What the aproximate redline/safe point of the 460 blocks produced in the 1970's, assuming the block/head are factory stock?

 

factory stock, they pretty much quite pulling around 4500 rpm although if you pushed it they would turn 5000.

 

Monsterbaby is right...but you also have to look at the age/condition of your engine. If you're running a lot of slop in the engine your redline might be a lot lower, due to oil pressure issues, etc. I start to get uncomfortable around 3500 rpm...and a LOT uncomfortable at 4000 rpm.

Just my opinion.

 

4000 RPM is nothing to be afraid of with these engines. If it's sloppy enough to have issues at 4K you're going to be having issues at 2K and probably be hearing interesting noises at idle. I ran my TIRED 460 at 6K repeatedly. It finally let loose a rod bearing due to an oil issue which was unrelated to high RPM. These engines are stout . . . we're not driving Chevys here. As Rob mentioned with the stock heads/cam you'll never get enough air to spin them at an RPM that will destroy them. With my stock heads I couldn't get too far above 5K even if I put it in neutral and just stood on the throttle.

 

Thanks guys, alot of good info (a bit conflicting though) but good info nevertheless for me to ponder during my rebuild. Would it be even worthwild to pursue pushing the redline back a tad farther on a motor this large? Or would the gain be of no noticable difference? (heh, im not asking for 12K honda redlines either...maybe 7K though?)

 

a stock 460 will make it to 5000 on a good day. they will just run out of air starting at 4,500 rpm or so.

 

you start looking for a 7k redline, first thing you need to upgrade is the rods, next get some good forged pistons. the crank and block will handle 9000 rpm just fine if balance properly but the factory rods won't take that kinda RPM

 

The info here isn't really conflicting. quehele's opinion of redline is a pretty common mentality with "big block" engines because people are afraid they'll fly to pieces when you spin them that fast. I know there are a lot of guys who are afraid to spin them over 4K just because they think it'll all fly to pieces (and it's freakin LOUD too). But the stock lower end "redlines" at about 6K . . . meaning you really don't want to spin it much faster than that or you'll be risking rod failure or loosing a piston skirt. You just can't get it to turn that fast with stock heads and cam which is why Gashog and I mentioned that you'll be lucky to get it to go to 5K with a stock motor. If you perform the upgrades in rods and pistons which are mentioned above you will still need to upgrade the heads and cam too, or you could stand on the gas all day and it would just never turn that fast.

With upgrades you can do some crazy stuff with these engines. Ask monsterbaby where his rev limiter is set when he's bouncing off of it.

 

well the only video I have of it bouncing off the rev limiter it was set at a measly 7600, but it's set at 8000 now


Here is the vid if you want to here a big block bouncing off a 7600 rev limiter.
http://www.supermotors.org/vehicles/....php?id=227151

 

i ran mine at 3000 rpms when iver i drove it on the highway.. 33's and 4:10's. the most i got the r's upto was just over 5000 trying to pull a log that was nearly 30 " across and almost 30' long.......

 

I have my shift linkage, and vacumn modulor set to shift out at full throttle @ 4800 RPMs. I have 175,000 miles on this engine, oil pres. is 25 hot at idle and 55 hot above 1500 RPMs.