CHRISTOPHER MCKITTERICK

1972 Ford LTD
Resto-Rod Project

WILL IT FIT? Well, as an option, Ford shoehorned the 460 big-block into the LTD wagon - a huge engine, itself! - so I set about measuring things. Whaddya know? The V-10 is no longer than the 400M engine. The V-10 heads are much longer (not a surprise - an extra cylinder per bank), but the block is about the same length as the 400M's. Cool. See how much room there is in the image below.

Height-wise, looks like it's the same, too, helped by the forward-pointing intake stacks (rather than the downdraft carb with air cleaner sitting on top on the 400M). Width, wow, MUCH wider than the 400M, because the V10 has overhead cams and a longer stroke, which both contribute to overall width. Hmmmm. Okay, but the greatest width is at the top of the valve covers, which just might clear the suspension. Only one way to know for sure, and that's to test-fit it. Also, the V10 uses a rear-sump oil pan, while the wagon's engine uses a front-sump; this means I'll probably need to customize the oil pan (read: cut and weld) to fit around the crossmember.

Oh, by the way, the 4-speed auto is also a massive unit. Looks like I'll need to enlarge the tranny tunnel on the wagon's front floor (read: cut-and-weld) to fit it in place of the big-block C6 trans in there now. Who'd've thought transmissions would get bigger as time goes on? But I suppose; after all, this has one more forward gear, it's a full-electronic tranny, and it's made super-beefy to withstand off-roading in a 5,500-pound SUV. So not a surprise, I guess.

Now, the amazing thing is that even though this is such a huge combo, it's actually about 100 pounds lighter than the Ford 460 big-block combo. It does weigh about 50 pounds more than the engine that's in there now, but I'll just replace the front suspension springs and that oughta do it (they needed replacing anyway). So, it looks do-able. Anyone need a Ford 400M engine or a brand-new C6 transmission? How about a pair of high-performance Cleveland heads with the big valves? Other performance goodies for these two? Drop me a note! *g* I'll put 'em on eBay soon, and I hope the parts will pay for the new - more modern - stuff.

PS: Just for fun, here's a shot of this engine in the Ford 427 show car: Tight fit, eh? Wish me luck! I'll update things as I make progress.