Shelby Aluminum

[Power Surge]

I just read this entire thread and my brain hurts. But I have enjoyed some of it and learned a bit about FEs.

I know zilch about FEs, but 385 series motors used to be my specialty, until I got into mod motors, so I'd like to comment on the "truck motor" issue as it's bothering me...

Saying a 460 is a "truck motor" couldn't be furthur from the truth. The first 385 series came out in 69, as the 429 Thunderjet passenger car motor, used in cars like T-birds and LTDs and such. In 70, it got a performance shot in the arm in the form of the CJ and SCJ, to replace the FE motors. The 460 came out soon after that (71 if I recall), in passenger cars. And I mean BIG ones. Like 74 T-birds that weighed close to 6k lbs. Ford stopped using the 429/460 towards the late 70s in favor of the 351/400 M motors. No trucks that I can recall came from the factory with a 385 series motor at that time, except you could order one in a Ranchero GT, which of course was a car anyway. Trucks still used FE motors into the late 70s, with the 360. In the 80s, the 351/400M got truck duty until about 86 or so when the 460 was brought back to life for the F350, and the 429 was brought back for the BIG trucks, like the F600s. The 370 also emerged, being widely used on school buses. There was also a 498 inch 385 series made for the BIG trucks, but it really doesn't share much inside with the other motors.

So to say the 460 is a "truck motor" when it didn't see it's first truck application for almost 20 years after it came out, just doesn't make sense.

You may now continue with your normally scheduled program .