429 rebuild

I have a 70 model 429{ thunderjet I think,)DOVE A block and DOVE A heads I am planning on putting in a fairlane.I am going to rebuild and would like to reach 500 hp.What would be the most economical way to reach my goal?As far as I know the engine is stock except for a dual point distributor.It still has the factory cast 4 barrel intake also.The tranny is a c6,bought it all together.I have heard the heads can be improved a lot by porting and polishing.Factory HP is around 360 to 385 I think..Thanks for any input

First easiest thing ... Install a 460 crank ... you'll be buying pistons anyway I assume ... crank and pistons are the only difference between the 429 and 460.

You'll be able to get 500 HP while still building a quite mild, friendly and well mannered big block.

Originally Posted by pagajohnston

I have a 70 model 429{ thunderjet I think,)DOVE A block and DOVE A heads I am planning on putting in a fairlane.I am going to rebuild and would like to reach 500 hp.What would be the most economical way to reach my goal?As far as I know the engine is stock except for a dual point distributor.It still has the factory cast 4 barrel intake also.The tranny is a c6,bought it all together.I have heard the heads can be improved a lot by porting and polishing.Factory HP is around 360 to 385 I think..Thanks for any input

You have a great block and heads (etc) to make that 500 hp. Stepping up to a 460 crank is a great idea for several noteworthy reasons:

• The only difference between a 429 and 460 is the crankshaft stroke and pistons (pin location)...even the connecting rods are the same along with timing cover, oil pump, etc etc, etc.
• 460 crankshafts are everywhere for cheap and so you can get 31 cubes for next to nothing in cost.
• High performance 429 pistons a limited in selection, while 460 pistons are made by just about everybody andin every shape (dish, flat, dome)

The common practice is to port the cylinder heads--the exhaust port requires the greatest amount of attention--and also install oversize valves in conjunction with the port work. A 460 stroke with D0VE heads and .030 flat tops put you at about 11.4:1 compression ratio, so if you want to run pump gas look at the typical 22cc dish tops (9.5:1 c/r with D0VE heads). Then there's carb, intake, cam, etc.

At the cost of a complete rebuild, you might want to consider a complete stroker kit, which comes with crankshaft, rods, pistons, rings, bearings, etc. Then just machine your block for that kit and assemble. A 501 cubic inch kit (4.14 stroke x 4.39 bore) will easily get you to your 500hp limit and run very strong accorss the rpm range. Bear in mind that compression ratio goes up and you need to find suitabledished pistons if you must run pump gas. And by all means buy abrand name kit such as SCAT, Eagle, etc.

There's a lot more, of course, but too much to type here.

Paul

Thanks for the info now I know where to start looking,and what to look for .More questions may come later when I get further into my project...Thanks again.

Thanks for the help,now I can start looking for the parts .More questions will probably come further into my project.Thanks again,very informative...