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<!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_start --><!-- END TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_start -->My 460 bugs me. It cranks, and runs great; however, it does not have the <NOBR style="COLOR: darkgreen; FONT-SIZE: 100%; FONT-WEIGHT: normal" id=itxt_nobr_0_0>power</NOBR> that I think a big block should have. It doesn't have that much take off power, and when I climb hills it loses speed. When you first accelerate the motor doesn't seem to take all of the gas. My smoky old stock 400 had more power than this 460 does. What are ya'lls ideas?
Q-Jet 4 Barrel
Edelbrock Torker Manifold
Dove heads

 

A Torker is a single plain high rpm manifold.

 

There are so many factors that come into play it's impossible to say, "add this and it will make you power".

1: The gear ratio in the rear end could be real tall so the acceleration seems poor.

2: The compression ratio could be low because of leaky rings, valves, or even the piston design compared to the head design could be giving you a low compression ratio.
Also the distance from the piston face to the head surface needs to be from .040 to .060, too little and the piston could hit the head, too much and the engine will suffer detonation and knock as if the compression were too high needing the timing to be retarded.
Have an engine built for a thin gasket and then later unknowingly replace the head gaskets with thicker ones and those critical dimensions all go to hell.
Best case scenario the engine looses compression and power.
Worst case scenario the engine get hammered from the detonation, spinning the bearings and destroying the engine.
A lot of spun bearing are caused by this.
Every engine should be CC'd before assembly.

3:The cam could be a dog with low lift and short duration.
It could simply be worn out or even timed improperly as there were different cam and gear set ups through the years and matching the wrong parts could make for a seemingly dead engine.
Every cam should be checked for timing and lift when rebuilding an engine.

4: The ignition timing could be off, way off.

5: There could be a restriction in the exhaust.
It could be pinched off, or like when some people add that "snake oil" to their gas thinking it will do some good and it ends up melting the catalytic converter closed choking the 90% of the exhaust flow.
I seen one engine that could not get out of 2nd gear at full throttle because of that and it was in for a trans rebuild because he thought it was the trans!

6: There could be fuel system issues with a poorly adjusted carb, or gummed/carbon caked up fuel injectors.
I have even seen an adjustable throttle cable that slipped so that full throttle was in reality only 1/2 throttle.

It takes a lot of variables to come together just right to make an engine run well and all the performance parts in the world can be less than useless if they are mis-matched, like a high rpm manifold used with a stock cam that can kill the low and mid range power big time.
I'd be willing to bet you use your pick up truck engine in the low to mid rage at least 90% of the time.
Some who are inexperienced putting engine together are just lucky and they come together just right.
Most are not and get poor to fair results.

I still have an unused Edelbrock Performer 460 dual plane manifold (with a power range from Idle to 5500 rpm's) in my garage right now that would probably be a better match for your engine than the Torker (with a power range from 2500 to 6000 rpm's) you have now.
That Torker manifold should be a DOG below 2500 rpm's if set up with the right cam and exhaust, and could be much worse without the support of the other parts.

http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...pdf/99-100.pdf

 

I don't think the parts are mismatched so much as I think something is just slightly off. The truck sputters and bogs down when I punch it right off idle. The gear ratio is way off for right now I have a 9 inch rear pulling 38s with 3.23's, which I know is awful, but Im not putting any money into the halfton junk on the truck, cause I am building a set of one ton axles for the front and rear. The poor acceleration could easily be due to the ratio, but the old 400 that it used to have toted them no problem compared to this 460. I think it has to be something simple but I just don't know.

 

When the throttle plates are closed the cylinders can get the flow up keeping the fuel in suspension, open the throttle up and the fuel falls out of suspension causing puddleing, raw fuel running into the cylinders, hence the bog. Get rid of the Torker & put a single plain manifold on, you will more than likely see a big improvement

 

You have that backwards.
The Torker he has on right now is a single plane manifold, and a part of his problem.
It's a dual plane manifold that will give him the big improvement.

 

.

Woops, thats what I meant thanks.

 

I have the dual plane Edelbrock performer 460 he needs gathering dust in the garage right now if he want's it.

 

I'd love to have it for the right price

 

I'll pm you.