Project Strokers Wild (Part 3): We Build a 520 CID Ford 460

The Scat forged crankshaft features a 4.300-inch stroke and is designed for use with 6.700-inch long big block Chevy-style connecting rods to get 520 cubic inches.

No trick bearings are required with the 520. The main bearings are standard 460 Clevite H-Series pieces. The Clevite rod bearings are standard big block Chevy. No block clearancing is needed, either. The main bolts are torqued to 110 foot-pounds.

The pistons are custom Arias forged flat tops. They yield 10.5:1 compression with the 86cc chambers on the Trick Flow A460 cylinder heads. The pistons are designed with a big Chevy pin bore (.990-inch).

The Eagle Specialties ESP connecting rods are key to making 520 cubic inches with a minimum of special parts. The rods are forged from 4340 steel, weight matched, and fitted with ARP capscrew bolts. The rod bolts are torqued to 70 foot-pounds.

After installing the Comp Cams Hi-Tech timing set, we degreed in the Crane roller cam. As we expected, it came in exactly as the cam card specifies.

The Trick Flow PowerPort A460 340 aluminum heads feature 91cc closed style combustion chambers for high compression use, raised 340cc intake ports for improved flow, and small cross-section runners to keep airflow velocity high. The heads come assembled with 2.300-inch/1.88-inch stainless steel valves, 1.640-inch dual valve springs, 10 degree valve locks and titanium retainers, ARP rocker arm studs, and guideplates. This is the old style cylinder head and is no longer available—check out its new and improved replacement, the Trick Flow PowerPort A460.

These COMP Cams Endure-X roller lifters will help ensure float-free valvetrain performance at higher rpms. The lifter link bars must face the inside of the block, not the outside. Otherwise, they will hit the pushrods.

With the heads on the block and torqued to 115 foot-pounds, we determined the proper pushrod length. First, he finds the proper valvetrain geometry on the number one intake valve using an adjustable pushrod and a rocker arm.

Pushrod geometry is correct when the rocker's roller tip is centered over the valve stem. The pushrod is removed, measured and the process is repeated on the exhaust valve. We found that 9.100-inch (intake) and 9.550-inch (exhaust) long pushrods were needed. Trick Flow supplied chromoly pushrods in the appropriate lengths.

The Crane Gold Race rocker arms are next on the install list. The 1.73 ratio roller rockers are CNC machined from billet aluminum, have needle bearing fulcrums to reduce friction, and have extra-long slots for additional rocker stud clearance.

The 520 has a top-notch oiling system consisting of a Melling high volume oil pump, Moroso pickup, Ford Racing hardened pump driveshaft, and a seven- quart Moroso Stage I oil pan. The double-hump pan is designed for use in 1979-93 Mustangs and other Fox-body vehicles.

Except for high-dollar racing cranks, all 460 cranks have long snouts, and require a harmonic damper spacer like this one.

The seven-inch ATI Super Damper uses removable elastomer strips to control vibration. If you change your engine combo, you can replace the strips with ones to match the engine's new vibration characteristics.

Mark bolts on the MSD Flying Magnet crank trigger. A crank trigger gets its firing signal directly from the crankshaft and sends it directly to the distributor. That means spark delivery is much more accurate compared to standard ignition systems, with little chance of the false triggering that can lead to preignition and other malfunctions.

This single-plane Trick Flow intake manifold is designed for use with the Trick Flow A460 340 heads. The "spider style" runners meet a raised plenum, which helps keep the air/fuel charge cooler and denser. The intake is drilled for Holley Dominator carburetors. This manifold has also been replaced with a new and better part, the Trick Flow R-Series A460 intake.

Topping off the Trick Flow intake is a 1,150 cfm Holley Dominator carburetor. It features big two-inch venturi and annular boosters, plus dual 50 cc accelerator pumps, four-corner idle circuit, and progressive throttle linkage.

The 520 gets an MSD Pro-Billet distributor. It has a CNC-machined billet housing that is 4 ¾-inch smaller in diameter for extra clearance. We removed the dual magnetic pickups since we are using the MSD crank trigger. The iron distributor gear was swapped for a bronze one that is compatible with the Crane roller cam.

A Meziere electric water pump and backing plate finish off the front of the engine. The bolts are stainless steel 12-point from the ARP Engine Accessory Bolt Kit.

With a set of Moroso chrome valve covers, 2 ¼-inch primary, HPC-coated Hedman Husler headers, and MSD Heli-Core ignition wires, our King Daddy 520 is ready to make some serious power.

The A460 intake manifold has also been revised to better match the "new" PowerPort A460 cylinder heads. The R-Series A460 intake retains the high-flow, "spider" individual runner layout and raised plenum floor of the old manifold, but is more of a "medium riser" to further improve overall airflow volume.