How Much HP Does A Ford 460 Big Block Have & How Much Does The Crate Engine Cost?

The 460-cubic-inch big block Ford V8 is a massive engine equating to a displacement value of over 7.5 liters. For reference, that's bigger than a Rat, a Hellephant, and a Godzilla, making the 460 one of the biggest V8 engines ever built by Ford.

Other Ford engines, with displacements including 370 and 429 cubic inches — including the Boss 429 found in select 1969 and 1970 Mustangs — shared the 385-series engine block that powered multiple Ford models with the 460. Ford used a variety of cylinder diameters, crankshaft stroke lengths, and cylinder head designs to get the most out of the 385-series block. Sometimes referred to as the Ford Lima 460 — a name derived from its origin in Ford's Lima, Ohio engine plant — the 460 ranks as one of the most iconic big block engines ever built. 

[Featured image by Stephen Foskett via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]

When it first appeared under the hood of Lincoln Continental Mark III in 1968, the Ford 460 big block made 360 horsepower at 4,400 rpm and delivered 388 pound-feet of torque at just 2,800 rpm. The 460's big block peak horsepower topped out at around 365 not long after its debut. 

The Ford 460's best years ended in the early 1970s due to stricter emissions controls, oil embargoes, and rising gasoline prices that ushered in the need for more efficient power plants. In the 1978 Ford LTD, Ford reduced the 460's compression ratio to squeeze additional fuel economy from it. In that state, it produced 202 horsepower while making 348 lb-ft of torque. In the late 1980s, about 20 years after its debut, the 460's power ratings got a boost when Ford switched from a carburetor to electronic fuel injection. While not quite a return to its glory days, the late-1980s fuel-injected 460 was rated at 245 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque.

From those modest stats there's a relatively easy and inexpensive pathway to 500 horsepower from the abundant Ford 460 big blocks lying dormant around the country. However, if you'd prefer not to spend your weekend pulling a rusty 460 from a wasp-infested donor car, you could source the parts to build a practically new one with relative ease.

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Ford stopped producing the 10.3-inch deck height 385-series Lima engine in 1998 and doesn't currently offer a 460-cubic-inch big block crate engine. (For confusion's sake, Ford Performance sells a 575-hp 460-cubic-inch small block 9.5-inch-deck-height crate engine that weighs a mere 570 pounds compared to the big block's 720 pounds, but that's a story for another time.)

That leaves either building one from scratch or buying a Vege remanufactured long block from a supplier such as Summit Racing Engines for $2,669.99. The Vege option, Summit Racing part number VRE-DF22, includes the full rotating assembly, camshaft, timing gears and chain, cylinder heads, rocker arms, and pushrods, nearly the same list as the 460 small block crate engine above.

Another option offering more customization is purchasing a $3,950 460 "Siamese Bore" engine block from Ford Performance. The Siamese Bore block features solid casting material between its cylinders for more strength, and a 10.322-inch deck height similar to the original 385-series big block. While you could spend time and money on improving the stock iron heads by porting, polishing, and machining, choosing a set of aluminum cylinder heads from Edelbrock, priced at $1,137.73, or another supplier is attractive for the weight savings alone.

Of course, this parts list is just enough to get started. However, compared to the $16,750 retail price of Ford's small block 460 crate engine, building a big block could be a bargain.