Engine swap 390-460
 

I have a 73 high-boy with a 390 and I love it but the aftermarket is so expensive and i want to switch to a 460 I have the big block bellhousing from another parts truck but what about the motor mounts and headers what do I have to do to get the 460 in there Id just like a good heads up before I tear into it

460 help
 

What do I need to do to put a 460 where a 390 is in a 73 250 4x4

The 390 is an FE engine and the 460 is a 385 series. They have a different bolt pattern at the bell housing and different motor mounts. You can use a wrecking yard or a conversion retailer like LandL Products. com to find kits. The hardest and most expensive part will prolly be the bell housing. A 351M or 400 bell housing would work the best. Do a search on this forum and also on the engine swap forums and you will find lots of info.
Good Luck, Tim

I just read your previous post on this subject and yes, you will need to change the exhaust too. I changed out my 360 which is basically the same engine swap. If I had a 390 in there in the first place, I may not have changed out in the first place. The 390 is a good buildable engine. Well, on the other hand, I really do like the 460's.

the easiest way is an L&L kit, but expect to drop around $2,000 for it. If this is a F250, you'll need L&L's motor mounts and frame towers. I see you have a bellhousing. Is it a 460 or a 351M/400 housing? If it is the latter, you'll also need L&Ls clutch kit, as it is shallower than the 460 one. L&L also makes special headers for this application. around $550 but are very nice pieces with 1/2" flanges. also you'll need a rear sump oil pan with pickup tube. again L&L can set you up. Next is the belt driven accessories. there are factory pieces out there that will get the job done and save you some cash if you have the time to hunt for them. but for the quick swap, L&L sure makes it easy. good luck and have fun.

you can use the original 390 rubber mounts, just have to drill another hole in them so they will bolt to the 460 block, you just have to have them turned a certain way. It's been a long time so I don't remember exactly how to position it, but it works. My dad did this on a truck he drove 10 years that way and it was plenty strong enough.

Just in case you are waiting to hear from more people, if you type *460 swap* into the search engine, it will yield about 40 threads relating to this topic.

The engine swap forum is there as well.
Good luck with your swap :)

Just in case your still waiting to hear from more people.....

Spend the 2K on the 390 instead and save the headache :D

Engine swap forum, as the man said, would be a great source of info for this...

This is the best I can do to help with the little time I have.

I read the first 4 .

The others I don't know all the content :)

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=294140

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=281292

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=275999

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=272307

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=246889

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=241846

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=237078

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=219509

390 vs. 460
 

I would rethink this swap. True the aftermarket is more expensive for the FE, but not by much. consider this. The FE has better stock heads than most aftermarket 460 heads. It has more compression built in, and in stock form even the lowest rated FEs made much more torque and horpower while still getting decent milage if they are tuned well. By the time you factor in the cost of the swap parts, and the amound of money it would take to make the 460 perform as well as the 390 you have already surpassed the cost of a decent FE build. I would suggest staying with the smart money and build that FE. A few upgrades would turn that truck into a real animal.

63monty...this thread is four years old. Your opinion is just pissing into the wind.

your point?
 

Who cares how old it is. I had a thought on the subject and wrote it down. Maybe someone looking over the same issue may not think it is pissing in the wind. As far as that goes, I don't care where I'm pissing, as long as it is a relief. My point is that just because your done with the topic doesn't mean that someone who is researching this swap isn't going to find the thread anyway. I did. And to that person my points are certainly worth considering.

My point is that you are bumping the newer tech threads with people who are still here down further. All of the posts except us hasn't come on here in a long time.

Let the sleeping dogs lie.

Like I said.
 

If someone is looking for info on this swap and they enter it in a search engine this thread is still near the top of the list. I had a thought and I shared it. It is for their benefit, not yours. I see your heading flags postmaster. If it is really as obsolete as you think it is than pull it if you can. If you can't then stop taking it personal. It is possible to explain your point without telling someone that their thoughts are "pissing in the wind." Had you been a little more polite and formal I would have let it go. As I said for a thread that is so outdated it is weird that it still shows up so high on a search engine, so someone must be wondering on this topic. I have an opinion and shared it for the benefit of whomever that may be, not for someone who apparently has too much time on their hands and certainly needs to develop some people skills. Really? Pissing in the wind? Let sleeping dogs lie? That's how you've got to talk to people? Look, if me leaving comments on it hurt that much then I really can offer little help to comfort than apologizing for bumping newer threads, but I would be surprised that one comment would make such a mess of a computer generated world.

Hey 63monty - thanks for the post. You are right, it was helpful. I was thinking of a 460 swap on my '69 f250 with a 390fe in it and now, I just decided to build the fe. Thanks again and any info is good info. This is the first thread I hit when searching the subject. If "age" is an issue, we would trash these old rigs.