Thread: Ford 429 block need advice

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Hello All,

My cousin is currently building a 68 Pro-Street Couger.

I would guess he is about 60% completed.

He has basically spared no expense on this build up.

Me being a Chevy guy, and him being a Ford guy adds spice to our family relationship to say the least

He has built a 429 into a 521 stroker, Put an tunnel ran with dual carbs etc. etc.

The only thing is his block is a 2 bolt main.

Now I'm no Ford expert or no motor guru, but is this going to work?

I mean I think his 521 is supposed to be good for 800-850 hp.

What is the HP limit on a 2 bolt main 429 block?

And what is a good block to replace it with?

He is hard headed so if I say that many Ford Hot Rodders suggest this he might do it.

Our resident 460 expert Paul Kane will hopefully see this and respond, but in the meantime, I think he will be fine. 429/460 bottom ends are very strong and just the addition of some good rod and main bolts will usually do the trick.

I've got a 460 for a someday project (maybe a bracket drag car) and I am using a stock lower end with a Cobra Jet crank and rods. I feel this will hold up pretty well, you rarely hear of BBF engines with bottom end failures until you start really feeding the nos to them.

These monsters will make a believer out of you.

Don

Its not a chevy ,it will take a 1000 hp for a long time on a good tune ,1600 hp is not unheard of,it just better be right on at that level.
Common wisdom is about 900-1000 hp range people get aftermarkett blocks,because of the rotating assembly and associated part costs if it were to break,causing a full loss of parts.
Erica Ortize ,not sure on the spelling ,was running pro at 1600 hp in a stock ford block for a entire season.
With a 1500 dollar stroker rotating assembly ,I would not worry about the stock block ,at 4000 dollars for a forged top line racing crank ,plus pistons ,plus rods ,then yes a aftermarkett block only makes sense,.......se what I am getting at ?
But to simply answer your question ,yes the stock block is going to work,the only thing I would even worry about ,is cap walk at high rpm or under massive n2o load.
6000 rpm or less and no power adders ,there is probably going to be no problem at all.
Now if he is going to install 25-30 inch wide slicks and spray it off the line ,it should be taken apart at the end of the season to monitor these issues .

I hope Paul Kane ,posts on this ,he knows all the ins and outs of a stock block build of this manner and all of the mods needed to make it live at this level.

He can run Main studs ARP makes them for the Ford 429 with or with out windage tray set-up . I think the 4 bolt mains help more on the manual trans cars . With the studs installed the bottom end will be strong enough .

We've been running two of them in the drag cars, both run Super Gas and put 500 rwhp on the ground and have never had a problem with either. Had a two bolt 514 in a Super Comp car, went 3 seasons with nothing more then a winter time freshen up, consisting of rings, bearings, and a touch up on the valves. They are a rugged, rugged block. We start all our BBF Ford builds with a "well seasoned" block, main cap studs and an align bore, Carillo rods and some super-light Mahle pistons.... No complaints.

I've got a 514 block with 4 bolt splayed caps that went 4 seasons with an 8-71 blower in a 2200 pound car. Think you could touch up the hone and run it again!!!!! If he has the budget to put them in, and is going with a blower or a 150+shot of nitrous, or using the engine in a heavy (more then 2500) pound car, then going 4 bolt would be a good plan.....

Thanks for the replies

Originally Posted by ECS Z06

Hello All,
...built a...521 stroker, Put an tunnel ran with dual carbs etc. etc.

The only thing is his block is a 2 bolt main.

Now I'm no Ford expert or no motor guru, but is this going to work?

I mean I think his 521 is supposed to be good for 800-850 hp.

What is the HP limit on a 2 bolt main 429 block?

Can you or your brother provide the combo that allows the engine to generate 800-850 hp? This is not difficult to do with the 385 Series stroker motors, but at this HP level with a 2-bolt block, I'd like to get a good idea of power and also range of power...rpm, etc. Also, is there a power adder of any kind (nitrous, etc).

I've known these engines to successfully generate 4-figure hp while using a 2-bolt block, but I don't recommend it to the masses unless the engine's owner fully understands what they are doing. Can these blocks handle 800 hp? Sure they can. They can also be destroyed at 350 hp. The key here is....

TUNE.

Poor tune leads to detonation, and detonation leads to melted pistons, windowed cylinders, hammered bearings, etc. As long as the person operating the engine understands how to execute regular preventive maintenance, read bearings, read plugs, valve spring tester, and maintain a good state of tune, etc, then the engine can run quite along time. Example: I know a guy that ran an aluminum headed 557 that exceeded 900 hp, 2-bolt block. Ran for about hard 75 passes, then was sold to a guy with a rear engine dragster who sprayed the engine with nitrous and destroyed the offshore stroker crank. The block did not fail, the aftermarket cast crank did (which, in its defense, was "rated" to 700-750 hp).

I sincerely feel that many of the OEM 460 parts are much stronger than they have the right to be, but I also feel that you must understand performance engine building and maintenance when exploring the outer limits of their power handling capabilities.

Paul

Thanks everyone,

I'll get a parts list for you Paul. I dont want to give bad info.

Thanks