Does anybody know the length of a connecting rod on a 460?
Also, how long is the stroke?

Thanks.

 

Stock bore: 4.360
" stroke: 3.85
Center-to-center rod length: 6.607

Hope it helps, Mike

 

Stroke is 3.85, rod is 6.6050 center to center, both according to my books.

 

Mike and *****,

Much appreciated, thanks.

 

Homespun, we posted at the same time - I was not questioning your numbers. But I do see where we show a 0.020 inch difference in the rods - I wonder which is correct? I got my numbers from a book by Pat Ganahl - and I am not impressed with that book.

I am not experanced with the 460 - but Ganahl has made several statements that seem off to me. Is he wrong on the rod lenght?

 

Rod Length should be 6.605 and stroke 3.85, both inches of course.

 

*****,

Depends on who ya ask & where ya look, I think. I have official Ford publications with both figures in them. As a general rule the aftermarket lists it as 6.605. Splitting hairs, literally- .002 diff. in rod length isn't a whole lot, not enough to alter rod/stroke ratio any real amount. Would affect deck height & P-V clearance though. Not sure why I listed it as 6.607 vs. using 6.605, I guess 'cause that's how I originally learned it years ago in the Ford Off-Highway Book. I've got a Ford official shop book (Helm) that says 6.607 as well. Wouldn't totally surprise me to find out it was originally a typo by a stenographer from the Ford corporate typing pool, 37 years ago...

Factory center-to-center length on stock rods is all over the place, so no help finding a definitive answer there. So, 6.605 works for me too.

Ganahl is a great writer and a knowledgeable guy...but the Ford Performance book (which I own) has got a number of errors, and I would bet that Pat got most of his info from other sources as opposed to being a Ford guru himself, particularly so as his magazine projects covering his own personal stuff have not been Ford-powered, from what I've seen. Much of the book appears to be taken straight from Ford publications (including the Off-Highway book), complete with part/casting # errors. The book is also very dated, written when the 460 was considered a worthless factory smogger. Be that as it may, it's still the best general reference for a Ford novice that covers nearly all the engine lines.

I've been waiting for someone to write a replacement for this book for years, or at least to cover performance mods on the FE & 385 series. However, the George Reid book How To Build Max Performance Ford V-8s On A Budget is much, much worse, at least in reference to the 429/460 engines, & probably the rest as well.

My final word: 4.390" bore, 4.3" stroke, 6.8" rod, 521 CI

 

Yup - got me right between the eyes. It was the Ford performance book, and I agree that it seems to be written by someone consulting secondary sources.

I have a 390 I love - but it has 230K on it. I am wanting to do an multi point EFI upgrade - which would require machining the intake manifold to accept the injectors. Given that this might not be such a great set up, I have been looking into using a later model 385 to replace my FE. That way I would have an engine Ford has optimized for EFI.

But it is hard to give up a FE that has served me well for 33 years.

 

So, then the 429 has a stroke of 3.59? Is that correct?

 

yes - 429 stroke is 3.59

 

Could always look at the Holley TBI systems for your 390. Not multipoint, but pretty flexible, & you gotta love the cold weather start & go.

Some people have had good luck using a Victor style manifold and adding injectors in the nitrous bosses, and using Ford electronics. These manifolds have even runner flow, for the most part, and seem to work well. The cost of a Victor FE is steep, but you might be able to find a used one. Alternately, an old Torker might do but I would pay to have it flowed on a bench; also, I don't believe they have bosses, so you would have to have bungs welded in, not a big deal.

OTOH, the late 460s with FI seem to be pretty cheap. You can always swap the heads & manifold onto an earlier shortblock, too.

Would be really neat to see a EFI 390, though...