429swap?

[zumer69 10]

ok I can already hear the cringing..I have a 69 fastback with a 250 I6...I have recently acquired a 1969 429. I know that swapping the motors involves a TON of work. Here is my plan...a C6 with gearvendor or a T5 that can handle a 429. Disc brakes all around (power or manual?). Beef the suspension and add subframe connectors. Airride makes an awesome 4 link rearend but its 2000 bucks, and then another 800 for the front suspension. Shok towers....what to do about those...do i notch them or do they make shorty shock towers (like the BOSS 429's) in the aftermarket. I need a new rearend obviously. So any part combination suggestions? I dont want to spend a fortune if it isnt necessary.

[70Mach03 12]

Good Luck, It'll be a nice ride......I just hope you recently won the lottery because it's going to be very expensive.

[gsxrken 21]

I’d love to see you do it and follow along with your journey here.

Many have entertained the 429/460 when they come across one cheap and start considering the easy power potential. But most bail after they research it. (I learn slow- I built one and had the Crites motor mounts in my possession before bailing). You can PM me if you’d like, but I’d summarize it this way: The 385 engines with a C6 weigh more than a small city. My engine stand was bowing under the weight of the thing. You will not be able to mask this front-biased mass in either braking or turning, and short of a drag race setup, you won’t get it to hook up either. So if your goals are for a ¼ mile doorslammer, you may be ahead of the game. And you save by not having to buy all the new tubular/roller/heim jointed suspension bits or large discs, since there is no point in trying to get it under control. If you want balanced performance, stroke an aluminum headed 351W.

[wantahertzdonut 10]

I'll second that. I have a couple friends who have/had 460's in their cars. Yeah, they're fast but couldn't put the power to the ground, and cornering wasn't fun because you have 720 lbs way up high and forward in the front of your car.

 

Until Crites made headers and mounts you had those issues, but you'll wait a while to get them.

 

Unless you plan on sinking a lot of money into the car or have a tube frame waiting in your shop, you can make a nice small block with a stroker or power adder and get the same power as the 429.