460 Cylinder Head Porting

This is how I port a 460 cylinder head for truck use.

[@RonnieMoscaAmericanstangs6033]

Back in HS shop , i built a .30 over 460 and added 69 Dove 429 heads , 280 magnum cam with port o sonic intake .. slapped it in a 1969 cougar ..

[@BlackLabGarage]

I bet that was a tire roaster lol

[@drewmurray2583]

I mig welded those holes shut on my 1976 lincoln heads and ported the crap out of them. So much material to remove with the smog humps

[@BlackLabGarage]

Yes! People would be surprised how much difference it makes in a 460 by just removing the thermactor humps.

[@Bbbbad724]

I did the exhaust ports on a 429. I got them done and took a screwdriver and just touched the back of exhaust ports and a touch punched a hole in 3 out of 4 on each side. Get Kasse P-51 s for the 460 up. They take a huge amount of weight off of them too. Just a thought from one of your biggest fans!

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@Bbbbad724 oh if I had that kind of money I would love to have some of Jon Kaase’s 460 stuff. Maybe one day I’ll have that kind of budget lol

[@mechanknuckle]

Great work. The stock heads really wake up with that porting work. Cheap, but time consuming. Well worth it if you're on a budget.

[@BlackLabGarage]

I agree. Even with stock valve sizes it makes anight and day difference!

[@GTP427cobra]

I enjoyed your video on porting the 460 heads I have some 69 heads i ported it really helped the engine to come alive and I had a 620 lift cam and a portosonic intake with a 750 holley on it in a 2500 lb car run 6.37 in the 1/8 mile std bore

[@BlackLabGarage]

Thank You for your kind words! Porting the 429/460 head makes a world of difference in them. I used to have a Portosonic intake. I should have kept it. Good intake for a hot street strip car.

[@tomnekuda3818]

Years ago I build a couple of sets of heads following guidelines such as you lay down here. I added a couple of things on the exhaust side, however, that I think really helped my heads. I filled the 'dead area' at the bottom of the exhausts with Devcon F to further maintain flow. Also 3-angle valve job (I and E). I was towing a 22 ft Great Divide camper with my '76 Ford van and could get 11 mpg up in Wyoming @ 6200 ft elevation traveling 65 to 70 mph fully loaded. If I wasn't towing, I could have all 6 of us plus all tent camping equipment and regularly achieved 18-19 mpg. I "tricked" my C6 with a shift kit and had a matched converter. I used TRW forged pistons with a 10.5/1 piston ratio. I carefully cut a flame channel on the piston top and my final compression ration was 10.3/1. Also advanced the cam 8 degrees and recurved the distributor to meet my needs. Also used water/alcohol injection for the hard pulls. Ran 16 degrees initial timing with a total of 34 degrees all in by 3000 rpm. I put a Comp Cam RV cam (don't recall lift and duration) and I had power everywhere. I regularly passed drivers on the interstate that I needed to with ease. Unloaded the van would spin the tires for nearly a block then snap-shift into second and spin again. Man, I miss that rig! It is unbelievable how these mods + others can help the 460. Even the 454 Chevy guys were amazed.

[@BlackLabGarage]

I don't doubt that filling the floor helped them. That was a common practice on the Cleveland heads and if you look at the exhaust port of the 460 fuel injected heads you will notice that the floor is raised on them and those are the highest velocity heads ever put of a 460! I've always said the the 460 needs three things to wake them up. Raise the compression up, open the exhaust side up, and straight up cam timing at the very least to do away with the 8 degrees that the camshaft is retarded from the factory from 1972-1986. So what you're saying about yours makes perfect sense to me.

[@robertclymer6948]

Great down to earth, well explained video sir. Like me, you know your 460's. I have a 73 block with D3 heads in my 67 Mustang gt. Were ported on the "Exhaust side" and port to gasket match on the intake side. No cam change at this time until Trick Flow heads cam and lifters etc go on it. Will also increase static compression to around 10:5:1. But currently, paired to a built C-6 trans and 4:11 in the 9" , headers, Performer rpm intake, MSD mechanical advance, 6al box, 750 holley carb makes a nice street engine. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more good content. Cheers from Motown/Dearborn.

[@BlackLabGarage]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@jacobmoore6236]

As a machinist my heart skipped a beat when I watched you use that tap on with a hand drill😂 good video though thank you

[@BlackLabGarage]

Yeah... you have to be careful using a drill to tap threads lol. Thank you for your kind words

[@paintnamer6403]

I have always been a believer in cylinder head porting and deburring. I have a small drill press that I use for back cutting and swirl polishing valves.

[@BlackLabGarage]

I tried the drill press method but the files were way too soft. I was even using Nicholson files. I agree with you on porting and deburring. There are very few if any cylinder heads made that can not benefit from some porting and deburring.

[@paintnamer6403]

@@BlackLabGarage Intake valves I use a flat file but exhaust valves that are much harder I use a die grinder with a stone. For swirl polishing I use a fine grit sanding roll while the valve is spinning in the drill press and manipulate the die grinder for that neat looking swirl effect.

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@paintnamer6403 That's what I tried was brand new Nicholson flat files and then I tried using a new whet rock and neither one would touch those valves! They are just stock replacement valves so they shouldn't be that hard!

[@applefordguy76]

Building one of these right now. Great vid and I'll be doing the same on the exhaust ports before they head to the machine shop for a valve job. Thanks for the info!!

[@BlackLabGarage]

You’re welcome! I hope everything goes good with your build!

[@ElvinLeadfoot]

Ported the correct way too. Biased the cylinder side of the port. Narrowing and shaping the valve guide boss:) Raising the port just a bit. Staying off the floor You got to watch Andy Wood Leaning about (Area Ruling) Working in the combustion chamber. De shrouded the valves. Flow ball technique You did good man you did good:)

[@BlackLabGarage]

Thank You for your kind words. I learned to stay off the floor from Joe Sherman. He always said there is nothing to be gained at the floor.

[@Backfire10]

Nice job. I welded my thermactor holes closed. works nice. thank you sir.

[@BlackLabGarage]

Did you use a nickel rod?

[@Backfire10]

@@BlackLabGarage always

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@Backfire10 I wondered if that's what you used. Isn't it hard on the carbide burr?

[@Backfire10]

​@BlackLabGarage not really. As you know, it's a very small area.

[@MX-fo2nu]

Cool and good idea

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@MX-fo2nu Thank You!

[@dezelhaig619]

Thank you

[@BlackLabGarage]

You're welcome!

[@terrytate6006]

I did the same thing to my 460 heads I ported them but I took the bump completely out and then I put flat top pistons in bump the compression up to nine and a half to one and installed Cobra Jet valves in my stock 460 heads

[@BlackLabGarage]

I have ported them before and removed the bump completely. Newer flow bench tests are showing that bringing it up like a wing helps direct the flow and they flow slightly better. Either way works far better than doing nothing to them. If I was building a 460 for a street/strip car I would definitely install Cobra Jet sized valves because I would be turning more rpms with a street strip 429/460. Not that it would hurt to install them in a lower rpm truck 460 but I don’t think they are needed as much in a lower rpm application. I think porting the exhaust and a good valve job will get the most bang for the buck out of a lower rpm 460 but that’s my opinion. Now if I was turning over 4,000-4,500 rpms often then yes I would definitely add the Cobra Jet sized valves

[@John_Buck]

​@@BlackLabGarageI've got a '97 F-350 with the 460. Did I hear you correctly when you said the timing is already straight up in the engine? I won't need to do that to my truck already since it was done from factory? Also, do you know what I'd need to do to set the timing away from being retarted? Spelled that way for KZbin reasons.

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@John_Buck Yes, a 1997 model 460 has the straight up double roller timing set. I'm not sure what you mean on the last question?

[@John_Buck]

@@BlackLabGarage Do I need to do anything to the distributor, as in advance or retart it? I wasn't specific enough, that's my mistake.

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@John_Buck Well there isn't much you can do with the fuel injected distributor. You can remove the spout connector and that locks the computer out and then you can change the initial timing of the distributor. For example you could change it from 10 degrees before top dead center to 12 degrees before top dead center or whatever you prefer but that's pretty much all you can do. All the other ignition timing is controlled by the computer. Of course you have to replace the spout connector after you change the initial timing. If you try to change the timing without removing the spout connector the computer just overrides any change that you make in timing.

[@ElvinLeadfoot]

The 460 Head Porting Video Andy Wood - Unity Motorsports

[@BlackLabGarage]

I'll check him out. Thank you!

[@dezelhaig619]

Building a 460 efi to carb for my tuck. I'm definitely subscribed to this man

[@BlackLabGarage]

Are you going to retain the efi heads and intake and installing a carb or are you swapping the heads and intake to the carburetor versions?

[@dezelhaig619]

D3ve-a2a heads I found for my build. Due to not finding a aluminum intake that will bolt to the heads. Unless you have info. Want a 500 lift cam. No comp cam. And long tube headers. Doing a 81 f150 lwb

[@dezelhaig619]

I'm hoping the heads will fit good or do I need to change what I'm doing. Info would be great.

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@dezelhaig619 There is not an aftermarket intake that will bolt to the fuel injected heads.

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@dezelhaig619 The D3VE heads will fit on the fuel injected short block just fine. I have did that before. The short block remained the same except for the dish of the piston, whether it was carbureted or fuel injected.

[@broke_dongle]

I am liking the bolt snap trick. Seen guys put set screws that were hardened. I put two steel rods into the length of the heads but those holes are unplugged , but gasses don't heat up the thermac ports. Thoughts of plugs falling out .

[@BlackLabGarage]

I have heard of people putting rods all the way thru the head but I haven't ever tried it. I never could figure out why people use hardened set screws in those holes. They are way too hard to cut!

[@kevinjohnson8758]

Got my black lab & 429. Porting is fun & rewarding. Like my lab Max.

[@BlackLabGarage]

Ford 429's are one of the best engines ever built. Labs are the best dogs! I had never had labs before until I got these and now I can't imagine having any other kind of dog!

[@drewmurray2583]

I have only ever seen that once. I had 2 old audi 100's and the one I got running would stay idling with the spark plug wires pulled off. Blew my mind

[@MrNavyman53]

Dieseling. My 460 would do it last summer

[@robertclymer6948]

Oh, I forgot. New Subscriber, rang the bell. & you are one cool dude!

[@BlackLabGarage]

Thank you for your subscription and your king words!

[@robertcampbell1030]

Great job great video

[@BlackLabGarage]

Thank You!

[@MsKatjie]

I loved the breaking of the bolt in the head! What you say about the 460 in a bit like the Clevland 4V exhaust. They are a bad compromise for a series of engines that can haul ass!

[@BlackLabGarage]

Yes the 351C 4V engines were powerhouses for their size! I honestly think the 429/460 exhaust port is worse than the Cleveland exhaust port.

[@MsKatjie]

@@BlackLabGarage Wow, that is saying something!! Thanks for the reply. Cheers.

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@MsKatjie Both the 351C and 460 exhaust ports suffer from a U shape port but the port for the 460 is trying to support 109 more cubic inches than the one for the 351C.

[@JDWard-Jeepster]

You were talking about how ford redesigned the D3 (1973) head. The absolute worst 460 heads are the D2 (1972) they make good door stops 😢.

[@BlackLabGarage]

I agree 100%

[@iastate7704]

good one..thks

[@BlackLabGarage]

You're welcome!

[@JimmieBuffet-qi3lk]

The short side radis is always the first thing I round off . When porting heads.chevy Ford Dodge it doesn't matter.

[@BlackLabGarage]

That's probably where the most gain is to be had is on the short side radius.

[@JimmieBuffet-qi3lk]

@@BlackLabGarage It's the main part of the process for me. And good bowl blending around the the intake valve guide.

[@JimmieBuffet-qi3lk]

@@BlackLabGarageThat's where I get the most gains. And bowl blending around the intake valve Guides.✌️🔥🍺🇺🇸

[@whatsupshittafabraans1926]

Scribe a gasket line on bearing blu, and always smooth out the floor, finger each port bit by bit, don’t get one girl too excited if you know what I mean, gently get them all to open up like pretty flowers- make them all the same as god intended-upside down

[@gtxguy]

short side still needs some love,pretty flat...

[@ronsmith7739]

I have always wondered why Ford has such smallish exhaust valves including the Ford FE Heads.

[@BlackLabGarage]

Most all of the Ford pushrod V8’s suffered from small exhaust valves and small exhaust ports. The small block Windsor family probably being the worst! Why they did that I have no idea?

[@rondyechannel1399]

Their engineers were not stupid. Blow down pressure is immense and very little is gained by a large exhaust. Intakes operate at atmospheric pressure of around 13-14 psi. Cleaning them up does not hurt. As Bob Glidden says of chopping off the entire upper portion of the exhaust on the cylinder head on a 351 C Pro Stock engine and adding a plate "It's only worth 10 hp at 9500 RPM!

[@DaveMcLain]

Its a mistake to put too much emphasis on the exhaust side of these heads. The intake side needs about an equal amount of work. There is a ton of flow and velocity to be found in the intake port when the short side is reworked properly.

[@BlackLabGarage]

But this is on a lower rpm truck motor. That's why I said if I was porting a set for a drag engine or hot street engine it would be different. For that I would move to the bigger valves and do more work on the intake side also, but for a lower rpm truck motor using a stock intake I think the emphasis should be more on the exhaust side.

[@DaveMcLain]

If you increase the flow in the intake port by properly reshaping areas of the port, valve job, choke sizing etc you will increase the mean port velocity which will help greatly even in a low RPM truck engine. @@BlackLabGarage

[@theredfordfiles7095]

What kind of power and torque improvement do you think this is,, 15-20 %.,, ??

[@BlackLabGarage]

I'd say 10-15% anyway. It makes the engine more efficient also

[@eriktrott1067]

Thank you for the video. I just drilled and tapped my d3 heads as you demonstrated. My question to you sir is what kind of bolt material do I use? I have the high temp thread lock, any issues with the studs ever backing out of the casting?

[@BlackLabGarage]

I use a regular bolt because a hardened bolt is too hard on the carbide burrs. I've not had any problems with them backing out not just because of the high temp thread locker but also because the bolt itself is bottomed out in the the head which would also make it hard to come loose.

[@eriktrott1067]

@@BlackLabGarage I really appreciate the feedback and look forward to learning more from your experience with these 460 engines. Slowly but surely I will have it together.

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@eriktrott1067 The 460 is one of my favorite Ford engines. Just take your time and build it right with good parts and it will pay off!

[@augustusappling139]

is the exhaust side less finicky than the intake side in regards to the quality of the port job? I was watching a video on a guy porting the intake side and he was saying you can make them worse if you take out too much bc it will cause the air to bounce around more.

[@BlackLabGarage]

Actually I'd say it's the opposite. You don't want a perfectly smooth finish on the intake side because that will allow the fuel droplets to fall out of suspension and puddle up where as a rough texture on the intake will help keep the fuel droplets in suspension in the air. You have suction from the piston going down in the cylinder to draw the fuel in but the exhaust valve opens right after the explosion at top dead center as the piston is going down in the cylinder so it doesn't have the suction advantage that the intake side does. As far as cutting too much of the port out on either side will cause you to lose velocity which is important. Faster you can get the air in and out of an engine the more efficient and more power it will make. A good example would be the Boss 302 engine. They were absolutely dead on bottom end because the ports and valves were too large and had no velocity down low. Only when you were up in the rpm's would the ports come alive and have some velocity to them.

[@samuelyniguez3816]

Wonder what they flo now, look good

[@BlackLabGarage]

I haven't put these on a flow bench but the stock exhaust port usually flows about 135cfm. Staying with the stock exhaust valve size but porting like I did will get you to 175-185cfm. Going with the bigger CJ sized exhaust valve and porting the bowl to match it gets you around 200cfm or slightly more.

[@Ghosts_and_Cars]

Ever thought about running water into the thermo ports for steam injection?

[@BlackLabGarage]

I don't know much about steam injection to be honest

[@hedgepethracing9590]

Got a 71 460, D3 heads, any idea what my compression would be?

[@BlackLabGarage]

I'm assuming it's a D1VE block which they used until 1979. If it has the standard dished pistons it was advertised as 8.0:1 but in reality its probably a little lower than that. It's probably somewhere between 7.5:1 and 8.0:1.

[@billyjack8119]

I was thinking about doing it to my 1997 f250. Ive done lots of other heads with great success so it should be fun. What size are my exhaust valves now and how much bigger do you go on these? I am getting 12 mpg now anyway and good power stock

[@BlackLabGarage]

Be careful with those heads. While they can use a little improving, the fuel injected heads are some of the best heads that Ford ever put on the 460 engine. Especially the F3TE head which is what you should have on your engine. Ford finally figured out that velocity works and used it on those heads! If you cut too much out of the ports you will loose the velocity of those ports. So be careful porting them. Your valves currently should be 2.10" diameter intake and 1.65" exhaust. Those valve sizes will support close to 400hp. The older E7TE 460 fuel injected head has 1.95" intake valve. It does need a larger intake valve installed. If it was me I would say with the current valve sizes and have a three angle valve job done and do some porting on the intake and exhaust but concentrate mostly on the bowl.

[@diez0305]

How well do 72 heads flow? Guy local to me has a pair with his motor for sale. What else would you do different for a car motor? This one's going in a 72 torino

[@BlackLabGarage]

If they are the D2VE 429/460 head stay far away from them. They are an open chamber design and spark knock very easily. That’s why they was replaced by the closed chamber D3 head a year later. If they are the D2OE Police Intercepter casting then they are fine to use as they are very similar to a 429 Cobra Jet head. If I was to fix a set of D3VE heads for a stree/ strip car I would have Cobra Jet sized valves installed and do the same porting work except open the intake port opening up to Cobra Jet sized ports and run a Cobra Jet intake on it. Now you don’t have to do that because Ford installed Cobra Jet intake manifolds on standard cylinder heads on marine engines and left the port mismatch as is and they ran fine but personally I would match them or at least get them close.

[@robertclymer6948]

Danny, the 72 was the worst 460 their worst engine, heads etc One big block turd. 1973 was redesigned a a lot better but not near as good as the 68-71 block and heads. Or, get a 460 out of an EFI truck, is pretty good also. Remember, after 1971 the compressions dropped to around 8:5:1, 205 HP, down from 68-71's 365 HP. Best early 460 stock heads are the DOVE heads.

[@diez0305]

@@robertclymer6948 ​ I ended up going with a 351W. My thinking was that aftermarket parts were cheaper, and some improvements to the design of the engine I chose (last year, 1997 efi motor has roller lifters, one piece rear main seal, etc), as well as a slightly lighter overall package over the front nose. May get a 460 someday but this Torino is going small block! Great information to keep in mind though

[@pauljanssen7594]

You're better off using the tools you use for crack repair in cast iron material to plug up the holes

[@BlackLabGarage]

You mean stitching?

[@hedgepethracing9590]

As a Amish guy I can attest I shouldn't be enjoying you video on my cell phone, or using a 220v welder...

[@BlackLabGarage]

This has to be one of the greatest comments I've ever read lol

[@nickhagen398]

Portinf ford 460

[@bbtjdonnelly14]

Not even worth driving home with. 😂

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@bbtjdonnelly14 those Harbor Freight sanding rolls suck. I tried some of their wet/dry sandpaper once. I was wet sanding a hood and I noticed I wasn’t making much progress, I lifted my sandpaper up and all the grit was gone and I had been rubbing it with the paper backing😂

[@bbtjdonnelly14]

@@BlackLabGarage haha sadly not surprised. I was a sucker and tried their flap disks with similar results. Been some time ago, not sure if much has changed.

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@bbtjdonnelly14 usually if it grinds, cuts, or drills I avoid Harbor Freight. Although a while back I did buy some of their 4" cut off wheels because they had them on clearance for .99 a pack! At that price I don't care to replace them several times lol

[@pmd7771969]

Lots of unnecessary work

[@BlackLabGarage]

What's unnecessary? Porting the exhaust side of a 429/460 head?

[@BrandonLayMusic]

It’s very necessary actually and rewarding

[@buddyboy1953]

I have a F 350 dually with a 460. The truck hasn’t been running since 2000. I found rust in the upper manifold and it’s bad. I need to take it apart and dip the block in a solution. Any idea on what would work best for the solution? Thanks, Ken

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@buddyboy1953 I use a big tote of vinegar for all of my rusty parts. It works really well. Let me find my video of me using it on rusty cylinder heads

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@buddyboy1953 kzbin.infotGogUoRgAgE?si=8Jee-bF5ER-igxQf

[@BlackLabGarage]

@@buddyboy1953 kzbin.info1z00t6rW_BY?si=BJ-Hb1Dz-pSyRzW9