OK, this post will rile some feathers. Please read it tongue in cheek! Lets stick with mildly built, slightly over stock engine opinions. No motor heads with over 10K in a race motor need respond..LOL The night was slow, soooo:

MY opinion only...speaking stock only here with 73-79 Trucks.... 460's just plain suck! Not only gas, but are more hype than power. That is why they were mostly installed in station wagons\LTD's and such. I understand they were installed in a few trucks. Which ones and how many years.. A person put them in a truck for cubic inch bragging rights for the most part. The Mid 70's 351's..the smog police killed them, no power at all. (I owned a brand new 77 F250 4x4 Extended cab that could not get above 65 without a tail wind 360's, they are OK, but sucked more gas than they were worth. Some here brag that a 2bbl 360 is the bomb. They are full of BS. I drove several, maybe Bomb is correct. (putting a glass pack on your ride does not make it a power beast) 390's, sorta awesome if you let them breathe with a cam and headers. (I have one in my current truck) A 300, will pull a stump outa the ground but they hated driving above 65 mpg. With the 300's low end torq, frying the tires in the light rear of a truck, we called them "Hog Block Six" back in the day. I mean 300 six, vs a sissy 302 V8... Speaking of 302/5.0,Keep it in a Putang, not a truck. I repeat, Please read this post tongue in cheek fellas. Some even say a built 4\6cyl will take out a built V8.

No "built" motors were inferred in this post.... Any more 73-79 truck motors I missed? Jeesh, I sound like a cheby guy.

 

Your words are meaningless

(negative response, not justified)

 

Built my 351 into a 400. Little better pistons, cam, intake, carb, headers. Things a beast now. Fuel mileage is not great but not unexpected. Sounds like you should build a decent 390 if that's what your into. Nothing wrong with a well built 390. Good luck.

 

I've had a 302 in a 73-79 that was mildly worked over running 13's. Sissy? You should see the 302 I'm putting together now.

 

What is the point of starting a thread like this on a Ford forum? If not for your post count, I would have assumed you are a troll.

 

Well maybe you're a closet chevy guy!

To be objective about this, it's not only Ford who had inefficient and "sucky" motors and power combos in this era of vehicles.. All of The Big Three were affected by the Feds, EPA, and CalEPA to clean up emissions and engineers came up with that they could like catalytic converters, EGRs, tiny valves, miles of vacuum lines, vacuum switches, and solenoids, air pumps, choked exhaust systems...

Take a look at GM engines during this era.... the 307, 350, 400, BOP 350, BOP 455, 454, etc..... paltry HP numbers in stock form but the party really starts after excising all the smog stuff and a mild buildup with some cam, timing, and better induction and exhaust systems... except for the 307.. that thing just plain sucked donkey.

Nowadays everything is computer-controlled and MPG with HP (662 HP Coyote in the Mustang!!). I don't own a laptop so I'll use a set of hand tools and the one between my ears to keep'er running in top shape.

EDIT: I'll concur that a 302 in these rigs is typically a mismatch. I had a 2WD 76 LB with a 302 and it could hardly get out of its own way.. but it would return 17 mpg. However, a mildly built 302 in a 2WD shortbed is a nice driver but not as a work truck.

 

Not to call you out on this, but I have a tired, worn out 460 and I'm amazed at how it still accelerates my heavy truck to highway speeds with or without a load in the bed. HIO said it best in this thread.

 

So what you're saying is the 400 is the only motor worth its salt? I could agree with that.

 

If you're speaking strictly stock configuration even the 390's sucked, at least those of the 70's smog era, they were low compression turds with a broomstick for a camshaft...

The early-mid 60's 390's are another story.

 

I do not have any urge to help you, but I will call you ignorant. Good day.

 

Ah, I think this new classic line fits in nicely with this thread.

 

.................

 

Yea, that will forever be in my signature.

 

No fair! I was going to do that.

hehe

 

I bought a bone stock 78 2wd F250 to take the 460 out and put in my 79 4x4 and I had a ball with that 2wd truck before removing the engine. It would smoke the tires all through 1st & 2nd gears and bury the spedo in no time. I love 460's even stock