460 in a 71-73 Stang?

jes72mustang

New Member
Mar 31, 2005
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S. Central PA
Has anyone here done this? What would it take to do it? I have been looking around for Cleveland block to rebuild and put is it but they are diificult to come by or very expensive. 460s are very plentiful and cheap, so it would possibly be a lot more affordable to build and learn on.

Looking for thoughts and Ideas

Thanks
 
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My Mustang came from the factory with a 351C/FMX. When I bought it there was a thrown rod and a hole in the block. Ran into exactly the same thing you are: 351C's were like unobtanium. This kinda rambles, but I'll try to describe what I went through to make the swap. It sounds worse than it is.

I got a 460/C6 from a late 70's (1978 IIRC) Ford truck (F150 IIRC). I don't think the FMX will bolt onto a 460, and I didn't even try. The FMX weighs a TON compared to the C6.

I bought a "460 swap kit" from Classic Mustang Parts of Oklahoma. I was surprised to find that the frame mounts look identical to the 351C frame mounts. I never put them side-by-side, but I'm betting they are identical, especially since I later learned that the 351C is basically another "version" of the 385 block (i.e. 429/460). I'm betting that you can go to NAPA (or whereever) and buy motor mounts for a 1971 with a 429 and it will bolt right up. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised to find that the 351C rubber mounts are the same as for the 429. (Once again, I didn't think to compare them side-by-side.)

I also bought a used C6 crossmember. When I pulled the FMX crossmember, they ARE exactly the same. I used the original crossmember and got my money back on the other one.

I bought upper and lower radiator hoses for a 1971 Mustang with a 429. Hooked right up to the "original" radiator, which I had recored.

I pulled the oil pan from a mid-70's Mercury station wagon with a 429. Looks like it was born there. I was surprised to find (at a REALLY bad time) that the truck pan is different and won't fit the Mustang frame. Thank goodness my buddy Mike was helping me and kept me on track, because I was ready to roll the whole thing off a bridge when the oil pan went CLUNK.

I bought all the brackets and stuff off a spare 460 motor (with TWO thrown rods) that a friend had laying around. He thought the motor came from a '73 Lincoln, but he wasn't sure. I used the power steering pump that was on that motor (it looks just like the power steering pump on my mid-70's GM cars) and had custom hoses made at the local NAPA store.

I haven't installed any A/C stuff, and I might never. It's a "fair weather" convertible, so who needs A/C anyway?

I trimmed the fan shroud just a little bit to clear the power steering pulley.

The original speedo cable and accelerator cable hooked right up. I had to fiddle with the throttle linkage bracket a little bit, but it wasn't so hard.

I discovered too late that the C6 transmission I have is for a column shift truck, and doesn't have the correct "arm" for a factory floor shift. The correct "arm" is available, but REAL pricey. Apparently there weren't too many of them made. The original shifter was pretty sloppy and loose anyway, so I just swapped in a Hurst shifter, took out the original worn-out console, and put in a HumpHugger console. It works good, looks good, and has CUP HOLDERS! I never have gotten the shifter adjusted right (I can't get it to go into first gear) but that's just my own laziness. One of these days I'm going to drag 1320stang (Larry) over to my house and get him to work his magic on it.

I had the driveshaft rebuilt and shortened. The transmission output shaft was the same, so I didn't need a new input yoke gizmo (or whatever it's called). Worked perfect.

My speedometer doesn't read correctly, and may never read correctly. But it works!

Since I didn't use a factory distributor, I replaced the resistor wire from the factory tach to the distributor with a "normal" wire. It works perfectly.

I did this about seven years ago, so I probably forgot something.

I hope this helps, and I haven't bored you to tears.

Wayne.
 
Wayne and Others, Thanks for the input. I am seeing some really decent prices on Ebay for complete 460's with trannys. I might call a couple of local junkyards and see what I can find local if my B-i-L and I go pull it. Gonna talk to my mechanic buddy too and get his input.

Thanks again.
 
I am just completing doing the same thing. The 351C motor mounts look, but are not the same. Crites has all the parts you need for the conversion. I was lucky and found a 72 coupe that had a 429 in it and used all it's motor mounts, drive shaft, radiator, etc.
 
RModel65,

I visit that board frequently, and have been to most of the sites that supply cleveland parts, and anything cleveland =$$$$$$$From what I am seeing in my preliminary research, I can buy a good core 460 and c-6 and rebuild and install both for a fraction of the price. Then I could sell my Cleveland and recover all the cost and probably make a profit.

But thanks for the pointer to the site anyway, it may help someone else out.
 
I dropped a 460 into my 73 Mustang years ago.I picked up some mounts from Total Performance which were basically reproductions of the factory frame stands and a set of factory rubber mounts.From what I remember the frame stands were taller than the 351c ones I removed but I could be wrong as it was many years ago.I used the Hooker swap headers which fit well but didn't offer a lot of ground clearance.Oil pan was a standard passenger car front sump pan, however I did find one at the wreckers with a factory baffle around the pick-up which might be a worthwhile addition if yours doesn't have one.I had a driveshaft shortened to fit but I noticed recently that the shortened driveshaft was almost the same length a a fox Mustang T-5 one so that might be a cheaper alternative but it could vary depending on the placement of your engine and the length of your rear end yoke.