Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Technical => Engine Tech => Topic started by: OLDCARMAN on April 06, 2006, 02:50:39 PM

Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: OLDCARMAN on April 06, 2006, 02:50:39 PM
What The Difference Between A 460 And A 4.6l Police Interceptor Engine And Will It Fit In A 73' Thunderbird That Had A 460 In It?
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: fordguy on April 06, 2006, 02:56:59 PM
they are completely different engines. the 460 is a 385 series and the 4.6 is a mod motor. yes they will both fit
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: OLDCARMAN on April 06, 2006, 03:06:04 PM
Is The 4.6 More Poweful? I Was Thinking About That 5.8l Because After 73' The 460 Had Less Power. Also, How Does The 5.8l Compare To The 4.6l Interceptor?
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: TurboCoupe50 on April 06, 2006, 03:06:21 PM
Quote from: OLDCARMAN
What The Difference Between A 460 And A 4.6l Police Interceptor Engine And Will It Fit In A 73' Thunderbird That Had A 460 In It?


What's different???...  EVERYTHING...

The 4.6 is a Electronic Fuel Injection engine that has no distributor(or provisions for one) and AFIK there are no intake manifolds to fit a carb to it(although I've heard talk they may be produced one day). It won't bolt to the old C6 tranny so you'd have to swap trannys, reconfigure your drive shaft etc. Also you have to deal with adding the electronics, fuel system, engine mounts, oil pan, etc..etc, better forget it(I would, but wouldn't swap a 4.6 onto a roller skate... Maybe a 32 valve version IF someone gave it and all the necessary pieces to me ).
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: TurboCoupe50 on April 06, 2006, 03:13:30 PM
Any year 460 can be modded to put a SERIOUS hurtin on a 4.6 or 351... If you ain't worried about fuel econoemy keep the 460...
Title: Thanks
Post by: OLDCARMAN on April 06, 2006, 03:24:17 PM
Thanks, I'm Not Worried About Fuel I Have 2 Cars With 460 And 1 With A 440. What Do You Think About That 5.8l? To Much Conversion? And The Power Diff?
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: Nate on April 06, 2006, 03:36:18 PM
460... if ya wanna go nuts, 460 fuelie.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: OLDCARMAN on April 06, 2006, 03:47:14 PM
How Hard Would It Be To Make The 460 An Interceptor Or Faster?
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: tbirdscott on April 06, 2006, 04:35:05 PM
http://www.carcraft.com/searchresults/?scope=T&sitename=carcraft&terms=460&x=0&y=0
Title: Thanks
Post by: OLDCARMAN on April 06, 2006, 04:40:06 PM
Thanks, That's Alot Of Good Info And I Appreciate It.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: shame302 on April 06, 2006, 06:06:00 PM
whew....
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: shame302 on April 06, 2006, 06:09:22 PM
FWIW...im ~pretty~ sure that sullivan makes a carbed intake for the 4.6 sohc engines. i know for sure that they make one for the 4.6 dohc.....their are a few different options for the ignition setup on them as well.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: V8Demon on April 06, 2006, 07:00:37 PM
Quote
FWIW...im ~pretty~ sure that sullivan makes a carbed intake for the 4.6 sohc engines


Yes, they do.....
http://www.sullivanperformance.com/YVS450/products/intakemanifold/intake4.6.htm
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: OLDCARMAN on April 06, 2006, 07:10:06 PM
What Has The Most Power, A Bored Out 460 Or A Souped Up 4.6 Or 5.8? But Either Way Would I Have To Re-do So Much To Put A 4.6 Or 5.8 When There Was A 460 First?
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: Beau on April 06, 2006, 08:54:38 PM
You'd be a lot better off just building up the 460 for low to mid-range torque, as it'll be moving a hell of a lot of Thunderbird.
The 4.6 tends to be a more rev happy engine.
And, for what you'd more than likely spend just acquire a 4.6, and the stuff to run it, you could build one hell of a big block, and still whup the 4.6 engine's ass in every category except mileage, and not have to
change a  thing in you car, such as transmission, motor mounts, etc etc.
For the same reason, I wouldn't consider putting a 351w in it, either.
You'd have to change trans. with it, as well as mounts, accessories, and the whole 9 yards.

Why exactly are ya wantin' to put a mod motor in there, anyway?
If you're going to be different, that's one thing, but doing it for more power is going to be a big hassle, when for probably around a grand or so, you could make that 460 one bad mother...
Just my opinion, though...:D
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: Nate on April 06, 2006, 10:44:36 PM
rember, when building a mod motor, parts are very expensive, and one thing that realy gets me, you just dont buy one cam, you buy 2 or 4 $$$... heads are expensive, intakes are expensive. hell... if you go to a swap meet, you could probley build up a  460 for a few  hundred $$$.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: DakotaEpic on April 06, 2006, 11:14:36 PM
And the engines out of Police Interceptors (Crown Vics) are just a plane Jane 4.6.  They aren't suped up or anything.  Ask ThunderChicken, he works on them, he'll tell you how normal of an engine they are.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: Thunder Chicken on April 06, 2006, 11:34:26 PM
Quote from: DakotaEpic
And the engines out of Police Interceptors (Crown Vics) are just a plane Jane 4.6.  They aren't suped up or anything.  Ask ThunderChicken, he works on them, he'll tell you how normal of an engine they are.

Werd. "Police Interceptor" hasn't meant anything engine-wise since the 60's or 70's. Even the PI Mustangs from the late 80's were nothing more than regular 5.0 LX's with blue cooling hoses. There were a few Police Interceptor cars that had better engines than their civvy counterparts (mid 80's LTD with its CFI "HO" 5.0 and the late 80's Crown Vic with its 351) but the engines themselves were certainly nothing spectacular.

Now, you may be referring to the "Performance Improved" 4.6 engine of the late 90's to present. These engines have better heads, cams and intakes when compared to non-PI 4.6's but the "PI" 4.6 still only produced 265 horses in its best factory form (Bullitt Mustang). A properly built 460 should be able to better that with four spark plugs removed :hick:

Regardless, any 4.6 is going to be a dog in your two-ton '73 T-Bird. Even a DOHC version will have trouble moving all that metal - just ask any Marauder owner. You could of course get a Terminator engine (03-04 Cobra) but for that kind of money you could probably build four or five 400+ horse 460's...

As for the 5.8, why bother? You've already got a 460 in the car, and with some simple upgrades (cam, intake, carb) you'll make plenty of power. Any stock 5.8 would require the same upgrades and then some, and still wouldn't keep up with a 460 with similar mods. The '73 T-Bird is a big car and requires a big engine.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: SLEEPER T-BIRD 87 on April 07, 2006, 01:21:14 AM
Quote from: OLDCARMAN
What Has The Most Power, A Bored Out 460 Or A Souped Up 4.6 Or 5.8? But Either Way Would I Have To Re-do So Much To Put A 4.6 Or 5.8 When There Was A 460 First?
\


460 all the way.    dont waste your time on a 4.SICK
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: Red_LX on April 07, 2006, 02:14:51 AM
Also, when you build a 460, make sure to get an early model (pre-1972 I think it is?) timing chain....ALL timing chains after that year come from the factory set at 8 degrees retarded, which kills your power.

Anyway, by all means, build the 460 if you have one! You can make 300 hp with a 460 with what, an RV cam and some headers? 4.6's are just not good enough for what they cost to build one for an earlier model car where you have better options.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: Haystack on April 07, 2006, 04:29:20 PM
yeah, a 460 would kill almost any mod motor, you would prolly have to do alot of work just to compair a mod motor to a 460. The 460 would do alot better at pulling a 5000lb car. Think about, 7.5 liter engine, or 4.6. Which sounds better?
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: shame302 on April 07, 2006, 06:59:26 PM
honestly, id stay away from a modular. i know it sounds hypicritical being as its what im going with. if you are looking for a torque monster stick with a pushrod engine anyway. the easy way to ge tthe torque back in a 4.6 is with a pos. dis. blower like the 03-04 cobras. your looking at and easy 6-7K+ on average for one of those. the NA 4.6 dohc is very much different as far as the torque curve goes. a stock 5.0 HO is MUCH torquier down low than they are. the 99' up 4.6 "PI" sohc engines are much better than the NA dohc engines as well. i personally think the 460 sucks and is better served as a boat anchor. take that with a grain of salt though. ive loved the 4.6 dohc from the moment i first drove my mark viii. most people around here hate em'. i think they are much better suited on the street than a torque monster of any kind. of course, i couldnt care less what my car will run or how fast it is as long as its fun. my mark viii was fun enough for me. the tbird should be better with more hp, more gear and a stick in a somewhat lighter car. who knows...it will probably suck anyway. well find out in a month or so. hopefully.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: V8Demon on April 07, 2006, 07:47:25 PM
Shame, you're not being hypocritical.  You're car weighs substantially less than a '73.  Overhead cam motors are more pr0ne to having their power higher in the RPM range.  For a rather large car such as the '73 you want cubes and pushrods. 

Do up that 460.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: fordguy on April 07, 2006, 08:43:05 PM
Quote from: shame302
i personally think the 460 sucks and is better served as a boat anchor. take that with a grain of salt though.


why? the 385 series is a great engine. can be built to high hp for not much cash outlay. it may be heavy but it is a powerhouse. just wanting to know your reason
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: shame302 on April 07, 2006, 09:12:49 PM
Quote
why? the 385 series is a great engine. can be built to high hp for not much cash outlay. it may be heavy but it is a powerhouse. just wanting to know your reason

i dont realy know. could be out of sheer ignorance. they could be a great engine. they are just not my thing. i can think of better ways to get 11mpg. anything i ever drove with one was a total dog. sure they have alot of TQ but they are huge, heavy and very un effecient. not much of an issue for a quarter mile car but i think that there are better choices for a street car. just because an engine puts down a ton of TQ doesnt make it a great engine.
 
i also understand a 73' is a huge car and will require alot of TQ so i agree that 460s the better way to go all around. weight isnt an issue. no matter what you put in that thing fuel ecconomy isnt going to be much of an issue. its begging for a big block.
 
however....HP/TQ/efficiency to HP/TQ/efficiency i think the 4.6 is a much better engine.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: Red_LX on April 08, 2006, 03:03:31 AM
If you drove vehicles with factory stock 460's in em, then no wonder you thought they were dogs, because they were. To my knowledge there was never a good-performing 460 produced. 460's came into being in the smog years and were either put into big land barge cars, or trucks, so they never made much over 220 hp from the factory.

However, I have an old issue of car craft where they compared several buildups they did on big blocks...they built a 530-some hp 460 for $5300, and it even eked out a slightly better horsepower-per-dollar return than the BBC, believe it or not.

I also have an issue of Hot Rod that has a little blurb about some 460 they built that had stock everything except the cam, intake, carb and headers, and it made 400 hp.

The 460 (and 429) don't have as many speed parts available as big block chevy's, but you can sure as hell still make good power with a 460.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: shame302 on April 08, 2006, 08:30:00 PM
the thruth of it all is you can make just about anything fast/powerfull. its just a matter of finding what makes your pants tight.....
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: Bird351 on April 08, 2006, 08:43:01 PM
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2004/04/460Build/
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: SLEEPER T-BIRD 87 on April 09, 2006, 11:26:09 AM
Quote from: Red_LX
The 460 (and 429) don't have as many speed parts available as big block chevy's, but you can sure as hell still make good power with a 460.



last time i checked there was a pretty good aftermarket for them you just got to know were to look.


:D
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: Red_LX on April 09, 2006, 02:10:58 PM
But there's still not near as much as for a BBC...that was my point.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: V8Demon on April 09, 2006, 09:19:44 PM
Quote
But there's still not near as much as for a BBC...that was my point.


I'd be more concerned at the price for some of the parts let alone the availability

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch.asp?N=4294925232+4294838998+4294908331+4294840123+115+4294867081
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: stuntmannick on April 10, 2006, 01:14:53 AM
Mmmmmmmm...


http://www.jonkaaseracingengines.com/cylinderheads.php (http://"http://www.jonkaaseracingengines.com/cylinderheads.php")
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: thunderjet302 on April 10, 2006, 11:00:42 PM
If BB Fords weren't so expensive I'd do one for the Tbird instead of building a 5.0 for it. I mean when was the last time you guys saw a 460 Fox Tbird? Sure gas milage would suck, it wouldn't handle for shiznit, and I'd need a new tranny and rear end but it would be fast as hell:D .
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: SLEEPER T-BIRD 87 on April 11, 2006, 12:31:47 AM
Quote from: thunderjet302
I mean when was the last time you guys saw a 460 Fox Tbird? :D .




*cough* *cough*

mine did..now it is in my stang:D
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: thunderjet302 on April 11, 2006, 04:52:13 PM
Quote
*cough* *cough*

mine did..now it is in my stang:D


You had a 429 in the Tbird not a 460 :raspberry  lol
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: 1FSTCAT on April 11, 2006, 05:04:07 PM
How about a 460 in a Crown Vic? Talk about "police interceptor". :)

If you're running a Ford "high performance application", as in "competition", most likely you're running a variant of the 460, or 385 engine series. They're used in some of the fastest Ford powered boats, pulling trucks, monster trucks, dragsters, mud racers, etc. etc. etc.

With a blower, they can be made to put out in the neighborhood of 1200 HP. The stock block and rotating assembly is good for 600 flywheel horsepower (no need for aftermarket parts for durability).

Go here: http://www.460ford.com/  if you want to learn how to build one.

 --Ed
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: thunderjet302 on April 11, 2006, 05:31:05 PM
I need a better job..........and a 460 :D
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: SLEEPER T-BIRD 87 on April 12, 2006, 12:15:16 AM
Quote from: thunderjet302
You had a 429 in the Tbird not a 460 :raspberry  lol



same series motor  :tg:
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: Haystack on April 12, 2006, 11:08:44 AM
so is a 5.0 and a 5.8, but we all know they are diffrent.
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: thunderjet302 on April 13, 2006, 05:32:10 PM
Quote
same series motor :tg:


So a 460 has 31 more cubes ;) which means it's automatically better:giggle:
Title: 460 Or 4.6l Police Interceptor?
Post by: fordguy on April 13, 2006, 06:22:46 PM
Quote from: thunderjet302
So a 460 has 31 more cubes ;) which means it's automatically better:giggle:


mabey not better but you will have more torque ;)