Trying to figure out what kind of motor i have its either a 429 or 460 the head says D2VF. Its a old motor points distributor but can anyone tell me what it is? I'm thinking its a 429 with 2 barrel heads.

 

Scratch a little harder and I bet you'll discover that the casting number is D2VE.

Unfortunately, the D2VE heads are good for little other than doorstops or boat anchors. They are universally regarded as the worst head in the 385 engine series. If the engine is cheap enough you can pick it up for the bottom end, but take the heads to the scrapyard.

Brad

 

is it a 429 or 460? i read that the heads are off a 72 or later ford 460? is this true?

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 381px; HEIGHT: 90px" borderColor=#ff0000 cellPadding=2 width=381 bgColor=#ffffff border=3><TBODY><TR vAlign=top align=middle><TD width=42>1972-77</TD><TD width=43>460
7.5
4.36
V-8</TD><TD width=130> </TD><TD width=64>D1VE-A2B</TD><TD width=57>D2VE-AA D3VE-A2B D3VE-AA</TD><TD width=58>2YA 2YAB 2YABC</TD><TD width=31>7870</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

The 429 and 460 share blocks and heads. The "2" designation in the head casting number means it was a revision made in 1972. Some revisions were long-lived like the D3's, which were produced for years. However, the D2's were so horrendously bad that Ford dumped them after a single model year.

If it's a 2V intake setup it's a 429.

Brad

 

what do you mean 2v intake setup? all of the D2VE heads are 2V arent they?

 

The 2V in the D2VE doesnt mean that year was just all 2 barrel heads on every 429 or 460 engine. If its got 2v heads its made for just a 2 barrel intake which means smaller ports for air n fuel, So look for some differant heads or port them if ya feel like it.

 

could you port the heads to a 4v intake and get alot more hp out of them or would i be better off just use the block?

 

The heads are the same for both 2 barrel and 4 barrel intakes there is no differnce like the clevelands had. The reason Brad said that if it's a 2 barrel carb it's a 429 is because Ford never used 2 barrel carbs on the 460, they were all 4 barrel carbs. the D2VE heads as previously stated are the worst head built for this serious of engine as bieng open chamber heads were extremely bad about detonation (pinging) and the casting number has nothing to do with wether it's 429 or 460 or what carb is on it. as stated it's nothing but a revision year casting number and model line intentions in this case D=1970s, 2 makes it 1972, V=Linclon (the 385 series engines were originally intended for linclons so common designation) and E= engine.

 

Incorrect. See MB's post above for clarification. With the exception of a few limited-production variants like the PI pieces, the D2VE heads were common to all standard production 385-series engines in the 1972 model year regardless of carb or intake config.

Brad

 

Don't forget Brad the variants as you mentioned had a different casting number D2OE to be exact.

 

It is a factory 4 barrel intake it looks to me. is a factory motor someone could have put a factory 4 barrel intake off another motor but its got the ford 4 barrel cast intake.

 

It could be possible. I bought a 1971 Mercury Colony Park that came with a 429 2V engine (it had D0VE heads). After a little research, I determined that the only difference was the intake and carb. The cam, heads, valves etc. were identical. Off came the 2V intake and on went a 4V. Ran a lot better. What is the number on the intake? 429 engines ceased production in 1973, a higher number such as D4 series numbers would have to be a 460 intake. Check the stroke is the easiest way.

 

Remember to keep the codes in context...

When referring to intake or carb, the "V" (like 4V or 2V) is short for 'venturi'. Substitute "barrel" if it's confusing. Most of the engines from that era had a semi-circular sticker on the air cleaner housing that told the engine and the carb config. They would read something like "429-4V" or "429-2V". It had nothing to do with the casting number on the heads, it was just telling you that you had a 429 cu inch engine with either a 2 barrel or 4 barrel carb/intake.

Insofar as casting codes are concerned, the "V" in the casting code has no relationship to the venturi config of the intake. It is simply an identifier that allows for a 4-digit casting code to be used instead of writing out some horrendously long description. In this case, as MB pointed out above, the "V" designated that the original design was from/for the Lincoln division of FoMoCo.

In the 385-series engines there were some 2V (2-barrel) intake/carb configs available, but they were all on 429 engines. The 460's, which shared the same heads, were only available in 4V (4-barrel) configurations.

In short, the head casting number has no relationship to the carb/intake config unless the casting was specific to a performance package (like the Boss 429 which had a head design unique to that particular build). The D2VE heads were 1972 model year and were found on all common-build 429's and 460's. Special builds and some limited production engines had other heads, but most were the D2's. Thankfully they only lasted one year before the design was scrapped for the D3's, which continued in production for many years.

The factory 4V intake is common, and chances are it is the intake that came on the engine.

What you have is a garden variety 1972 vintage 385-series engine. Determining if it's a 429 or 460 is impossible to do externally unless you are lucky and there is still a tag on the engine (as a sticker on the valve cover or a small metal tag on the coil mount). Otherwise the only way to tell is to pull the pan and get the casting number off the crank.

They actually stayed in production for several years after that, they just stopped putting them in passenger cars that year.

Brad

 

...Otherwise the only way to tell is to pull the pan and get the casting number off the crank....

Isn't the difference between the 429 and 460 in the stroke?
3.85 for the 460 and 3.59 for the 429?

If so, then it seems like you can "stick" the bore. I've never done this on a 385, but I used to do this on FEs to find the 352s which were amazingly transmogrified into 390s on sale day - and back the day after.

Get a white piece of house wire and a marker.
Pull one plug, and stick the wire down the bore.
Rotate the engine (by hand)until the piston is at bottom dead center - the wire will not go down anymore.
Make a mark on the wire at the lip of the valve cover (or other suitable place). This lip of the valve cover (or suitable replacement) is your reference point.
Rotate the engine until the wire will not go up any more - it will be a top dead center.
Make a mark on the wire at the same reference point., e.g. the valve cover lip or the like.

Now, measure the distance between the two marks. Fortunately, since there are only 2 possibilities under discussion here, you don't have to be extremely precise.
If it is closer to 3.5 inches (3.59) than 4 inches (3.85) then it is a 429.
If it is closer to 4 inches than 3.5, it is a 460.

Oh, and Brad is absolutely right. The 2V (read that as 2 barrel carb!) 429 was used in heavy trucks up until the middle '80s at least. I saw an '84 - '86 (not exactly sure) F-750 with a 429, and badged on the fenders as a 429.

 

and the 429 continued on into FI as I have seen 2 medium duty trucks with 429 fuel injected engines but don't remember the years.