1986 460 Big Block Ford Specifications

The original Ford 7.5-liter, 385 V-8, 240 horsepower, hp, engine ran in the F-series trucks from 1968 to 1997 and was the last big-block engine of Ford. It replaced the Ford FE and MEL engines. This engine lies in the Ford 385 engine family. The name comes from the 3.85-inch crankshaft stroke. A typical 460-cubic inch of 1968 with a bore 4.36 inches and stroke of 3.85 inches could obtain 500 torque at 2,800 rpm with a 365 hp at 4,600 rpm. In 1968, the 460 was featured in the Lincoln Continental, motorhomes and the F-series trucks.

In the first part of the new generation -- from 1980 to 1982 -- all Ford F-series trucks shared engines. Then in 1983 the 460 V8 returned to the Ford line up after a three-year break with a horsepower rating of 200. At first this engine became only available with the F-250. The 460 was the most powerful engine Ford possessed. The Ford Navistar diesel 420-cubic inch engine with a torque rating of 315 and a hp of 170 was second. The F-350 also was equipped with a 460-cubic inch V8 with a rating of 245 hp.

The seventh generation F-250 had not changed much from the 1979 body. The 1970 Ford F-series and the Chevy C and K bodies were big boxy bodies. The trucks were wide and rectangular. The 1980s saw a rounding of the edges. In 1986 the F-250 and the F-series in general had big front rectangular grills to go with the large engines under the hood. Instead of squared corners they were rounded to give the truck more of aerodynamic feel to it. The 1986 hood was more of rounded concave hood than the flat boxy look of the 1970s. Ford F-250s had crew cabs to give the truck an elongated feel.