hardened valve seats, and have never had a problem with seat recession. YMMV.

Hi i had the same ? about that motor .https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=287155 is where my post is .My Block#C9VE-B Head#C8VE-E Piston rod#C8VE-A Crank stamped 4U intake # C8SE was found 2 b a thunderjet made in lima ohio sept 27 1968 . It has stock 385 hp 11:1 comp ratio .I just built mine and it rox.I found that u need 2 make sure water jackets around piston walls r clean. I rebuilt mine with 6000 miles and block was terrable.If u dont u may have a heat issue and u dont want that motor hot .

If anybody is intrested I found an article that shows you how you can get 450HP out of one of those 1969-1971 460's and still run off 87 Octane.... check it out.

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/116_0008_ford/

S0 could you use the same recipe on a 69 429 Thunderjet? With stroke being different and all ?And still be able 2 use 87 octain gas ?

I was wrong on the dates, they used a 1973 or newer block and early model heads:o

the newer block has different deck hieght than the older block ran more compression with the less deck hieght the 68 to 70 block had a .010 deck clearance while the 70 1/2 and up had a .020.

I have a 1968 429 and it is rated at 385 but actual horse power is more like 400bhp and it came out of the T-bird and mine is currently in a 1976 F250 and it doesn't take much to get 500Hp out of it

I had one of these engines in my 1971 LTD, and like the other posters have said, you have to run the highest octane you can get AND add an octane booster (I used Insead-O-Lead which I think was made by Bardahls). I had the D0VE-C heads as well.

I tried dialing the base ignition timing back (5-6 degrees IIRC) but it really kills the power which takes all of the fun out of it.

Great motor, I put a Holley ProJection fuel injection unit and a Duraspark II ignition system on it. The passing power was great, just a slight increase in pedal pressure (no downshift) and in a few seconds you were way over the legal speed. Would also light up the rear tires easily off the line, even with 2.75 gears in back!

My dad originally ordered what became my LTD with the (craptastic) 400-2V engine. While in college during one summer, I was reading the classifieds and found a 1971 Ford station wagon for sale for $900 (this was back in 1989) that had low miles and the 429 in it. A couple of months later it was in my LTD (and the 400 lived on in the wagon which got sold a few years later). Why my dad didn't spring for the 429 (and a posi rear end, heated rear window, split front bench high-back seats, and delay wipers) originally, I'll never know. :-down