460 Redline?
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 4,392
Likes: 1
From: Cab of a truck
You could probably take it to 6000 rpm, but I wouldnt do it often. With a 460 in a truck, unless its a racer, there really is no need to take it that high, I would think. With my 460, I go up steep hills just fine in 3rd gear (auto) without lugging or downshifting at 2000 rpm.
Post Fiend
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 8,238
Likes: 3
From: Oregon
Well yeah, unless the 460 is built to make use of it there isn't any point in running it up to 6k. But redline is the zone right before "crap I threw a rod through my block" which is @6k with the stock bottem end.
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,968
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From: So Cal
Yeah I seem to recall my 94 460 has a redline between 4500 and 5,000. My 460 is great up to maybe 4,000RPM. Above 4,000 it just makes a lot of thrashing noise but no extra power. Usually if I am towing and am approaching 4,000 I let off the gas a moment to let the tranny shift up and I actually have more power in the higher gear at lower RPM than I do in the lower gear at high RPM.
I have read on this site that if you take a mid 90s 460 above about 5,000RPM you run a very real risk of tossing a rod, which is really bad news.
There is no point to going above 4,000 on a mid 90s 460, unless you have done some significant mods.
Just my opinion,
Jim Henderson
I have read on this site that if you take a mid 90s 460 above about 5,000RPM you run a very real risk of tossing a rod, which is really bad news.
There is no point to going above 4,000 on a mid 90s 460, unless you have done some significant mods.
Just my opinion,
Jim Henderson
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Freshman User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 34
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From: BC
The motor is in my work truck which is used for towing, it has only a few mods, including carb, ignition, cam, I`m waiting till I make some more cash because its in dire need of true dual exhaust system, I can feel turbulance/stumble when I pour the coal to the beast at or slightly about 3000rpm, thats why I have been inquiring about the redline- I knew it was higher than that - but not sure on how high it was.
The cam makes power from 1500 -5000 range, but the rest of the moving assembly is stock, so I don`t want to hurt it.
thanks for your input
Hank
The cam makes power from 1500 -5000 range, but the rest of the moving assembly is stock, so I don`t want to hurt it.
thanks for your input
Hank
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Post Fiend
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 8,238
Likes: 3
From: Oregon
Just curious (like I said, I can only speak for the 70's era 385s), when did Ford start putting the weaker bottem ends in their 460s? 5k is mucho lower for major engine carnage than the earlier 460s, but then, its not like the later truck engines were made for big spins anyways.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 966
Likes: 2
From: Crooked River Ranch, OR
I'd say the "general rule of thumb" for stock rods and cast pistons is 5,500 RPM. You can spin higher than that to 6,000-6,200 RPM but your gambling every time you do...you may win, you may LOSE. The weakest link is really the rod-bolt not the rod.
Press in a set of ARP rod bolts (requires you to have the rods "resized") and a set of inexpensive hypereutectic pistons and your then fairly safe to 6,200 RPM although your safer running the CJ or Truck rods because there is less stress in the bolt-head area of the rod, anything above that your going to get valve-float anyway with a hydraulic cam. As Jim Henderson pointed out "above 4,000 it just makes a lot of thrashing noise but no power" (he was refering to your stock cam).
There are other components in your stock engine that can fail but the failure rate is at a lower rate than a broken rod or piston: spun rod bearing, dropped vavle-head, broken vavle-spring, rocker, bent push-rods...and some other things the guys/gals on this forum will probably point out. With your lightly modded engine you do not need to exceed 5,500 RPM. Your "stumble" has nothing to do with the red-line anyway...its more likely due to carb or ignition problems.
Deen
Press in a set of ARP rod bolts (requires you to have the rods "resized") and a set of inexpensive hypereutectic pistons and your then fairly safe to 6,200 RPM although your safer running the CJ or Truck rods because there is less stress in the bolt-head area of the rod, anything above that your going to get valve-float anyway with a hydraulic cam. As Jim Henderson pointed out "above 4,000 it just makes a lot of thrashing noise but no power" (he was refering to your stock cam).
There are other components in your stock engine that can fail but the failure rate is at a lower rate than a broken rod or piston: spun rod bearing, dropped vavle-head, broken vavle-spring, rocker, bent push-rods...and some other things the guys/gals on this forum will probably point out. With your lightly modded engine you do not need to exceed 5,500 RPM. Your "stumble" has nothing to do with the red-line anyway...its more likely due to carb or ignition problems.
Deen
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,330
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From: Dryden, ON, Canada
proeliator:
The later bottom end is no weaker, it's just that the meaning of the term "redline" isn't universally the same... That and Ford put a rev limiter on them with the EFI, alot of people refer to the rev limit as the red line...
When the brake booster isn't giving mine fits, it will pull to 5000 easily, but, latley, it starts to buck and miss @ WOT, 4000 rpm in second, about 3800 in third, and, it won't even think about going past 3K in 4th... Gotta replace the brake booster(pinhole in one of the diaghphrams,) and the distributor(fire damaged...)
The later bottom end is no weaker, it's just that the meaning of the term "redline" isn't universally the same... That and Ford put a rev limiter on them with the EFI, alot of people refer to the rev limit as the red line...
When the brake booster isn't giving mine fits, it will pull to 5000 easily, but, latley, it starts to buck and miss @ WOT, 4000 rpm in second, about 3800 in third, and, it won't even think about going past 3K in 4th... Gotta replace the brake booster(pinhole in one of the diaghphrams,) and the distributor(fire damaged...)
Last edited by 82F100SWB; Mar 6, 2004 at 11:35 AM.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 155
Likes: 0
From: Gresham, Oregon
how abou the 80's era 460 blocks and rods and all? -84 460, i take it to 4500 w/o any problem and this is all with stock intake, stock carb, just new exhaust.....
would it be safe to take it to 5500, i mean i probabley never will because your just making more noise and no more power, just a question?...
would it be safe to take it to 5500, i mean i probabley never will because your just making more noise and no more power, just a question?...
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 966
Likes: 2
From: Crooked River Ranch, OR
The late model 3Y cranks are stronger than the early model cranks because the 3Y's don't have the large-deep holes drilled in the rod-journal area. Where that makes a major differance is when you off-set grind a crank for more stroke. I agree that the early blocks appear to have more "beef"...but I'd take a later model 3Y crank anyday for high RPM application or better yet an aftermarket 4340 forged crank.
Deen
Deen