I have a few questions in regards to building a decent 460.
I have D3VE 2a2 Heads. Are they worth rebuilding and making them breath a little better? I know that they are an emissions head. Should I just go with a better head to start with? I don't feel like giving Edelbrock my money for aluminum ones, and it's not a race truck, I just want a little more pep in the step. Stock D3's aren't giving me that.


What have you guys done to your stock heads and what heads did you start with? Did anyone beef up some D3's or did you recycle them and go D0's? I'm really just looking for ideas.


I have the ignition and intake to support better heads. I will invest in the headers to let them breath. I will do a cam and timing chain to match my head decisions.


Thanks in advance for your input.

 

I don't see anything wrong with using the d-3 heads, depending on what kind of shape they are in. Are you going to have new valve seats put in? New valves? If so, and you want them to breathe better, go with larger valves. It won't really cost more money if you are going to replace valves and seats anyways. And as for the bare head, take a rotary air tool (like a dremel grinder) and grind down the hump in the exhaust ports and blend the ports to match the seats. You don't have to go over board with this and do have to be careful not to get in the water jacket, but a little goes a long way in making them breathe better. Keep in mind that you will have to get different length pushrods if you have to resurface the head and possibly the intake resurfaced depending on how much was taken off the heads.

 

I am actually hearing a lot of the same thing around the 460 forum. I will be dropping the heads off to have them re-valve'd anyways so I will have them ported up a bit. Also, I have heard a bunch about knocking down the "Humps" in the D3's so I will have that done too. I may just get a core set and have them done so as not to take the truck off the road.


I really want to keep the Cobra Jet intake on the motor. I will do the 429 straight up timing change with a double roller and the L&L headers. The Voodoo Hydraulic Flat Tappet Cam 256/262 should be a good fit as well.


With a stock bottom end, this may just wake up the rig a bit.

 

Have them install the hardened valve seats if you not already planning on doing that.

 

This maybe helpful for porting.........

Re in"Car"nation High Performance - BBF Technical Index log on here to access porting instructions.

 

Yes, I will be going with the hardened seats and I saw that link. I actually called Rein "Car" Nation yesterday and they called me right back. Nice people, up in Washington State, where I'm from, $1400 for a set of completed D3's with all the bells and whistles.
I guess the problem I am having is that with that money spent, the best I will do is an 8-8.5 to 1 on the compression. The D3 is just not a compression head.
C8VE is $250 more and may be the way to go. I will try to source some C8 heads locally. Might know a guy....RICH....
I'm not trying to build a horsepower monster here, just a solid driver with a little pep to scare the local Chevy guys.

 

Found a set of lightly used Edelbrock RPM heads, Cam, and Pushrods from a guy on the Ford 429/460 group on facebook. He is in Mississippi and has all the above mentioned parts for $1400. I figure shipping would run me another $100.


Would you guys go Aluminum on a set of compression heads or should I stay the course and find some C8 or D0 cores and reman them?


I have NOT had luck with edelbrock in the past, that was their carbs though. What is the consensus?

 

460 ****... at least for the guys that like them to look stock.

Need to mortgage the house and go to LMC for some inner fender wells, but I like the way my engine bay is turning out.

 

All that you state is accurate. The problem will be the compression. I don't need a bottom end yet and still want to raise compression. D3's will not do that. The chambers are too big.

 

Beedub, I see what you are saying. The way I see it, you have three options. The first is to go with the D3 heads and live with the low compression until you are ready to tear into the bottom end. You could then change pistons to up your compression ratio. This is also depending on if your heads need resurfacing which will up the compression, that wont help very much though. Second option is to trade the D3s/buy the C8 or C9 castings for the small chambers. This would boost your compression and also allow you to run ADJUSTABLE rocker arms instead of the "pedestal" style D3s which are not adjustable (have to change pushrod length for any geometry change). This is the route I went on my 460, I like being able to make small adjustments if I have to instead of buying a new set of pushrods, personal preference I suppose. Also many more options for roller rocker arms for screw in stud heads (68/69) than the D3 heads. The third option is to bite the bullet and buy the Edelbrock heads you mentioned. All depends on budget and how much money you would be throwing at the D3s or C8 heads with machine work, valves, springs, and so on. Doesn't sound like too bad a deal to me, if everything is in good shape.

 

All I know is researching heads makes my head hurt! C,D, Kasse, Edelbrock... Sheesh. Seems that all the cast iron heads are about the same price ball park. They all need rebuild and hardened seats put in. The aluminum heads are more expensive and Kasse seems to be the only heads that put the valves in the right place (P51's). I cant afford to go drastic. I just want a little more pep with a cam and headers. I will be trying to source some D2 (PI), or C8's locally. What I should do, is build a fresh 460 in the garage this Winter and just go piece by piece. That should get me sleeping on the couch for a bit.

 

I'll probably go with the PI heads. Seems that with a stock bottom end, a cam, flat timing double roller, I should pep up a bit on pump gas.

 

The heads were ok from edlebrock, but their intake manifolds were the item that they went cheap on from what I heard from other folks. People started looking for holley manifolds and others to put on their engines since the edlebrock's would warp easily.

If you are not looking to wrap up a lot of money in it at the moment, either source some d0ve heads (or earlier castings like those c8's) or just buy the edlebrocks. You can splurge later on the kaase heads when you have the internals to match the flow.

I wouldn't ping pong it too much in your head if you are not building the bottom end.

 

Here is the very useful HP chart by Dave O'Hagin on the 460 forum. Although most of this was done in 2009 with some updating in 2010, it's still very useful.
As he says, the heads are the most important factor. That said, an engine must be looked at as an integrated system. Everything matters to one degree or another.
My next project will involve a 460 in a '76 F-100 so I'm thinking about and researching this stuff as well. So far, my thinking is that if I go with aluminum heads, the Kasse P-51 is the direction I'd take. Further research and vicarious experience may change that resolve.

 

Found D0VE-C's that passed magnaflux and just need a clean-up and valves. $150 bucks. What say you guys?