I want a first hand oppinion from someone who has driven or owned a V10 or 460 truck. What were the pros and cons? I have a '64 F250 4x4 that I want to do something really unique with. I was thinking either update and fuel inject a big block or swap to a new V10. Or maybe even a different engine set-up. Anyways, I just want to know what the general consensus is on this V10 and what you guys think. Thanks for the input!

 

I had a 96 F250 with the 460 automatic for almost 12 years. I bought it new and in the 97,000 miles of towing and hauling it was a winner. Except for the time I cooked the transmission on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The engine however was flawless. It never overheated and never went back to Ford for anything. The only time it saw a Ford Dealership was the day I took it back for a cruise control recall. However this truck got 10/11 mpg and it pretty much does this towing or non towing my boat or 5000lb 5th wheel. I did see 14 a few times driving 45/50 mph on rural roads non towing. The 460 was the last of the big blocks and you can read very little about problems on that engine. The 95 & 96 F250's did have a transmission cooler that was marginial at best and this is why I had problems before I added a second cooler.

I recently traded the truck for an 05 Dodge Cummins. The thought process was two years in the making and I thought all along I would go with a V10. I have never owned anything but Ford Trucks but their diesel is questionable since 2002 models. The V10 is a tremendous engine and owners praise them everywhere. However Ford does little in marketing this fine option and you cannot find them anywhere. The only problem I had was the fuel economy. A v10 gets better mileage than a 460 by at least 2 or 3 mpg. Now with a 5.9 Cummins I go twice as far on a gallon and diesel only costs 40 cents more. I'm getting 19 to 21 mpg on the diesel and this feels so strange after 12 years at 10 mpg.

 

If unique is the way you want to go, then a V10 is definitely what you want. 460s are a dime a dozen, everyone has them, but the V10 is less common. Plus for a show truck, there are plenty of modifications you can do - I'd figure a supercharger and full exhaust with headers is a good option. The V10 is a great engine so far from my experience. It is extremely smooth, it loves to rev, it makes good power... really I have nothing I can complain about with the engine other than the fuel economy - but that's the way these things go when you have a big truck like this.

The 460 is a great engine, too. I haven't owned one personally, but I have driven them. They make great low-end torque in stock configuration, and they sound awesome. A 460 provides great motivation. The big thing from my perspective is that everybody has one.

If you really want to go unique with an engine from another manufacturer, you could always "lump" your F-250 with a Jaguar V12 - plenty of people have done the reverse and put 302s, 351s, and 460s in their Jags (although the Chevys are more common). The V12 is a great engine, but they're interesting to work on and parts are significantly more expensive. I've seen people do engine swaps with the Dodge V10s, but those are harder to come by.

I think if I were you, I would want to stay in the Ford family for my powerplant, and I definitely think that a larger displacement engine is the motivation I would like. I would try to find a 4x4 donor truck with the V10 and transmission of your choice. Then you pull out the engine, transmission, wiring harness, etc. and put them in your older F-250. I'd probably also consider either a supercharger or twin-turbo setup, just to keep it in the unique category.

 

Another important thing about the 460 Vs a V10. The 460 has I think 400lbs of torque at 2000 RPM or in other words this thing is closer to a diesel engine that gets it's torque at low RPM. I think this is why I saw about the same mileage when towing or non towing. I cannot remember ever seeing over 3000 rpm and a vast majority of the time I was running less than 2000. Mine had the 4:10 axle. You really didn't have to spool it up much to get things moving or keep them moving. I think this is also why the V10 will not deliver much higher mileage than a 460 in towing. the V10 likes to rev to get it's torque. Rpm's equate to fuel useage.

 

wow.. lol this is just raising more questions for me. I like the idea of a V10 or possibly a turbo'd V10, but an injected 460 with that low rpm torque sounds real good, too. Which leads me to another engine I considered once. The Cummins. So many choices!


Oh! And while I may enter the ruck in a couple shows or something after it's first finished it's gonna be driven twice a week if not more, so I wouldn't necessarily call it a show truck. It's gotta be fully functional and while I want to leave a solid front axle under it (and lift it with big tires and whatnot), I really want to build something technilogically advanced and unique. But yeah, definitely not just a show truck.

So basically, are these V10's significantly more expensive when u finally come by one and how much more are parts?

 

Internal parts are the same as the 5.4L V8 (except crank obviously)

 

I also thought of doing the V10 swap into my F100, with a GT40R turbo and some forged, lower compression pistons. Would run like hell, but one thing I love about my truck is no computer controls lol.

 

A 460 will be cheaper than a V10. With a 460, you can easily enough just take a motor and put it in. With the V10, you're really going to want all of the electronics and wiring that the factory does, especially with the coil-on-plug ignition.

More expensive than a Cummins? Egh, probably pretty close, unless you want a newer 24-valve Cummins, especially one of the common rail direct injection engines. The Cummins is a great engine, though, and has loads of tuning potential. If you're a diesel guy, this is the way to go.

Personally, if I wanted to do something unique in this truck, I think the V10 is definitely it. With twin turbos or a supercharger (turbos are more unique) you'd have a really unusual combination that would be fun to drive, technologically advanced, and turn heads.

 

i think i'm seriously leaning towards the v10 right now. i'm not gonna be towing up rediculous hills with this truck and if i did decide to say, enter a mud bog, i think a turbo'd v10 would do pretty well. i love diesel, too. i have a 1960 kenworth i'm restoring, though, so i think i'll have plenty of diesel in my future anyway.. lol that one probably won't be done til i'm 50 (i'm 21 now)

 

I had a 87 460 F-250 for 17 years before selling it. The engine ran great and never gave me any problems. The gas mileage was really bad around 9 MPG. I have a 2001 V-10 and it runs great the mileage is way better and pulls just as good if not better. I use my trucks for hunting and pulling my travel trailor and car trailor.

 

It sounds to me like the V10 would be a great option for you. The turbos would be neat if you can find a twin-turbo setup that will fit. Alternately, a centrifugal blower would be a neat option, too, and bolt right up. All depends on your budget.

I'd highly suggest finding a "donor truck"... it will make your engine management and such much, much easier.

 

I had a 95 F350 with a 460 it was a great engine, 140K when I sold it with no problems since new. I now have an '08 F250 V10. Both trucks use the same amount of fuel towing or empty (same MPG), But the V10 is quieter and stronger than the V8. The V10 is a better engine but ask me again when it reaches 140K for a final answer.

 

I also had 2 460's an 89 and a 91. Teh 89 was in a F250 4X4 and I towed a car trailer as well as motorcycles and anything else I wanted. The second was in my 34ft class A motorhome. The motorhome had 513 gears and when it downshifted on the highway and the RPM's went to 5000 I always thought I was going to break it. It was a great engine. I have a V10 now and acually miss the 460!. Remember the old race saying "There is no subsatute for cubic inches" 415 with 10 cylinders to 460 with 8. The V10 does sound different and is really much smoother than teh 460 though.

 

I have a 1986 F-250 4X4 4 speed 460 and a 2008 F-250 4X4 6 speed V-10. The 460 is a carb engine. I would like to have that 460 in the 2008.
Best, CB

 

Both of the 460's I had were EFI engines. I liked them much better than any carbed engines I have had in the past. No cold starting problem no gas fumes, good system.