540 SVO engine, but a simple 700-hp

engine that can be built around a production

block, a crank, rods and heads at approxi-

mately 50% of the cost of the two men-

tioned above, and it’s extremely reliable.

Basic parts are a production two-bolt

429-460 block and a 460 crankshaft from

1968 or later. AU Ford blocks are cast at

the Ford Lima, Peru, plant and contain high

levels of nickel and chrome that make them

strong. They are also stress-relieved prior to

machining. Four-bolt blocks are not nec-

essary for this project.

Any 460 Ford crank will do the

job, since they are all made of

Duracast nodular iron which is

porous to oil and as strong as a

cast-steel crankshaft. A set of

Ford 240-cl. six-cylinder truck rods 6.795

long will be needed as well.

Let’s get right into the machine work

that the block will require. First, have the

block sonic-checked. Take the numbers

and subtract .070 from each side, which

will give you the net cylinder-wall thick-

ness after you have bored and honed the

engine to 4.500 (.140 over stock).

Because of the high quality of

the block material, a minimum

of .125 on thrust sides and .080

between cylinders is fine.

If you use a Rottler boring bar,

the bore can be moved up to .040 one way

or the other. After you have bored and

honed the block, cut the deck to 10.310 to

10.315 and square them. Take a grinder,

and deburr the oil drain back holes in the

lifter gallery and any noticeable loose cast-

iron defects. Finally, hone to 300 to 400

grit, and thoroughly clean the block. Then

install the bearings. Torque plates are

optiona’ and not required.

On the crank, first use a standard-size

main and rod journal crank. The 460 Ford

crank uses a 3.000 main and a 2.500 rod.

Magna-flux and deburr the crank. Then take

it to a crank shop and have the rod jour-

nals offset ground to 2.1222, which will

increase the stroke from 3.850 to 4.225.

Take a gnnder and chamfer the rod oil holes

and grind a V-slot on the main journals so as

to scoop the oil out of the groove in the

main bearing and pressure feed the rod

bearings. The force-feed system will sup-

The author, Drew Backlund, is one

of the country’s most prominent

Ford performance experts and an

authorized race-engine builder for

Fomoco’s specia’ vehicle opera-

tions (SVO) division. He is flanked

by a set of nasty 700-horse offshore

mills, which sandwich a 351 Ford

NASCAR engine.

Editor’s note: This is a reprint of a feature that originally ran in the August 1995 issue of HOT BOAT. The article’s

unexpected and overwhelming popularity has made the August 1995 edition one of the single most-requested

back issues. So, by popular demand, we present it to you again with some minor cosmetic changes and a cor-

rected dyno report submitted by the author. In addition, we have completely refurbished the supplier list, with updated

phone numbers and, for the first time, website addresses for all those companies that offer one.