Ford was unique in that it had two very different bigblock engine designs during the height of the muscle car era. The original FE engine
design was pioneered in the late 1950s, primarily as a more powerful replacement for the dated Y-block design. What began as torquey engines meant to move heavyweight sedans morphed into screaming high-performance mills that won Le Mans and drag racing championships throughout the 1960s.
By the late 1960s, the FE design was dated, so Ford replaced it with the 385 series, also known as the Lima design, in displacements of 429 and 460 ci, which was similar to the canted-valve Cleveland design being pioneered at the same time. It didn’t share the FE pedigree of racing success, mostly due to timing, but the new design was better in almost every way; it exists via Ford Motorsports’ offerings to this day. Beginning in 1971, the 429 found its way between the fenders of Mustangs and Torinos in high-compression 4-barrel versions called the Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet, and they were some of the most powerful passenger car engines Ford had ever built. If the muscle car era had not died out shortly after the release of these powerful engines, without a doubt the 429 performance variants would be ranked with the legendary big-blocks of all time.
In this revised edition of How to Rebuild Big-Block Ford Engines, now titled Ford 429/460 Engines: How to Rebuild, Ford expert Charles Morris covers all the procedures, processes, and techniques for rebuilding your 385 Series big-block. Step-by-step text provides details for determining whether your engine actually needs a rebuild, preparation and removal, disassembly, inspection, cleaning, machining and parts selection, reassembly, start-up, and tuning. Also included is a chapter in building the special Boss 429 engines, as well as a bonus chapter on the Ford 351 Cleveland, Ford’s little brother to the big-block.
About the Author
Charles Morris is an auto enthusiast and a die-hard Ford fan who has written scores of articles for Ford car magazines. A drag racer since 1966, Morris has been a crewmember for a Top Alcohol Funny Car and a Pro/Stock team; he has also run cars in Stock, Super Stock, and Nostalgia Super Stock classes. He was a 2006 inductee into the USA 1 Nostalgia Dragfest Hall of Fame.
• Exclusively covers 429 and 460 Ford 385/LIMA-series engines
• Features step-by-step instructions with more than 600 color photos
• Special chapter featuring performance modifications and upgrades
Learn to make incredible horsepower from Ford’s most
powerful big-block engine design
For years, Ford relied on the venerable FE big-block
engine design to power its passenger cars, trucks, and even
muscle cars—and why not? The design was rugged, reliable,
amortized, and a proven race winner at Le Mans and drag
strips across the country. However, as is always the case with
technology, time marches on, and Ford had a new design with
many improvements in mind. Enter the 385 family of engines
(also known as the “Lima” big-block). Produced from 1968–
1998, the 385-series engines were used in multiple applications
from industrial trucks to muscle cars and luxury cruisers.
In Ford 429/460 Engines: How to Build Max Performance,
which was written by Ford expert Jim Smart, all aspects of
performance building are covered, including engine history
and design, induction systems, cylinder heads, the valvetrain,
camshaft selection, the engine block, and rotating assemblies.
The best options, optimal parts matching, aftermarket versus
factory parts, budget levels, and build levels are also examined.
The 429/460 engines are a good platform for stroking,
so that is covered here as well.
Whether you want to build a torque-monster engine for
your off-road F-150, a better-preforming version of a 1970sera
smog motor for your luxury Lincoln, or an all-out highhorsepower
mill for your muscle car, this book is a welcome
addition to your performance library.
• First modern all-color performance book in decades
dedicated to this engine
• Covers both aftermarket and factory parts
• Millions of these engines were built over a 30-year span
