i have a '77 highboy 4x4 and i want the most power for the money. it has a 400m now but i havent heard anything good about that engine. im not real concerned about fuel mileage but i would like at least 6mpg or better. i want gobs of power and torque for muddin/pullin. but also wanna be able to take it down the street for easy driving. also i dont like to mess around with electrical so somethin that i wont have to completely rewire.

 

That 400 can be rebuilt with plenty of HP goodies. If you want to swap a motor, they share the same bellhousing as the 460 (or 385 series) engines. Get a set of engine stands from L&L products and have at it....

--Mike

 

460 would be your best route period

 

what about a 390 stroker would that be easier with better fuel economy but same hp as a 460 or am i wrong

 

i had a stock 390 in my old 73 hiboy 4x4. it got 10mpg either empty or loaded to the gills. anything is possible with the right amount of money. but i still think the 460 would be best in stock form. then if you want more it would only take little things like a different cam, headers. maybe a larger carb and better intake. see what i mean. if you start stroking any motor its life will be much shorter

 

How much did you say you wanted to spend.... A 390 or FE block will require the use of a different tranny.

--Mike

 

i would like to keep it cheap as possible but i want the best for the money. i have an auto trannny now but i would prefer a manual so thats in the all in the future.

 

I'd just build up the 400... its the least difficult and cheapest. Swapping in a stock 460 will give you about 40 more horses and the same torque. A stock 390 will be about the same HP and Torque. they will all give you about the same mileage.

I'm a big fan of the 400... its got the longest stroke of any ford motor... and way better heads than most FEs. The 460 weighs about 100 pounds more, plus you will need brackets and other miscellaneous stuff that will cost a lot more than building up a 400.

Good luck and Welcome to FTE!

 

Third vote for building up the 400, You've got plenty of displacement here, and if you want horsepower, I'm sure the fine folks in the aftermarket will have what you need. I'd start with intake, exhaust, cam and carb and see how it goes from there. All those parts will cost you what a re-built 460 costs or am I wrong?

Oh and hey matts is the 400 longer stroke than the 300I6? I thought the I6 was about as much stroke as you wanted to give an engine, and that this and the inline configuration give it the low redline.

 

They have the same stroke, 4 inches, and 4 inch bore, just two fewer cylinders.

 

Whaaa???

I thought 400's had open chamber heads. All FE heads are a quench design, which allows higher compression ratios. They flow good stock, and respond extremely well to porting.

Oh, and the new 5.4L has a longer stroke.

 

I was talking about the real truck engines...

Most FEs have soft valve seats... and pretty small ports by comparison, and inline valves...

400s and 460s have bigger ports, and canted valves for better flow...

Not that I don't like FEs I've got more than a few... One of the them is engine dyno'd at 435 horses/ 415 lb. ft.

I've also got a 400 that makes 365 horses and 445 lb/ft.

My next project is a 460... I don't know what I'm going to do with that one yet.

 

Well, the FE head in your example would almost have to flow better to make that kind of horsepower. Put in a 428 crank, and you'd have the torque to match. OBTW, when is a 2.34" x 1.34" intake port small?

 

thanks matts, I thought the I6 had the long stroke.

 

i would go with the 429 it makes more power then the 460in stock form it has just as many mods availableand i think it will take rpms better