Improving a 460 (power and mileage)

When I think of a 460 it seems they are crying out for a couple of turbos.
Just for fun, here's a Fairmont with a twin turbo 460:

 

Add the overdrive and you drop the revs by about 30%, and that DOES make a difference to the fuel consumption. If you build for torque, not horsepower, you will gain power, but you will gain mileage at the same time. You will find that there is a small gain with using full synthetic oil, for example. The right tires, at their max pressure, can make a HUGE difference. For the carburetor, the ear is the best gauge for getting the air fuel mixture right. It is amazing what a few simple things, added together, can get out of these big cars with big engines.

 

In 1975-up most all manufacturers changed the cam to be oriented to improve emessions and NOT gas mileage and the hp suffered as well with the cam change..different type carbs were uses too.
Also dual exhaust was more rare too
In AMC ( I know well) the exhaust-manifolds were log-style on one side and free-flow on other. The single exhaust now had a direct butt in connection, instead of the old wish-bone off engine to single muffler. All this kind of thinking changed the performance of any car.

 

MikeT1961 the AOD is not going to happen soon as momma bear is not to happy about me spending money on a perfectly good car as it is. (Can't really argue with her on that point) so for this year I've got my budget and I'm maxed out on the timing set, exhaust, carberator setup and the recurving of the distributor. The tires aren't back on the wagon yet but I set them at 42 psi last night (going on today pic's to follow) and did a full fluid change in the fall when I got the wagon with full syn in the engine. It has a 3.0 rear gear not to bad for highway use.

I want to add a trio gauge set inside the wagon but I hate doing it as it will mess up the factory look, but my idiot light was flickering last fall and fords have the lights hooked up to a couple of different things. So you don't know what's going on when it come on, only that "something" is going on! It didn't start flickering until I did an oil change to 10W30 and changed the thermostat for peace of mind. So it could be overheating a bit or the 30 weight oil is to thin. This engine only has 49,000 on it but that doesn't mean squat on a car that hasn't been driven very much over the years. I don't think it's a ground issue as it only does at idle or low steady rpm's after a bit. It doesn't flicker over bumps.

Any thoughts on what gauges to use and where to put them?

 

The first thing I would do is get the oil pressure checked. It sounds like that light is flickering because the pressure is low at idle. You could have a worn oil pump, and that will do a LOT of damage. My brother is a stationary engineer, and he uses Castol Synteck 5W50 full synthetic in his engines. He got well over 500,000 miles out of each of two 351Ws, and the engines were both still well within spec, so obviously something was working right. For gauges, and this may sound heretical coming from a Ford person, but I would take a few measurements. A full gauge cluster was an option on the 78-87 Oldsmobile Cutlass, and since that cluster fit into the space normally occupied by the base ribbon speedo, it may just fit into the space in the Country Squire dash, and LOOK like it belongs there. That cluster gives you the speedo and fuel gauge, of course, but adds a voltmeter, oil pressure and temperature gauges as well as a tachometer. It was standard in the Cutlass Calais which became the Cutlass Salon when the Calais became a front wheel drive variant, but it was also a stand alone option for the rest of the Cutlass/Cutlass Supreme line. For individual gauges, the Oldsmobile Delta 88 and Ninety Eight had the option of a voltmeter plus oil pressure and temperature gauges that fit into a secondary bezel around the steering column. If you found them, you could probably fit them into the blank area around the column on the Country Squire as well, and again, they would look stock. I'd be tempted to use the IP out of a wrecked full sized Ford or Mercury and preserve the original unmolested so you could return it to stock if you decided that was what you want to do.

 

MikeT1961 I'm a bit confused? Are you saying that a dash cluster from an Oldsmobile will fit in a ford dash? I have looked at cougars of the same era and they have the gauge package that looks like it may fit but my wagon is pretty much like new and I am not keen on messing with it. After my last post I remembered that at one time I had an after market gauge bezel that had a wood grain vynal insert that could be put on the front and cover up the chrome. If I still have it that at least will give it that 70's look, or I can make a wood grain cover out of vynal if needed.

Anyone else have a ford oil pump go bad from sitting? I'm thinking something has blocked open the pressure release valve in the pump and it's allowing oil to bleed off. We've seen this here from one of our other members with the same issue but in a chev I think. Can't remember the thread though.

 

Thirsty, my son's 85 Chevy truck sat in our driveway for way over two months while he slowly replaced another rebuilt 700R4 with a five speed. Between work, weather, lack of the right yoke, and short of money he didn't get it together for nearly two months. Finally dad loaned him some money----again and he found two different yokes.
But to get on your topic, after driving his truck less than one week he was loosing oil pressure on his way to work from where he lives. Called me to say he was gonna limp over. Called again a mile or so from our house. Said it begain knocking and oil pressure was going up and down from maybe 30 to zero. He parked it. I went and towed him to our house.
He tore it down yesterday. Cam and lifters worn out. Rods could be wiggled. Most bearings were worn out, some dry. This was the knockng sound. At least the crank appears fine.
He also discoved what was supposedly a 383 stroker is only a worn out 305. Yet it ran great until yesterday. Ordered parts at around $400 and having cam bearings put in. He honed cylinders and will soon put it all together again.
Lucky he saved his last rebuit 305 modified heads. Using a Lunati high lift cam and this time a stock oil pump with new pick up..
The engine always had extremely high oil pressure. Mechanics told him possibly cavitation causing air bubbles or wrong oil in an early engine caused the wear. Or possibly crude in the oil passages from sitting. If only he'd known while he waited two months to get tranny together he wouldn't be driving my truck with his again in my driveway!
So you see, anything is possible when the only luck you have is bad luck.

 

How ever...... are you trying to help the guy or trying to help him butcher
via suggestions a freeekin drop dead nice car?

geeeee, a clean set of gauges placed under the dash, done in a day....or hack the crap out of the original mint dash an a by guess by gum by golly with a GM dash?....
What next, 40MPG all over again?...................

Time to just ...and move on Thirsty

 

I agree, lots of people, including me, add a bezel with add on gauges. A simple 70's look like Thirsty mentioned. Easy to install and easy to remove. The bezels are available chromed, sometimes ribbed, even black, and with woodgrain applied. There are many different gauge sizes and colors to compliment your dash.
We should be trying to protect and keep these wagons basically original.

 

Cat read your saga. Now I'm scared! As much as I don't want to the gauges are going in. I'll know what's going on in no time with them. I'll find a spot that looks good as best as I can.

 

Tedy, I was suggesting a way that might avoid cutting ANY holes in the stock dash. I believe that Oldsmobile instrument cluster will fit in place of the Ford speedometer with NO CUTTING, so when done it would look stock. Same with the Delta instruments. They could be put into that easily removable panel around the steering column, much in the way Olds did with the Delta. Again, and easily removable piece so that the original can be saved and the gauges fit into another one from a donor car. Unfortunately the Cougar/Thunderbird instrument cluster is very different and will not fit. As the gauges are part of an assembled unit, it is not even really possible to adapt it, either. I cannot think of a Ford product that came with full gauges where the cluster will fit anywhere close to looking stock in the Country Squire dash.

 

I thought one of our members here did the cougar - merc/ford swap on the dash. They are all the same dash pod with just different gauge packages. The one he put in had a tach, oil, water and volt gauges. He did it because of fords single idiot light for more than one thing. But I've made up my mind and I'm going with a three or four hole bezel with wood grain vinyl. The fourth hole would be for a tach.

 

Smart move Thirsty islander. Just hope the problem is a short or not so good sending unit. I had a Dodge van that randomly lost oil pressure. I tapped into the factory pick up and added a gauge which registered fine.
I eventually realized when I hit a bump the original would drop to zero. Found out the engine pick up unit had a loosebrass center piece.
Maybe yours is a simple fix.

 

Don't install the nylon tubing that comes with the gauge. Instead, pick up some copper tubing and ferrules at a good auto parts store. Also, pick up a brass T and needed adapters so you can run both the light and the gauge.

Another common problem with the bulb type sending units is that they have some kind of diaphragm inside which can develop an internal leak and fill up the whole bulb. This can lead to a false reading and give the problem you are having. Lastly, make sure your low idle speed is set properly. If it's below a certain rpm, you will have low pressure because you're not spinning the pump fast enough.

 

The Thunderbird, Cougar and LTD II shared a dash, and yes, the full instrument cluster will fit in with no problem. Thing is, that base cluster had dedicated oil and alternator lights with a temperature gauge. The full sized cars, the Marquis and the LTD, used a different dash completely, with a strip, not circular, speedometer, and this cluster did use an 'ENGINE' light to monitor both the oil pressure and high temperature. That is why I suggested taking a few basic measurements and seeing if the Cutlass full instrument cluster would fit, as it replaced the horizontal speedo in the base Cutlass cluster. They are roughly the same size, but the Olds may be a bit smaller, in which case some sort of filler would be required. The advantage is no cutting, and a factory look. Personally, it is something the factory was very much remiss in not offering stock!