Hey guys, I have a 79 F-150 4x4 with a 400 engine and C6 tranny. I am sick of dumping money into this motor and getting very little performance so I think I am going to look at a 460 or maybe even a stroker. I have researched some crate engines and have found that $5000 will get me close to a 500 hp motor. What would I be looking at if I built one up from scratch, with a shop doing the machine work but me installing everything myself? Also, what am I looking at for the cost of a stroker? I have no idea what exactly I want here. I don't want an 800 hp monster but 400-500 sounds great to me! My pickup is more of my toy/weekend warrior and will see mostly pavement, some off roading, and some trailer towing. It isn't my daily driver so downtime isn't a real big deal. Just looking for some of your opinions on which is the best and or most economical route to get the performance I am looking for.
Thanks!

 

What have you done to your motor that has not gotten you any power?

This is sub-400 horse, but not by much. It is also a few years old. Are you in the 9s for compression? Better cam?

http://www.tmeyerinc.com/400ford.html

 

I bought a long block with a supposed 9.5/1 compression, edelbrock intake and carb, msd ignition, and I still can't even burn out. I put a new top end in the original motor, and this engine doesn't have any more power than that did. I've got probably $4000 into the engine in my pickup, and for that I could of had a 460 with more than enough power to melt my tires... I don't want to tear mine apart and put more money into it on the hunch that the machine shop hosed me and just gave me a stock block and not one with an rv cam and badger flattops like it is supposed to have...

 

you can see a true 400hp 460 for well under $5k. basic rebuild with pistons to net you in the 9:1-9.5:1 range. Good 4x4 cam like the comp xtreme 4x4 series, weiand stealth intake and a good 650cfm carb with some decent headers should get you plenty of tire roasting torque and HP.

 

If all you want to do is burnouts then disconnect your rear brakes.



If you want 460ci then keep your stock crank and rods along with a good set of pistons and go from there with stock heads and a good intake/carb/cam combo.

If you want a stroker take a look at
CarsByCarl.com

For what it cost to prep a block, buy the stroker assy, have it all balanced and then assemble I spent about $200 less than Carl would sell a complete short block shipped to my door. Hindsight being 20/20 I wouldve gone this route and saved myself some hassle.

Id then buy a good set of heads (iron or aluminum), an intake, carb and misc tins/etc and slap it all together.



Either option will make 4-500hp very easily and will give you room to grow.

 

Is a 460 a better idea then a stroker for what I want? For all intents and purposes, my pickup will be a toy that might pull a boat or somethin. I just want some good power for a decent price, but still have the ability to upgrade if I ever want to. Also, is a crate the better way to go? Or should I look at getting a machine shop to get my shortblock prepped and do the rest myself. I want something fun and reliable that I don't have to troubleshoot and worry that I got screwed again like I did on my 400...

 

No more input anybody? I could use it haha!