Thread: 352 vs 460

Tweet

hey i have a problem i own a 1965 ford f-100 current motor is a 352 which i read came with 300 hp with a 4barrel carb but i have on my hand s a 460 dated around 1975 or 1976 which means the hp ranges from around 208-275 hp my question is are my numbers on the 352 correct does this motor come stock with 300hp with a 4 bar. second pre 1973 460 came stock with 375hp why such a drop from 1973 to 1975 was it due to the smog control? need help cant figure out what motor to go with please help!!!!

I'd have to say you'd be better off with the 352, that 460 has low hp numbers because of smog laws and compression ratio's were a lot lower than that of a pre '71, making them lower hp.

Yep those stinkin economy and smog days killed many a good engine. I'd also think about keeping the 352. As far has the HP I think the 300hp is pretty close. 65 was still a good year with NO emissions and HP was running wild. I show both a 2v and 4v 352 for 65 but the 2v stock for the truck. Has the engine or intake been swapped you know? With a little help you can really wake up that 352. G.

But, if you get the 460, the car will be worth a lot more money because the 460 is a more desirable engine.

..... use the 460, there is no substitute for cubic inches. Plus will the 352 run on todays pump gas??? I don't know the compression but it might not. Plus the 460 is rated at gross H.P. while the 352 is net H.P. If you convert the 460's net to gross it'll probably have more HP & for sure more TQ. Someone mentioned that you could wake up the 352 with a little work? If you want to REALLY want to wake something up put a little work into the 460!!! Thats a BIG motor. It probably just needs better heads/cam..... just my opinion, Bill.....

Figure the 352 comp to be 9-9.5:1 The only real issue is have the 352's valve seats been changed to hardened seats for unleaded gas? Also what will it take to bolt the 460 in there? With all the conversion kits out there i'm sure there is one available. With those factored in I'd then take a good look at both engines and see which is the better of the two. Machine work being the factor here and which has better heads intake and such to work with. Then figure the budget you have to work within. Do you want to drop the 460 in stock and as is or are you thinking about some aftermarket things for either as well. Aftermarket parts are about the same in price for each engine though. Then keep in mind the rest of the drivetrain as well. A higher HP engine (FE or 460) is going to beat the snot out of some stock trannys and rears depending on which your truck has now. I can't deny the 460's make good power but so does as well built FE. The weight factor is a non issue as well. They are both really close there. G.

I've had good luck with Bob's F100s in Riverside CA. I'm working on the same sort of truck. They have a catalog that will show all the mount conversions - the 460 isn't supposed to be too tough.

Still, I'm putting an FE in my truck. The Shelby runs 10.6:1, with the heads worked over appropriately for unleaded and the timing set to factory spec, and it provides no trouble (other than in keeping the rear tires hooked up).

I like the FE, and the parts I've got look to be pretty good, so I'm working up the last bits (cam, intake, carb) to replace the 300 I6 that was there. Looks like a direct bolt-in, and the only trick I'm having to work through is the trans/driveline. I want to use the C6 auto, but will probably have to have a new driveline made for it.

The 460 advocates are probably right about resale, and there are a lot of 460 parts available. But the FE is right for the '65 truck, and that's important to me. Even if you start with a low-comp smog motor, the 460 works.

Had one in a gunboat T-Bird in the late '70s - a '73 Bird that looked like a Lincoln Mark IV. The smog motor still hauled that big trawler around pretty well.