You're probably wondering from the title why this 460-inch engine looks a lot like a 351 Windsor and not a big-block 429/460 from the 1960s. If you squint, you can see the BOSS 351 markings. And like a predator in the wild, markings, fangs, and claws mean trouble for those who are slow and tasty. Like the Impala or fluffy-bunny WRX staring blankly as you creep up for a feed.
The trick to big cubes is the 9.5-inch deck block that is thick enough and tall enough to swallow a set of 4.150-inch Mahle pistons and a 4.250-inch forged SCAT crankshaft. Ford will send you this beast as either a short-block (no heads) or long-block with a set of aluminum Ford "Z" heads already installed.
We wanted to play with cylinder-head choices and port work, so we started with the short-block then ordered a set of 215cc heads from Racing Head Service. With the parts in a pile, we thought we'd show you how we assembled it.
This is what you get when you order the short-block. There is no tin, intake, ignition, heads, or valvetrain. It's a rotator and a block assembled at AER Manufacturing in Carrollton, Texas.
Because this is a Ford engine, you can buy all the ancillary parts from Ford Performance. The pan, oil pump, pickup, gasket, and drive all have separate part numbers.
The pump has a Ford Performance part number, but is made by Melling. It is standard pressure, high volume, and PN 10833 comes with a driveshaft. The retainer keeps the shaft from falling into the oil pan when the distributor is removed.
The race oil pan from Ford Performance has a rear sump, so we needed the matching oil-pump pickup that is supported by the stud on the main cap.
We used a Grade-8 Allen bolt, a lock washer, and a squirt of red Loctite for all the oil pump and pickup fasteners
The Bootlegger line of cams from Lunati represents the latest in hydraulic roller grinds. Since the engine is so large displacement-wise, it's OK to use a bottom-of-the-page part number and not give up a lot of torque. This cam has 240/252 degrees of duration at 0.050 and 0.590-inch lift using a 1.60:1 rocker arm.
This is a Ford Motorsports SVO timing chain and sprocket kit designed for this application. It has enough positions on the billet-steel crank sprocket for 8 degrees of advance or retard. The cam sprocket is also steel with a double-row chain. It needs a steel thrust plate to keep the cam from walking.
Reams of camshaft theory boil down to these interesting tidbits: advancing the cam improves low-speed torque and midrange power, while retarding the cam generally helps horsepower at the top of the rpm range. Using a 104-degree centerline, this cam was 4 degrees advanced.
Comp Cams sells a finishing kit that includes all the dowels and little parts to complete the engine. The front cover seal needed to be installed into the front cover and lubed where it makes contact with the crankshaft.
We used a small shot of Permatex Ultra Grey silicone in the corners where the pan meets the timing-chain cover and at the base of the cover gasket.
The clearance between the pickup and the pan needs to be checked by placing clay on the pickup, bolting the pan in position, and removing it. The minimum clearance is 1/8 inch.
This pan fits right and has a full-length oil scraper to direct oil away from the crankshaft, a windage tray, trap doors, and baffles so you don't starve the oil pump during cornering. It holds 7 quarts of oil.
The RHS heads aren't really big enough to cover the kind of airflow this engine needs. The flow numbers were 255 cfm at 0.500 lift, so there is some room for porting. See how we assembled these heads HERE.
All that dish puts the compression ratio at 9.70:1 with a 64cc head and a 0.051-inch head gasket. Flat-top pistons would push the compression to about 13.0:1. We also mathed-out a 0.038 head gasket for 9.97:1 and smaller 58cc heads for 10.50:1.
Ford Performance offers the correct head bolts made by ARP. Using ARP's moly lube, we torqued them to 100 lb-ft, starting on the inside bolts and working clockwise to the outside bolts.
The roller lifters from Lunati were equipped with a tie bar, so we didn't need to use the Ford Performance retro fit kit or a valley spider.
Pushrod length is determined by where the rocker arm makes contact with the tip of the valve. As the engine is turned over, the rocker tip needs to move from the front to the rear of the valve tip and the underside must clear the valve retainer. We cover it HERE
The days of adjusting valves with the engine running are long gone. We first tightened the rocker-arm adjusting nut until the pushrod touched the lifter to ensure the cup doesn't get blown out when we add oil pressure.
Next, we added 5 quarts of break-in oil through the lifter galley.
Ford 351 oil pumps spin counter-clockwise. We ran the drill until we saw oil at each rocker-arm tip.
Following the firing order (1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8), we used the EOIC method to adjust the intake valve as the exhaust valve opened (EO). At that point, we preloaded the lifter until the pushrod contacted the lifter cup (you can feel this by turning the pushrod until it makes contact), then added 1/2 turn. Then we adjusted the exhaust valve as the intake valve closed (IC). Then we moved to the next cylinder in the order.
The Z460 is zero balance, meaning there are no specific weights on the balancer or flywheel. In general, the 302 uses a 50-ounce weight and the 351 uses a 28.2-ounce weight. We used some antiseize on the crank snout to protect it from damage during the install.
Instead of using small individual tubes of goo, we ran a bead of RTV with a calking gun. We let the RTV sit for a few minutes before installing the intake.
This engine is going to be run using FAST's EZ EFI 2.0 system that totally replaces the carburetor and standard intake manifold. It is self-learning and includes this dual-sync distributor. With the No. 1 cylinder at TDC, we stabbed the distributor 15 degrees advanced so the engine would fire right away and lube the cam.
During the break-in pulls, the engine made 584 lb-ft at 4,300 with 500 lb-ft as low as 3,000 rpm and 552 hp at 5,700. The low-rpm number at peak horsepower indicates the engine needs a little more cylinder head to breathe at higher rpm. Next stop, cylinder-head hogging at the School of Automotive Machinists in Texas.
RHS 215 Cylinder Head Flow Valve OpeningIntake CFMExhaust CFM 0.053223 0.16353 0.211595 0.3165124 0.4214143 0.5255157 0.6277162 0.7290164
Ford Performance Z460 Power Numbers RPMTQHP 3,000500285 3,200504307 3,400525340 3,600552378 3,800571413 4,000580442 4,200584467 4,400583488 4,600577505 4,800570521 5,000560533 5,200548542 5,400533548 5,600517551 5,800499551 6,000480549
Parts DescriptionSourcePNPrice 460 Boss short-blockFord PerformanceM-6009-460$6,395.00 Crankshaft damperFord PerformanceM-6316-D302329 Exhaust valves 1.600 2.100Racing Head Service6003-886.89 FAST EZ-EFIFuelAirSpark.com30435-10L3937.4 Fel Pro head gasketsSummit Racing104691.97 Front cover 351Ford PerformanceM-6059-D351157.95 Guide platesSummit Racing4835-858.97 Head bolt kitFord PerformanceM-6065-BOSS105 Hold-down clampFord PerformanceM-12270-A3028.95 Intake gasketsFord PerformanceM-9439-A5064 Intake valves 2.080 2.100Racing Head Service6002-882.82 Lunati 7.700 pushrodsSummit Racing7060-16146.97 Lunati Bootlegger roller camshaftSummit RacingXXX35240HRLK1,288.97 Lunati VooDoo 1.6 rocker armsSummit Racing15390-16257.97 Oil pump pickupFord Performance M-6622-DRS35182.95 Oil pan rear sumpFord PerformanceM-6675-DRS351520 Oil pan gasketFord PerformanceM-6710-A35124.5 RHS 215cc cylinder headsRacing Head Service35017470.7 Rocker arm studsSummit Racing4503-1661.97 Thrust plateFord PerformanceM-6269-A35148 Timing chain and sprocket setFord PerformanceM-6268-B302123 Valvespring and retainer kitSummit Racing73925K2239.97
