Hi,

I've been thinking about putting a 460 into my 67 mustang fastback. Does anybody have any tips on this? has anybody done anything like this?

Also, the 460 that I have access to is from an 89 and it's Fuel Injected. Is this a bad thing? The short time i've perused this forum it seems like they are much harder to modify as i defentley plan on doing so to the hilt. The truck is only $400 and it runs great, so it would be fairly cheap. Also, if FI is not the route to go, is it easy to convert this back to a Carb setup?

Thanks!

IUSamson

 

i have a 69 mach 1 that i put an efi 302 out of a 88mustang converted it to carb,a 460 in an old mustang has been done quite abit but its too heavy of a motor, have to do extensive engine frame reinforcing,stick with 302 351 much easier,,,,,get the 460 sounds like a good deal you might need it for another project,can't make ef1 460 to carb easy ,intake/heads won't interchange ,unless you take the upper efi throttlebodyintake off and make a custom adapter plate for the carb to the lower efi manifold bla blah blah good luck

 

First, the engine bay in the 67 will be a pretty snug fit. Second, the 460 is mucho heavy compared to the engines that were available from the factory (read, will need heavier springs). Third, the tranny will be pretty snug.

A built 400 might be a better option. It will be far lighter, easier to install, easier to work on, and probably perform better than the FI 460 (which will tolerate very few power mods).

Brad

 

A built 400? heck lets spend his bucks and get a limited edition MAN O WAR 460 small block from bill mitchell..575 out of the crate......$10,500....

Last time i hefted a fully dressed 1967 FE it weighed as much if not more than a fully dressed FI 460, and seeing as they put the FE in 67 Stangs it is a feasable swap. As to the means of doing it? if Foose can do it with the gambler stang he built using a motorsports crate 460 any one can duplicate it. Check the net for mustang specific swaps and there will be something out there.

BTW that price for a running 460 EFI is worth it just to have hanging out in the back fourty.

JMHO

Garbz

 

The 385 series engines outmass the FE series engines by roughly 75 lbs. I know it's hard to believe, but they do.

An FI 460 can be made to run, but it won't be remotely stock when you're done. Unless you are lucky enough to have a Cali-spec MAF style FI system and a lot of technical knowledge and computer knowhow, the speed density system on the 460 is notoriously resistant to modifications. So much so that it's cheaper to set up an aftermarket FI system than to try and modify the stock system to work with performance upgrades.

Yes, they put an FE engine in the early Mustangs. I had one in a 68. And I had to drill holes in the shock towers to be able to get to the spark plugs. It was that or unbolt the engine and lift it to the side. The engine bays in these early Stangs were designed for straight sixes and the physically smaller 302.

Yes, Foose did it with the Gambler. He also charged near six figures to do it. Yes, you can put a 460 in a Mustang. You can put a 460 in a Volkswagen, for that matter, but I wouldn't recommend it. The FI 460 will be heavy and tall. It will require significant body work to make it fit. It will take suspension changes to make the car ride properly. In other words, it will take lots of money and time. For about the same money a built 351/400 based stroker can make incredible (and streetable) power and will drop in with much less hassle. And the 150-ish lb weight savings will have no small effect on potential performance, not to mention that the handling will be much improved with the more neutral weight bias.

The engine is too cheap to pass up, but I wouldn't use it for this project. If I were going to put a 460 in a 'stang I would go with some aluminum heads to get the weight down, and an aftermarket FI system that is infinitely easier to tune.

Brad

 

Let me chime in on what you should do with your 'stang. I'll be candid here, and if I sound like an a#$hole, sorry. I've been a Ford guy for a while, and I've owned just about every series V8 Ford has put out since the Flathead. So for what it's worth, here's my advice.
First, if you have the money burning a hole in your pocket, buy the 460. If you don't, don't buy it. If you try to put it into your Mustang, you will end up regretting you ever saw it, and the stang will sit in your garage for years while you give up on it and playing with old cars in general, and go out and buy a new Camry. Take it from a guy that has had over a dozen complete engines sitting on his property waiting for a car/truck/boat to end up in..... if you don't have something to put it in, pass it up.
Now, the other replies to your question point out the Gambler that Foose built. This is irrelevant since that car was a 1969-70... so any comparison to what you are doing isn't even worth addressing. The 69-70 actually had a 385 series engine available, although building it was outsourced to a company outside of Ford to have it put in. The shock towers had to be modified, and the only reason Ford actually did this was to take advantage of a gap in the NASCAR rulebook that would let them run the engine in competition.
Assuming your 'stang is a V8 car, you should definately stay with whatever engine family is currently in there. There's one of two choices here: it's either an FE or a 289/302 small block. If it's a 289/302, the possibilities are endless of what you can do, but I am a huge fan of the EFI 5.0 HO's from the later Mustangs. If it's a 390, it's the FE family. I have dabbled in these, and I am also a fan of them, and there are a lot of advantages and disadvantages with these motors, most notably the intake angle of the narrow heads. The aftermarket also hasn't been as friendly to the FE engines, but they can make good power and they are very durable. If the car has an FE in it now, keep it. If it's a small V8, keep it. No 460s, no 400s, no 429s, no Midlands. Don't mess with success.
If this car is a 6 cylinder, and you want a V8 from scratch, then go with the 302/351W just because of the cost and availability of parts. But DO NOT try and stick that 460 in this car. By the time you paid for just the mods to the body, you will have spent enough to build up a bitchin' 302, and you won't have even begun to spend the money freshening up that 460.

 

I have installed a 460 in a 70 fastback with a 4 speed trans. Matter of fact i installed a SCJ which was very built. Now I know first hand how this set up feels. it's not the best handling set up but it can be a very fast car in a straight line and building a 460 is a cheap way to get good motor numbers.

Now would I do it again? Most likley not. I would go for a stroked 351W. The 351M/400 faimily is not worth even trying to run in a mustang as it's a truck motor and that's all it's good for. I myself do not care for the 351M/400 motor and have always pulled them from trucks I have owned and installed a 460 in place of it. Keep in mind the 351M/400 also requires the BB bell housing as does the 460 so it's not a direct bolt in either.

There is a 400 made by ford with a SB bell but they are hard to find and can be on the high side when buying one unless the person does not know what they have.

If one is refering to the 351C then that was an option in the stang in 69/70. I'm not a big fan of these motors either as they are pricey to build and I just like the 351W better. It has more options as far as heads, intakes and you name it plus there are 351W core motors every where or more so than a 351C.

The 67 to 68 models stangs have a slightly shorter engine bay so you will not be able to run a fan on the water pump. The 69/70 stangs are something like 1 inch longer in the engine bay and I was able to install a fan on my water pump.

The 69 to 70 cars that got a 385 series engine was only the BOSS 429 engines and the towers had to be modified because of the larger Boss heads but a normal 429/460 will fit between the stock towers. Look up a place called CRITES, they sell the motor mounts and headers for this swap and I think they now have a header that will allow PS and when I did my swap which was about 13 years ago you could not run PS.

The FE is an option but they are very pricey to build.

If you really want the 460 in the stang I would suggest an auto trans. The 460 likes to pull and the auto is more suited for this instead of shifting gears. Again I had something to compare this to. All though my car was very fast my buddy had the same motor built for his 71 stang and he had an auto. Riding in his car made me wish I had the auto. It just felt better behind the 460 than the 4 speed. A small block needs a stick shift but not a BB.

I think I said everything I wanted to say. Hope this helps.

 

I have to agree with what has been posted already. As much as I love the 385 series motors, I don't think it would be your best bet. My choice for your application would be a 351 windsor stroked out to 400+ci, injected with and aftermarket EFI setup, possibly turbocharged if you want tons of power AND streetability. I know that everyone and there brother is running a windsor motor in their 'stangs, but there is a reason for it too.....

 

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