hope you guys can have a little patience w/ me. I have got a 77 F250 Camper Special w/ auto transmission from a friend. the motor blew and he gave it to me. I am not a expert mechanic. he said the truck had a 460 in it. looked up the VIN # and it said the truck came w/ a 400. He said no, the dealer told him it was a 460, etc. I came across a 460 in the local paper for $350. The guy said he just pulled the motor because he said he could get more money if he sold the truck by parts (selling because he just bought a new truck). He pulled the motor from a 78 ford F 250 4spd four wheel drive. He said he bought the 460 motor from a salvage yard and it originally came from a car w/ automatic transmission with approximately 80k miles. He said he put about 40k miles since he bought it. The motor has the 7 bolts on the valve covers (460 i believe) and the decal saying the motor is a 460 from 1978. Just wondering if the 460 is a direct swap w/ the 400. Is there any modifications that needs to be done. the Transmission in the Camper Special is a C6 (the "L" shaped pan). I was told to take off the flywheel and clutch from the 460 and put the converter and flywheel from the camper Special on to the 460. That was before I found out the Camper Special had a 400. confused, again not a mechanic. Was also told to take out the pilot bearing and replace, but then was also told that I didn't need the pilot bearing if was changing from manual to automatic. Sorry, i wrote a story. Need help. Not a mechanic, but still am hopeful.

 

to tell if it is a 460 in the truck now look at the valve covers, are they flat and parellel with the top of the motor? as far as the swap ive been told its a bolt in but i know from experience nothing is a direct bolt in. the trans is the same for a 400 and a 460, the mounts might have to be tweeked along with linkages and other things, but its problably easier then others swaps.

 

thanks, i am beginning to have hope. can't wait to notice the difference from the tired 400 i drove prior to it giving in.

 

Check the valve cover bolts on the engine that's in the truck. If it has 7, then its a 460. If it has 8, its a 400. If it is a 400 it will bolt up to a 460, but you will need different motor mounts...I believe.
If you are keeping the auto, you don't need a pilot bearing. All you need is a flexplate (manuals have flywheels) and a torque converter.
Try to get as much as you can from the donor truck with the 460. You will need motor mounts, accessory brackets, PS pump. There may be a few other things.
Also, before dropping in the 460, ensure it is a good engine by doing a compreession check. If you keep the auto, a tranny cooler would be wise to have, especially if you plan on towing. Other things to consider: changing fluid and filter in tranny, shift kit, modulator(new), and ensure the torque converter is in good shape.
Just be sure to have everything in good working order before you bolt it all back together. It will be much easier this, and save you headaches down the road.

Good luck to you with your new project. If you need more info, there are some guys in the 385 series forum (429/460) that really know these engines.

 

If you are infact going from a 400 to a 460 you will need different mounts. landlproducts.com or performanceunlimited.com offer these mounts along with everything you could need. I used landl's mounts and headers and did not have any problems. Their headers are pricy but built nice. If you do go for the headers you can save a few bucks by buying them thru bronco graveyard, I know its weird but they were about $70 cheaper than going directly to LandL. If you do a search here or any of the larger Bronco sites like projectbronco.com you will find a wealth of information on 335 to 385 series swaps