I have a 1985 f250 2wd 4spd manual.


The truck currently has a 351w and runs like a top.. stock motor with all the emission bs removed.


I want to build a 460 for some solid street/race truck power.


current thoughts are stroker kit with some aluminum heads and a mild to radical cam.
The block I have is already .30 over and ready for assembly. I may need to get it re-machined because it has some very light rust in the cylinders. I also may be able to just re-hown it to clean it up.


the block is externally balanced, so it should work with a stroker kit.


I am looking for about 600hp and 650flb.. I want the tq to start low and be there the whole time.
the truck needs to be about 10:1 because I plan to use as a weekend driver so pump gas is a must.. in the past when building with my dad hp numbers were always the way to go... so more rpm and more air/fuel and more compression to make more power.. but wanting something that launches off the line and has no need to be above 6000 rpm is a new style build for me.. any suggestions on what parts to run?


I was looking at Edelbrock top end kit but I have no clue how it will get along with a stroker. also was looking at trick flow heads but they have huge intake runners. I'm not sure if ill loose too much bottom end having such huge runners.. i don't want to shift gears and have to wait for the motor to rap back up.. i want power everywhere in the rpm range.


Thanks,


Scott Morgan

 

M-6007-Z460FRT Mustang Ford Racing Crate Engine 460 CID Boss 351 Block 575 HP Rear Sump | CJ Pony Parts

This advertisement provides build specifications as well as claimed power ratings. Perhaps it will provide some insight.

 

i may have been unclear..
i have a 460 block that i will be modifying.
the 351w is just the motor in the truck now.

 

You will get lots of opinions on the engine, many different ways to go there. What are your plans for the rest of the truck?

It's difficult to get a truck to hook-up with all that power, you will just get wheel spin.

Are you going to keep the 4 speed? It's a truck transmission and can take the power(as long as the tires don't get much traction) but it's still a truck transmission with a long throw, some of the guys on here would rather have a car type transmission for smoother shifting.

A mildly built up c6 would take the power also. But you will need to plan on how radical the engine is going to be, and plan on what stall converter you need to go with it. The rear gear ratio is tied into all this also.

Designing a complete package will give you a fun to drive truck. A stock truck with a high power engine is not going to be much fun to drive. You may also consider doing something with the front suspension, I bet the crown vic setup would handle the 460.

 

Check the general build archive thread on 460ford.com. 460 Horsepower Chart (revised 1/24/09) - 460 Ford Forum

With the extra cubic inches you should be able to get into the 600 HP range with good street manners, at 460 cubes it will not be very suitable for a truck that does any work.

My build is very similar to the 400-425 HP build on that link, but with 9.8: compression and a few other minor differences which help it make torque. It is close to detonation though, so that is the risk you take. It doesn't lug ever and makes gobs of torque from just off idle to 5500 RPM. I used to have a hotter cam that pulled much harder at the top end to 6500, but it was mushy below 3000 RPM. For towing I'll trade 1000 up top for 2000 down low.

Evaluate your goals and see if you really want or need that level of build, but street manners shouldn't be too bad with the extra cubes.

 

i plan to use a tko 600 if it will handle the weight of my truck..
i have a Dana 60 rear and i am not sure on the gear.. its reg cab and will be short bed. i plan to run stock height tires so 28 ish or maybe 30's but very wide to help with traction. when i do the short bed modification I will be moving the tank to the rear..
its already 2wd but my end up with a front suspension swap of some kind to improve handling.


will build traction bars to keep the axle wrap down.

 

I don't know how much torque a TKO can handle, but as Dave says the limiting factor is the lack of traction on the rear wheels. In fact, I don't think you'll have enough traction to have much axle wrap.

 

Gary,
The 600 means they are rated for 600 foot pounds but they can be built.

There are variants like the TA600FRR (road race) in my friends cobra kit car.

 

If looking for traction look in to https://www.calvertracing.com/caltracs.html


I am using just the bars with stock leaf springs and cheap shocks out back, 6 cly coil springs and 90/10 shocks up front on my 70 AMC Javelin drag car.
They are easy to adjust for different track conditions and work pretty good.


You can run them on the street but hear they make a little noise in a car but in a pick up truck you may not hear them.


You would still want to move as much weight (batt/fuel/??) as far back behind the rear axle as you can.
Dave ----

 

Thanks, Jim. That should be enough, especially since he can't get that much power to the ground.

I'd wondered about using an NP203 transfer case, which is a full-time unit with a differential. Was thinking that might allow running in 4wd on the street w/o damaging the drivetrain.

 

TKO 500 and TKO600 are upgraded Tremec 3550, they are rated for 500 and 600 ft/lbs respectively. My '68 will likely be getting a TKO600 when I decide to get rid of the C6.

Every '80-'86 truck I've owned has had terrible axle wrap and wheel hop once you make enough power to break traction. Extremely violent wheel hop, never had one that just spun smoothly on pavement.

 

Spinning is not good if you are trying to move and the wheel hop is even worst as stuff can break!



With out getting crazy to fix wheel hop you can try clamping the front half of both leaf springs. The clamps need to go at the end of each leaf turning the front leaf as a solid part and unclamp the rear part of the springs to let the rear of the spring do the work.


Now sometimes you cant clamp the spring because the frame is too close to the spring.
You can then look into Supper Stock leaf springs that MOPAR used in the late 60's. The front part of all the leafs go farther forward making the front part stiffer like the clamping does. I know of cars running in the low 12's with this setup.


Both of the above work like "slapper bars" also known as traction bars but are not adjustable like the bars are with the rubber bumpers.


What I like and run is https://www.calvertracing.com/caltracs.html
but for a non-race car/truck I think is over kill but is easy to adjust when needed.


Hope something will help your wheel hop before something breaks.
Dave ----

 

traction is always going to be a battle with my truck.. i will move weight around as needed.. i will be running wide rear tires. my thoughts on this truck, is to be honest with the power i can afford and the style of driving i will be doing.. this truck is for fun not the track.. i plan to build this truck for the 600hp 650lb range. but it is still a truck.. i will build the power plant and find a 600tko, mate them, and then start changing the things like gear ratio and tire size and weight distribution as needed.






i have a few leaf clamps i can run on my spring to stiff up the ride if needed and i have never seen the traction bars that go from the spring to the shackle.. that's kind of neat. but the original question here is not how to get the power to the ground.



I want some ideas on how to build this power. like I've mentioned i think a strocker will give me the power type I'm after. I'm still trying to figure brands to use for both strocker and top end..


i really like trick flow's heads but the intake runnier look too big.. I'm not aiming for 8000 rpm 800hp so smaller runners will increase the air speed and help with torque. 6000rpm max and most likely more like 5500..


so i need ideas for:


heads
intake
cam
hydraulic rollers??
valve sizes and lb
distributor
spark power pack
type of piston to get with strocker kit.
remember plans are to run pump gas.

 

Don't forget the NP203 idea. It gives you AWD, although the center diff can be locked, so you could light all 44 tires. With that 460 sitting on the front axle you may have more traction up front than in the back.

 

i have a few transfer cases but i was more interested in keeping the weight down. i want to be able to light up the rear end and make a corner. but i guess if i have enough torque i could still slide around the corner and take off harder with awd.. i guess what i am trying to avoid is having two of the same truck..


i have a 1978 f250 Cummins build I'm working on as well.. i love the diesel motor and power.. but it is not the same as that v8 sound and rpms.. so I'm trying to stay light and nimble with this build..


in my dads words. "no mater the horsepower, diesel goes boom, and gas goes bang"