Need advice rebuilding a Ford 460FE for twin turbos?

Question

My father has always had a pair of schwitzer turbos on the shelf in the garage that he said were charted to match a 454 perfectly. I am buying a Ford 460FE to swap into an F250 in place of the 360 that shelled out. Since it is close enough in displacement to accept the turbos, i figured i would only need to lower the compression and possibly change the camshaft.

What is the easiest/cheapest method to lower the compression? My friend advises that i simply put on a thicker head gasket or two, no sense replacing pistons that have "worn in", at a big cost.

What changes to the camshaft might be necessary? If so, what camshaft specifically should I use? I plan on running no more than 3 PSI of boost, to keep things modest and safe.

I have a Holley Dominator 650cfm 4-barrel carb that i want to use, so do i simply build an air-box around it like my father says, to balance air pressures, and use a slightly higher pressure electric fuel pump? Do i need solid floats?

Ignition changes?

Answer 1

A thicker head gasket is an option depending on your comp. ratio. Cometic gaskets offer a variety of multi layer head gaskets up to .120" thick that'll hold up to boost. If it's not gonna get your comp. in a reasonable range then either look for a set of heads with a larger combustion chamber or as much as you don't want to, replace those pistons. As far as fuel pump be sure the one you have in mind is capable of providing the flow needed for a turbo setup and a get a boost reference regulator. Another alternative is a high flowing mechanical pump and referencing it for boost.
As far as the cam goes a stocker should be fine, you can always upgrade later on. As far as carb setup goes I went with a blow thru setup instead of a carb enclosure. Holley has a book you can pick up at your local bookstore that's helpful with building up your carb for blow thru or an enclosed setup. I will post some links that will tell you exactly what's needed to set your carb up for boost. As far as ignition goes there are many options. I am running Fords old Duraspark setup with a Crane HI-6 ign. amplifier, stock coil and an M.S.D. dist. that was given to me. My initial timing is set at 24 Degrees, haven't increased it yet. I plan to eventually toss the Crane and Duraspark in favor of an M.S.D. box. Good luck! Crank that boost up to 10-15, it's fun! If you have any questions feel free to email me .

Answer 2

First, to build a reliable turbo motor, it has to be built from top to bottom as a turbo motor. Check your local Autozone or Advance, they should have a book that goes into detail about turbo motors (it should be with the other car manuals). Second, the 460 is from the "385" series of motors, it is not an FE. This will make a difference when you order parts.

Answer 3

Double gaskets won't hold up to the pressures of making the horsepower you want. It cost lots of money to make horse power, the only shortcuts are junkyard parts.

You won't be happy with just 3 lbs of boost.. better off with just a good set of headers

Happiness is 15 lbs of Boost!

Here is a group you should join,

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/jyturbo

Answer 4

nicely rumor is ford is think to try this for the subsequent gen explorer. a faster 4 banger doing 280 hp and a faster 6 doing 380 hp i think of. with that form of means, i might purchase ford

Answer 5

I remember an old book by Steve Smith on all the layman needs to know about. Read that, then ask questions