Thread: what ford engine to build

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Hello everybody, I need some advise from some ford experts. My nephew has got his hands on a 1969 cougar and is getting the body redone now. We put a 351W out of an 82 LTD cop car, its worn out but runs decent. He wants to stroke the 351W but I am thinking he would be better off with a 429 or 460. He wants 400 to 500 HP so I think we can get there easier with more cubes. If he can talk my uncle out of it, he has a 69 or so 429 with some CJ heads we could build. He did not want to go with that because he does not think it will fit in the car. I think some came with 390s and i am thinking that is wider than the 460, is it?
So what do yall think the best one to build would be, He already has a C6 built for it.

crites restorations in ohio has the parts to put the 429/460 in the cougar. for the same money use a 460 crank. the rods are the same and pistons of your choice. I have had lots of sucess boring the block .080 and ,i think making a 477.i have used the smaller chambered police interceptor heads and slightly smaller ports and valves. better port velocity. several yrs ago hrm did a 500 hp build on a 460 , listed all the parts, and cam . fairly in expensive. crites has the rad, m/ms and headers.

Factory cubes are always the cheapest. A 460 is a good choice for the Cougar, it fits in just fine.

Originally Posted by chevydrivin

Hello everybody, I need some advise from some ford experts. My nephew has got his hands on a 1969 cougar and is getting the body redone now. We put a 351W out of an 82 LTD cop car, its worn out but runs decent. He wants to stroke the 351W but I am thinking he would be better off with a 429 or 460. He wants 400 to 500 HP so I think we can get there easier with more cubes. If he can talk my uncle out of it, he has a 69 or so 429 with some CJ heads we could build. He did not want to go with that because he does not think it will fit in the car. I think some came with 390s and i am thinking that is wider than the 460, is it?
So what do yall think the best one to build would be, He already has a C6 built for it.

If you already have the 351 W in the car why not build a stroker.
Ther are many kits out there.
I would try a 418.
With a 4.100 stroke it will make some serious torque.
With 6.20 rod length you rod ratio is not bad either.
The main advantage over the 429/460 is weight.
We have built 418's that go well over 550 hp with good heads and a hyd. roller cam.

You can build more torque out of the 460, but as Eric said the extra weight will negate the gains... I'd do the Windsor stroker with aluminum heads and intake. The cheapest performance increase is always going to be making the car lighter!!!!

I love cubic inches and 460's have them - and are expensive to build. But with the easily and reasonably priced available parts for a 351W, that's the way I'd go. Plus I have a couple of 'virgin' OEM 351W blocks.

There already is a 351 in the car which makes life easier to begin with, a .030 overbore gets you to 355. Stroker kits can get to 396, 408, then all the way to 427 in increments.

Horsepower? Depends on the thickness of your wallet, but 5 to 600+ is easily done. My last 355 was dynoed at just under 400 with comparatively mild mods.

I can understand both opinions. I have a 67 cougar with a built 460. And its my opinion that if this is going to be a street driven cat with 400 to 500 hp. I would go with the 351. Parts for it are easy to find and cost a lot less than the 460. I also remove the shock towers and put a mustang II front subspension for more room.

I like Erik's idea about beefing up the 351. You said it was already worn out..... sounds like the perfect excuse to make a real powerhouse out of it, and embarrass the bigblock guys to boot!


There is another option nobody has mentioned yet, and i'll probably get some flak for it, but if you want some real power...and I'm talking about, take your breath away, make your heart skip a beat, power..........................




















...............you got to put a Chevy in it!

Originally Posted by Sinister

...............you got to put a Chevy in it!

Let me guess, antother 350/350!!!!! That'd sure kill the value of the car!!!!!

Brand loyalty is good, until it becomes blind loyalty!!!!!

I am a chevy guy but since this is his FORD I did not even mention it. I mean a pre 70's car like the cougar needs a ford engine, I do believe in keeping a car all one make, Unless its a drag car(then I would recomend the Chevy Big Block)LOL.
But seriously he has already got new motor mounts and headers and starter and alteranator and all that good stuff so we will go with the 351W. Even though I don't know much about a fords. What will the 2 bolt block handle? Or do they even make a factory 4 bolt? The only thing from the engine we would use would be the Block, the rest will be trashed and replaced.

I could point out all the short comings of the bb chevy over the much superior designed ford bb,but I do not have to anymore,everyones catchin on,even the car rags.
Of course all the new chevies have the ford layout and firing order now ,soo there getin better.

I'd go the 351W route. More reliability, unless you go nuts on the build, more streetable, and you can ring some great hp and torque out of them. Plus the parts are less expensive and there is less weight to deal with. I overbuilt the 429 in my first Cobra(couldn't afford a 427so)it was not very street friendly and handling was a B!TCH! And way more expensive to build than if I'd gone the 351 stroker route.

Speed= hp-weight

i have always wanted to build a 390.

Originally Posted by gassersrule_196

i have always wanted to build a 390.

Scooter, you need to take a couple of aspirin and lay down until the notion passes.

why do you say that?