Looking for advice from gearworks

[bigbrownbird]

Hello, I have a 1978 bird that I am planning on swapping a fuel injected 460 into. The people at the 460 forum told me to look you up. What advice can you give me on brackets, mounts, and possibly how to get a stick into one of these machines. Thank you.

Lee

[Gearworks]

thanks for the faith guys! i appreciate it!

anyway yes its not hard at all to stuff one of these grunters into our birds. I have personally done it many times with a zero failure rate. the donor car is a 74 ranchero GT. if youre lucky enough to find one of these babies its got all the parts you'll need. if not, tell the parts guy 74 ranchero GT, when you buy the new parts. the 74 is one one the only rancheros to come with the 429. its on the same chassis as our birds.

the parts you'll need are as follows:
1) engine mounts
2) standard c6 transmount (lincoln will work too)
3) the cross member can be taken from the car or you can use the member in the car. all i had to do is elongate the mount bolt holes.
4) throttle cable. this can be taken from any older model full size v8 ford. however you said you were going EFI. so it may be neccessary to aquire a throttle cable from the 460 efi truck. i dont know if length is going to be a problem though.
5) worst for last! the exhaust. hooker still makes a set of super comp headers for this chassis, but they are $349 a set! the good thing is that 3" exhaust tubing will clear the stock crossmember! you'll only have the "clearance" the outer most edge of the control arm from rubbing the #3 exhaust tube on the drivers side. you only have to grind about 1/4" off the radius.

The oil filter does not get in the way of ANYTHING, and the nice thing about the installation is that, if you remember, the older model ford engine mounts were reversable to some degree. having said that you can manipulate the engine roughly 1 1/4 inches, either forward or backward depending on youre taste and how close you want it to the radiator.

If you need anything else, feel free to give me a holler by email, and i'll help you all i can!
one thing you might want to do is complete the installation first, before you put the springs in, it may solve youre problems.


paul

[ 09-30-2003: Message edited by: Gearworks ]

[bigbrownbird]

thanks for the advice. Would that 74 ranchero have a clutch and brake pedal for me as well? I want a stick in the bird in the worst way? Has anyone actually performed this?
Also, I will begin building the engine in a week or so. Which is a better block, a 76 or a 79?

Thanks,
Lee

[Gearworks]

yes if youre lucky emnough to find one!!!!

there is a place out east that has these pedals repopped, but theyre 450 for JUST THE PEDALS!!

as far as youre block goes, use a C8, C9, D0, or D1

1968 thro 1971 repectively. im sure youve heard of the dove or dive blocks. the castings are beefier in the cylinder areas and if it passes a sonic test, will hold a .120 overbore!!

the mid to late 70's block cant hold a candle to them!

paul