Ford was unique in that it had two very different bigblock engine
designs during the height of the muscle car era. The original FE engine
design was pioneered in the late 1950s, primarily as a more powerful
replacement for the dated Y-block design. What began as torquey engines
meant to move heavyweight sedans morphed into screaming high-performance
mills that won Le Mans and drag racing championships throughout the
1960s.
By the late 1960s, the FE design was dated, so Ford replaced it with the
385 series, also known as the Lima design, in displacements of 429 and
460 ci, which was similar to the canted-valve Cleveland design being
pioneered at the same time. It didn’t share the FE pedigree of racing
success, mostly due to timing, but the new design was better in almost
every way; it exists via Ford Motorsports’ offerings to this day.
Beginning in 1971, the 429 found its way between the fenders of Mustangs
and Torinos in high-compression 4-barrel versions called the Cobra Jet
and Super Cobra Jet, and they were some of the most powerful passenger
car engines Ford had ever built. If the muscle car era had not died out
shortly after the release of these powerful engines, without a doubt the
429 performance variants would be ranked with the legendary big-blocks
of all time.
In this revised edition of How to Rebuild Big-Block Ford Engines, now
titled Ford 429/460 Engines: How to Rebuild, Ford expert Charles Morris
covers all the procedures, processes, and techniques for rebuilding your
385 Series big-block. Step-by-step text provides details for determining
whether your engine actually needs a rebuild, preparation and removal,
disassembly, inspection, cleaning, machining and parts selection,
reassembly, start-up, and tuning. Also included is a chapter in building
the special Boss 429 engines, as well as a bonus chapter on the Ford 351
Cleveland, Ford’s little brother to the big-block.
About the Author
Charles Morris is an auto enthusiast and a die-hard Ford fan who has
written scores of articles for Ford car magazines. A drag racer since
1966, Morris has been a crewmember for a Top Alcohol Funny Car and a
Pro/Stock team; he has also run cars in Stock, Super Stock, and
Nostalgia Super Stock classes. He was a 2006 inductee into the USA 1
Nostalgia Dragfest Hall of Fame.
• Exclusively covers 429 and 460 Ford 385/LIMA-series engines
• Features step-by-step instructions with more than 600 color photos
• Special chapter featuring performance modifications and upgrades
