[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 13-Mar-01 AT 01:44 PM (EST)[/font][p]I read that article about the 400, and I will admit that I'm impressed. However, we ALL know that the key to making torque is the length of an engine's stroke. The 400 does have a longer stroke, but the 460's is rather long itself. It's also rather simple to get a little more stroke out of your 460. As far as a stock 460 goes, the one out of a 71' Lincoln that I placed into my T-Bird made 450 ft.-lbs. and 365 horse from the factory according to the manual. I personally don't doubt it because driving my 4,000 lbs. car, this motor has WAY more power than I had even hoped for. According to a couple guys around here, my motor makes in the neighborhood of 525 - 550 ft. lb.s of torque. It feels like it, but I won't say as that I personally believe that for a fact. Bottom line, a 460 will out power a 400 for the same price, anyday of the week. If you have the 460, do yourself justice and stick with it.

TBirdGuy

"Stuck with a m*par, Settle for a ch*vy, Happy with a Ford!!!!"

 

I don't think anybody here is going to be silly enough to argue with the fact that a bigger CID motor will make more power. A 520 CID motor will blow a 460 out of the water so what's your point?

I also don't think that anyone should pull a 460 out to put a 400 in. But you can't compare the 2 motors based on year to year ratings. Sure your 71 460 made 365 hp according to the book. It was a high compression non emissions motor. Within 5 model years the 460 was rated at around 200 hp because of a change in the way engines were rated and the fact that it had been beat half to death by the smog police. The 400 was built as a smog motor so it never had a chance.

The original statement was that a stock 460 was stronger than a "built 400" and that just ain't necessarily the case.

 

I wasn't saying that the stock 460 was stronger, I was pointing out that THAT particular 460 was nearly as strong as the built 400. I know not every stock 460 was that strong, but it is feasible to say that some stock 460's are going to be stronger than built 400's. That's all I was saying about it.

TBirdGuy

"Stuck with a m*par, Settle for a ch*vy, Happy with a Ford!!!!"

 

My block Decodes to a '71 but my heads decode to a '73. The Heads I have now I think are the ones off a '73 460 which was setup for smog BS.

The reason i asked the question was that a friend is ALWAYS raggin on my 460. And he had a 400m years ago that he sais was a very fast truck. Lots of HP and not alot of torque. He said that the heads were shaved and it had alot of other racing mods done to make it a pure race motor and not a pulling motor. I was just curious to see the responces I would get. I'm not raggin on any of them becuase I have only owned one and thats the 460. I also found a bare 427 block that I want to drop a 428 CJ crank in and everything else off the 428 CJ. Then I will put the 460 in another truck which is currently stripped. Me in a couple of friends want to try to put it in a tough truck comp. at next years fair. I'm not 100% sure on what i'll do maybe I'll keep the 460. And maybe I wont.
But I do know that the old 460 I have smokes like it has never been rebuilt and seems like it would rip if I built it. And the killer exhuaxt sound it puts out makes me want to keep it everytime I drive it!


--------------------
1985 "Cowboy Cadillac" Ford F-250 4x4, Granny 4-speed, 4:10 Gears, 460 with Holley 750cfm 4-barrel Carb, Custom Painted Block (Ford Dark Blue), Rebuilt Transfer Case, BFG Trac-Edges, Tachometer, Kenwood CD Player and Pioneer Speakers, 27" cherry bombs dualed out each side with 2 1/2 inch pipe, NAPA Premium Clutch, NAPA Premium timing Chain, Gooseneck Ball, Hitch Reciever, Whistler 400 radar detector!

"When in Doubt GAS it"

 

The 400 was built as a smog motor and never had a chance???? That's bull****! Well yeah it was built as a smog motor. But depending on the person who builds the motor, they do stand a chance. It will be a hellva lot more expensive, but I could build a 400 that will give a built 460 more than a run for it's money. Emphasis on the word could.

 

>The 400 was built as a
>smog motor and never had
>a chance???? That's bull****!
>Well yeah it was built
>as a smog motor. But
>depending on the person who
>builds the motor, they do
>stand a chance. It will
>be a hellva lot more
>expensive, but I could build
>a 400 that will give
>a built 460 more than
>a run for it's money.
>Emphasis on the word could.


All I meant was that Ford never built a hi-po 400 like the 429/460 series were before the smog police got involved. They never even put a 4V on it! I agree with you 100% about building a 400 that will give most big blocks a run for their money. I have one in my garage right now which was built for exactly that purpose.

BTW you might want to watch your language in here or the moderator will be on your case.

 

Thanks for the tip!

 

>if your gonna be towing in
>the mountains, keep the big
>block. the 400 is
>way underpowered and more expensive
>to build, and there's less
>parts available on the aftermarket.
> you need hp for
>towing in the mountains, not
>tq.
>tq gets your vehicle moving
>and hp keeps it moving.
> keep the
>big block!!!!!!!!!


With 80,000 lbs I'd go for torque over horsepower. 425 HP cat diesel will produce about 1400 ftlbs of torque, if what you said was true all the truckers would be buying kenny bernstein engines. I have alot more low end torque with my 400 than my 460. I use my 300 six to tow with. But that's just my $.02

 

If you already have a 460 in your truck by the time you get done putting money into it trying to build it up you could purchase a stroker kit(514cid) from Ford Motorsports SVO.

Just my thoughts on the situation!

 

Reliabilty? Ha! The 400 is a peice of trash. I have one in my bronco and I curse it everymorning. (I am going to a 460) I hear about thier main bearings going out all the time. Mine has 140k on it and it is damn near junk. I dont even know if the motor is oribinal or not. When you have to build a 400 like crazy just to out do a stock 460 or 429 there is a problem. The 400 is SOOOOOOO dead in the low end its embarrasing. Actually its dead in general except that I put a cam in it a year ago and that gave me a bit of high end so now it is just dead down low and lamost dead up high.

andrew

78 ford bronco 4x4

 

I love it! This guy puts what's obviously the wrong cam in his "don't know if it's oribinal" 400 and then the motor gets the blame. Please do us all a favor: Put the 460 in your truck and quit whining about the 400. You obviously don't have the imagination or skill it takes to build the 400 the right way so slap in your "magic" big block and shut the heck up!

 

I guess they will never know, if they never build a 400. Dollar for dollar, I've gotten more out of my 400 than my 460.

How many of you guys have actually built up both engines?

 

ya know, I was dissing the 400 not another user so dont get all bent out of shape and dont go taking stuff personally

If two people each built a 460 and a 400, both would get different results. I have yet to see two people agree on something. ONe will say do this, the next will say oh no no hes wrong do this and the third would say no they are both wrong do this instead. State your opinion, dont just flat out say someone else is wrong. Tell what you have ssen work or give advice. This message board (i thought) was supposed to be helpful not just a bunch of people telling everyone else they are worng. Come on guys, we all have Fords, lets try and help each other not diss each other. I have a poor opinion of the 400 because a stock 400 just isnt very powerful. And excuse me for not putting the cam in that you would have chosen.

 

I will admit that I have not built up a 400. I unfortunately have given the 400 a GIANT thumbs down in my book, based soley on the fact that they are the same as a 351-M (except stroke) and the 351-M that I had and seen around here were pitiful excuses for motors. My friend and I tried numerous things (without removing the motor) to liven them up and they just flat out didn't respond. However, all the 460's I've seen (including my own) have impressed me time and time again. Up until this past year, every truck (wrecker) where I worked was 460 powered. Just recently the Powerstroke was intorduced in our wreckers and they are just flat out incredible, but that's for a different forum. All in all, I love the 460 and would rather have it over any other motor if given the choice and needed some power. I guess the 400 is just considered bad to me because I KNOW the 351-M bites big time. That's my complete opinion.

TBirdGuy

"Stuck with a m*par, Settle for a ch*vy, Happy with a Ford!!!!"

 

I like "majic" big blocks. I dont ever hear " 'majic' 400". I wonder why....