by Chirag Asaravala and Jon Mikelonis

Introduction
In part one of our Streetwise 460 build we showed you how to save money by tracking down a low mileage 385-series bottom end. After acquisition, disassembly, cleaning, and reconditioning we were ready to tap our budget for speed parts. Application profile plays a critical role when selecting the proper top-end parts for any motor. FordMuscle's Streetwise 460 is no different. The fact that our mill would be serving street duty in a 3700lb Ford intermediate played a substantial role in cylinder head, valvetrain and induction component decisions.

Heads
We originally intended to optimize a pair of standard '73 429 castings
(D2VE-AA) for our street 460 build-up. After flow testing and determining the work required to improve on the stock exhaust runner, combined with the savings realized on our bottom-end, we looked toward the out-of-the box convenience of an assembled aftermarket head. Edelbrock's affordably priced and fully assembled Performer RPM 460 Aluminum Cylinder Heads were attractive at $1769.00 a pair. Streetable runner and combustion chamber dimensions, and the opportunity to shed a few pounds off our project car also contributed to our decision go with Edelbrock's offering. We chose the street sensible Performer RPM option that incorporated a 95cc combustion chamber to accomodate low-octane gas. A critical factor for a heavy street machine operating in the current economy. Edelbrock also offers a smaller chambered RPM head at 71cc.
With flat top pistons we knew this would push our compression close to 11:1, a bit much for the street. The 95cc chamber put us at 9:1, just right for 87 octane. We expected the 292cc intake runner of part number 60669 would provide the port velocity were were after. See the article HeadRush: Flow Testing and Design Strategy of Edelbrock's Performer RPM 460 Head for more information about our selection.

Camshaft & Valvetrain
More cash on hand would have opened up the option for a roller cam with a more aggressive profile. However, our budget would only allow the value of a flat tappet cam. To preserve a smooth idle and good manifold vacuum we compared manufacturer catalogs for the right "off-the-shelf" hydraulic grind. We kept in mind that our 460 would be incorporated into a street machine that would see some strip duty.

Off-the-shelf convenience and affordability didn't mean our 460 would be
docile. Comp Cams had two grinds from the Xtreme Energy line that we
considered. XE262H and XE274H. The XE262H's 218/224 duration and 513/520 lift would provide strong low-end torque and a humble idle. However, with a gear change from a factory open 9" 2.75:1 unit to a 3.25:1 limited-slip, we planned to move our power band a little higher in the RPM range. Comp recommended at least a 2400 RPM stall and headers with the XE274H. We had already acquired Hooker Super Comps and a Transmission Specialties 10" 2800 RPM converter for our C6, so we knew the XE274H's 230/236 duration, 562/565 lift, and operating range of 1800 to 6000 was a good fit for this 460.

The valvetrain will be completed with comp cams lifters and roller tip
rocker arms. Normally we'd advocate matching valve springs from the cam
manufacturer, however in this case the spring specs on the assembled
Edelbrock head are well suited for our moderate lift numbers. We ordered harderned pushrods in the stock length of 8.550".

Intake Manifold
As previously mentioned this 460 motor will find its' way into our '73
Torino project car. The weight of this car dictates a motor built for a
broad, strong torque curve. The intake selection is a critical piece in
achieving this goal. If this motor were in anything lighter, or with a
higher power band, we'd immediately bolt on an Edelbrock Victor 460 intake. However, in our case a dual plane manifold is a much wiser selection for ensuring good throttle response and low end torque, as well as sufficient volume to support a 6000 rpm redline. Both Edelbrock's RPM and Weiand's Stealth fit the bill. While some purists would have opted for brand-name matching heads and intake, we're partial to the Stealth as its high-rise plenum and larger runners tend to yield better power in the mid-high rpms. This is also evident in the Stealth's idle-6800 rpm rating.