big body 460 swap

[72grande]

I want to go down to the junkyard, pull out a 1987-97 7.5L's fuellie 460 and swap in place of my 351c. FEW questions:

1. Is it a direct swap? I dont need to notch my towers or anything like that do I? 429's came stock, which is basicly a destroked 460 so I think I'm in the clear. Can someone confirm?

2. Will I need a special swap headers? I'm actaully planning on using the stock log manifolds if I can get away with it.

3. Where do I get the correct motor mounts?

4. I love EFI, but is ther eany particular reason not to go with the fullie 460 over an earlier carb one? I know the heads a differnt, and not considered as performance oriented, but I dont want to be making 600hp at 7500rpms. Upper 300's with an ass load of tq, revs under 5500 would satisfy me.

5. Any sage advise from people who've done this?

 

[351LX]

I had a 460 in my 73 Mustang.I bought some aftermarket frame mounts and motor mounts from a place called Total Performance in Mt.Clemens, Michigan but I am not sure if they are still around.I used Hooker headers which fit nice but didn't offer much ground clearance.I went from an FMX to a C-6 so I had a driveshaft shortened to fit but I probably could have used a smallblock C-6 driveshaft if I had one.I tried using the factory 351c radiator but it would overheat anytime I was stuck in traffic so I switched to a Ford 3 core one and it was good after that.I didn't have to do any cutting or welding to do the swap, everything was bolt in.

 

[72grande]

delete

 

[351LX]

Here is a site with some info on the factory ones if you are interested http://www.429mustangcougarinfo.50megs.com/

 

[72grande]

Just so anyone else seaching through looking for swap info, I though I'd post some things I've found out.

First off, this is a great forum for the 385 series engine.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/85220
Very low tech board design, but the people are very into these engines.

The engine needs to be a front sump. This means if you pull a 460 out of a truck, you need to convert it. All this involves is a new oil pan, new oil pump pickup, and if ou want a dip stick a new timming cover. The EFI varity only came in trucks.

This is the best price for motor mounts I've found.
http://www.critesrestoration.com/mustang.htm
All you need are the stock mounts from a 71 429, and if you keep an eye out on e-bay, and have patience, you might find a pair cheaper.

And one question: I'll be converting from a FMX to a C6 with the swap, do I need a new cross member or trans mount? 351LX, do you remeber if you needed a new cross member?

 

[351LX]

I never changed the crossmember.I can't remember if I used the FMX mount or the one that came with the C-6 but I have a feeling they are the same.I have both a 460 C-6 and 351c FMX out in the garage so I measured them fast and both have a measurement of about 22.5" from the bellhousing face to the mount holes and the mount holes are about 5.5" across so the crossmember is the same and it appears they take the same mount.Another option to consider is that you could keep the FMX if you used a 351M bellhousing and a 460 flexplate with the bolt pattern of your converter.I am not sure how long an FMX would last and you might just be buying a bit of time until you had to put in a C-6.Trucks used a front sump pan with 460's up until 1980 when they changed to rear sump.I know you can use the passenger style pan in a pre-1980 truck but I am not sure if it works the other way.The drain plug is located in a different spot on the truck pans but I don't know what else is different.I had to buy both the motor mounts and the frame mounts as they are different than the 351c ones.