Right now I own three trucks, my most recent addition is a 98 ford swb reg cab xlt with a 4.6L auto. Also is a 1974 F-350 camper special with the duals and an extended wheel base. running its 3rd 460 with plenty rust. Currently it is going through a resto but not professionally. And the one you may already know about, a 1978 shortbox with the smoking blue 460. not bad for being only 16 eh?? Heres the problem with the 78 shortbox. First the major pissoff is i hit a deer with it this summer and totalled all the frontend sheetmetal except the front left fender and the hood. even the rad core support was smashed into the water pump. frames good though, phew! except the other fender it was all repaired for fifty bucks, excluding the recoreing of the radiator. It now has a 4 row rad and a 73 grill.
Many of you know that i was asking about a new engine but i now have 2 options on it now. one is rebuild the 460 in it to stock or mild performance for about $1700 to $1950. The other option is to buy off a budy of mine, a 1969 429 thunderjet, polished, ported and blueprinted, running 450-500 HP, with only 1000 miles, plus a 4 speed automatic aluminum police interceptor transmission fully rebuilt with a shift kit and 0 miles all for a grand total of $2500!!!! I may or may not be keeping the truck depending on how much gets payed off of the 98! which would you pick since this truck is no longer a daily driver but a toy to show up the local chev and dodge boys?

 

I'm not sure what a Thunderjet is, but I like the idea of 450-500 HP in an already assembled and broke in engine and tranny combo. But then again, for some of us it's the project not the finished product that's the real pleasure. You may want to build your own engine even if you can get more power in less time for less money.

Greg

 

Go with the thunderjet! Even if you don't keep the 78 you could probably sell off the motor for that same price again, and part out the rest of the truck. If you can get a complete engine/trans combo (though I'm not sure what type of transmission you are talking about, ford only had the c-6 auto behind the thunderjets) for 2500 I would jump on it. You will end up spending that much on your rebuild anyhow once you start counting in all the little things.

chris
79 F-150 Ranger Lariat, 2wd, RC, LB, 460 (intake, headers, cam), C-6(shift kit).

79 mustang (work in progress...its just slow progress)
98 Chevy 4x4 (work truck)
95 Lexus SC300 (wife's baby)

 

Thanx for the input. For starters I will say that the motor was told to me as a cobrajet, but i realized a problem, he said it was out of a 69 thunderbird. i talked to dad and he said this, and i already knew it but supposedly a 69 429 from a thunderbird was called a thunderjet and in 70 when the torino cobra with the 429 came out they callef that 429 a cobra jet!!??
and he saya it is a police interceptor transmission, probably out a cop car that had a 429 or something. i hear about the 428 interceptors and the interceptor manifolds so thats what i guess.
now the tough part is convincing dad into the 429. i just hope it can burn straight pump gas.

THANX