Hi
Im planning to restore an Engine beside the one in my Mach, so when its ready I just swap them. There is a rather cheap 429 Engine with c6 tranny, is that a good choice ? What was the difference between Cobra jet 429 and a standard 429 that was in a totally different car ? heads ?
I really need more Power in the Mach
Best regards Rob
Don't know about the 429 option. Is it a complete motor with all accessories, brackets, etc.? Typically, Fords are not real "friendly" when switching from a small block to a big block motor. Most if not all the additional accessory items, brackets, etc. are different.
It's definitely your decision. I'm kind of partial to the 351W. They can be built to make a lot of power. But the 1973 Mustang is a fairly big and heavy car which doesn't help.
A Weiand Stealth intake and larger carburetor would have helped some. How much I don't know. But the Stealth is a popular street intake for 351W motors and a 650 carb size is fairly standard size for stock to mild 351W motors. I've never used an Edelbrock Performer intake and the machine shop I use doesn't recommend them for intake upgrades. The Edelbrock carb you have might be calibrated on the lean side. Have you tried one of Edelbrock's carb tuning kits to see if you can squeeze a little more out of that carb?
Good Luck and Best Regards,
Mike
Some typical head work, plus better cam and pistons will take a stock 429 into CJ territory easily. Stuff you should do on any engine build, really.
Start with a 460...the extra stroke will give you more low end punch. 460s are plentiful and cheap, 429s not so much.
If you do go for a big block try and get the whole car or at least cut from the fire wall forward. That way you get all the factory brackets, clips and other original parts to make the conversion easier (not easy, just easier).
Rob, I believe remembering that you are starting with a 429 in your car already. So that part will be a straight forward replacement.
Kit owns a 429 car and knows the 429/460 stuff. If the 429 your referring to is cheap and in good rebuild shape then snatch it. 460's are usually more common and you start with the extra 31 cubic inches (same exterior motor dimensions and mounting brackets).
A well built 429 - well that ought to satisfy your need for power!
If I remember correctly this all started with the a high idle speed after the original choke wasn't working because the hot air tube was removed after headers were installed. It has really evolved. We all go though that with these cars and end up with boxes of extra parts.
Nobody really knows what kind of power he is looking for? 400 hp, 700 hp? How does he plan to drive the car? What gear ratio does he currently have in the rear axle? I think these came with either a 2.75:1 or 3.25:1 ratio. Both of those will make the car feel weak and lazy with a small block. If its a 2.75:1, no motor will feel like it has much power.
Don't get me wrong, I like big block motors and a small block simply may not be enough for the larger and heavier 73 Mustang. Plus it's always cool to say you have a big block in your car. However, big blocks usually cost more money to build regardless of the brand, Ford, GM, or Mopar. Don't be surprised if a self respecting small block Ford or GM out runs a big block.
Best Regards,
Mike
Well...when it comes to engine build expenses Ford's are usually significantly more expensive than Chevys across the board.
About the best budget engine to build cheply is the venerable SBC ( small block Chevy), and a 70s-80s 350 is about the cheapest of all. Lots of go-faster goodies for great prices.
That is one reason a Chevy engine swap is so popular, even into a non-GM car. Sorry, Ford-ophiles...its true.
But...a run-of-the mill Ford 460 can be had cheap enough, and with some standard, tried-and-true hop-up parts and tricks, a monster powerhouse big block is not too expensive.
And, like said above, 429s and 460 blocks are virtually identical so it can be dressed to look the part of a 429 if so desired.
And, I agree: there are some kick-ass small-blocks but nothing feels the same as a stump-pulling big block when you put the hammer down!
Usually those who talk bad about Big Blocks. Have never experienced Big Block power, and I don't mean the mid to late seventy's versions, I mean 71" back. They dropped the compression ratios in 72" pretty much across the industry, and while the Big Blocks still made lots of torque. They were pretty much doomed as for all out performance. Find a survivor 71 T Bird with the 429 Thunderjet and the towing package. It was quite amazing for a near 6000lbs car, as long as you didn't smoke the tires clean off the back of it. Which is easy by the way. JTS 71 Mach1
A "vanilla" pre-70 429 Thunderjet may have a milquetoast reputation to some, but it is not too far off from a Cobra Jet.
The differences were more mild than wild: slightly better heads with BIGger valves, a little more cam and a little more ( well more than "a little") compression were the main differences, plus a couple more minor ones.
In reality, the stock CJs and SCJs had a lot of potential for major hop-ups.
My 71 CJ is mostly stock, a little head work and ignition work...runs great.
My 75 Torino has a 460 in it built by CME ( Carolina Machine Engine...very highly recommended) that will humiliate my 71 CJ without even breathing hard...in a much bigger and heavier car.
And it has a streetable idle, pulls great vacuum at 850 rpm, and is very docile...until you stand on it.
I agree with the above poster who said that those who have not experienced a healthy big block have no concept of the staggereing difference.
JTS71 Mach1 :
For the record I've had cars with big blocks. One was a 1972 Challenger with a 440. The motor was from a 1967 New Yorker. It had 10:1 CR, bored 0.040", forged crank, balanced rotating assembly, fairly aggressive purple shaft Direct Connection camshaft, springs, lifters, etc., headers, dual exhaust, Holley 750 vacuum secondary carb, electronic ignition system. The other was a 1956 Ford F100 pick-up. It had a fairly well built 390 from a late 1960's Thunder Bird. Again, all the basic bolt on performance stuff. 10.5:1 CR, aggressive camshaft with matching springs, balanced rotating assembly, Holley Street Dominator intake, Holley 750 vacuum secondary carb, headers, dual exhaust, Ford dual point distributor. They both ran great. Tons of low end power. Did they run better than the 351W I currently have or the 351W my older brother had in a 69 Mach 1 way back in high school? I really cannot say they did. The power curve is different. More power off idle to about 2K RPM from a big block. The 351W's I'm familiar with seem to pull harder through mid and upper RPM.
My intent is not to talk bad about big block motors. The OP can use whichever he prefers. Just trying to point out to the OP that sometimes cubic inches by itself doesn't equate to more power and they cost more to build.
Best Regards,
Mike