460 NP435 marriage

[PRREGLD]

Another question from an engine swap amatuer. I am done with the engine rebuild and am now ready to fit my 1977 460 (468 now) to a 351M bellhousing using a 352 flywheel, 360 clutch and the NP435 tranny (all going into a 2wd F350 which had a 360 and this NP435). The question being: I was going to get some spacers made for between the engine and bellhousing and as I was visiting with my welding shop contact he asked if that was not going to lead to starter problems. His next idea was to space between the bellhousing and the transmission. The issue we came up with there would be throwout bearing travel. My question is where to put the spacers: engine/bellhousing or bellhousing/transmission? Will I have starter problems with the 352 flywheel and original style 460 starter? Will I have throwout bearing issues putting spacers in between the tranny and bellhousing? What worked for those of you brave enough to go to the big engine in the older Ford? We just installed a nice cloth bench seat (from a 1992 F150) last weekend in this 1972 F350 to match the fancy engine and power steering. That was a nice easy install. I just have to get a wire to the lumbar pump and we can be enjoying lower back support. Thanks for the help in advance, Bruce.

[heep70]

Another question from an engine swap amatuer. I am done with the engine rebuild and am now ready to fit my 1977 460 (468 now) to a 351M bellhousing using a 352 flywheel, 360 clutch and the NP435 tranny (all going into a 2wd F350 which had a 360 and this NP435). The question being: I was going to get some spacers made for between the engine and bellhousing and as I was visiting with my welding shop contact he asked if that was not going to lead to starter problems. His next idea was to space between the bellhousing and the transmission. The issue we came up with there would be throwout bearing travel. My question is where to put the spacers: engine/bellhousing or bellhousing/transmission? Will I have starter problems with the 352 flywheel and original style 460 starter? Will I have throwout bearing issues putting spacers in between the tranny and bellhousing? What worked for those of you brave enough to go to the big engine in the older Ford? We just installed a nice cloth bench seat (from a 1992 F150) last weekend in this 1972 F350 to match the fancy engine and power steering. That was a nice easy install. I just have to get a wire to the lumbar pump and we can be enjoying lower back support. Thanks for the help in advance, Bruce.

I did the same conversion many years ago and I am still using it. Get three of the engine spacer plates (the stock plates that go inbetween the bell and engine). Cut out two of the plates where the starter mounts to the bell, so that the starter is only mounted to one plate. You will have no starter clearence problems after that. The throw out bearing travel issues I never had. I did have to mill down the pilot bearing to about half as thick.

[willowbilly3]

I have never attempted the swap but have heard so many different conflicting storys about how it was done. Why the extra spacers between the engine and bell housing? One guy I know who is running a the setup and has done several, told me he had to make a starter using (I think) a 460 starter with a 390 starter drive in it. Also most of the people I have talked to recommend useing a 390 flywheel to utilize the larger clutch.

[heep70]

Yes use a 390 flywheel willowbilly is correct.

The reason for three spacers is that the input shaft is that much to long and bottoms out on the pressure plate and pilot bearing.

You can also get a 460 bell and flywheel from I believe a 87(?) f250. They were used for one year.

[willowbilly3]

Thanks, I would have had to find that out the hard way, like most of the stuff I know.

[heep70]

Some of this is a repete, but I wrote this up a while back on anothet post.

Ford produced a 460/NP435 or T18 combo (NP435 has the same bolt pattern as a T18) in I believe 1986 or 87. The bell and flywheel will work. They were produced for one year only. Or use a bell from a 400/NP435 or T18 combo and a 460 flywheel. Another combo is a 360/390 flywheel and a 351M bell housing.

The first two are the better ways, but it can be difficult finding the bells. The third way is kind of a pain in the butt. I did this one years ago on mine and I am still using the same set up. The pain is that, like mine, I had to use three engine/bell spacers and also have the pilot bushing milled thinner so the input shaft would clear. The 360 uses the smaller diameter clutch which sometimes chatters under heavy loads. The 390 has a bigger clutch then the 360 , but not as big as the 460.

1978 and below (2Y crank) are internally balanced and newer then 1978 (3Y crank) are externally balanced. This is very important when doing these combos. The flywheel has to match unless you take the whole mess into a balance shop to be matched up.

[willowbilly3]

So ford changed the balance on the 460 just before they quit making it (the first time)? What 4 speed did they use from 87 on? Or was it just that those were a juice clutch. I know lots of stuff changed on the 460 when they brought it back.

[heep70]

They had a NP435 behind the 460. It may had been in 86 that they offered it. After that I am not sure what they went to. Its been a real long time since I first started looking for conversion parts. I did my swap in 94(?).