I have a 429 out of a 72' LTD. I am making it a 460. I was told the heads on this engine are prone to detonation at high rpms and should be swapped out for another year. I want to install roler rockers.What year of heads should I buy at the wrecking yard? And are 429 and 460 heads the same? I was told all I have to do is change the crank and rods to make my 429 a 460 is this true or do I need to put 460 heads on also?

The D2s are considered the crappiest of heads, any of them will interchange but remember that the 71 and down have the smaller chambers, so if your worried about detonation they might not be your best choice as they will raise your compression. The doves are usually the most desireable, its easy to put in the studs and guide plates for the roller rockers. I run that very set up.

Pro......so I should go with dove heads but what yrs. were those produced? BEFORE 72 OR AFTER 72? Thanks

Before 72. D (zero) VE heads are out of a 1970 automobile. D=7 C=6. C8VE through D1VE heads are what you want. They have the smaller chambers. IF you get a head with a PI or CJ at the end... sell it! It's worth more than you know.

do what exstint are the 72 heads crap. i have a 429 w/72 heads, its not a 600hp motor but has been running since 72 with not a problem. so how far can you go with these heads before they cause problems?

aledgedly the D2 heads crack easier, and are more prone to detonation. However, on a stock engine, you "should" have no problems with them. I think they are open chamber heads or something like that, I dont remember, but closed chamber is better if I remember correct.

yes the early closed chamber heads are better for perfomance, but remember on todays crapy gas you don't want to be running 10:1 CR with Iron heads and expect it to run without pinging. even on 93 octane that is pushing it. I had a stock '73 460 out of a Merc that would haul ass and still ran on 87 octane. this motor had around 8.5:1 CR.

As for the later heads cracking more easily......I dunno. Just have them Magnaflux checked for cracks and don't Ping them and you'll be fine.

The D0VE heads are the best old school you can run, but be realistic as far as gas availability. Always filling up on 93 really sucks when you need 30+ gallons each fillup.

Eric

All the guys who race the 385 class engines, and more importantly the best Ford bb head porter in the northwest have always told me that the 72s in particular flowed awfull and are prone to detonation. I don't know what was different about them, cuz the the 71s and down are good, and the 73s and up are good (just lower comp)...its just a deal with the 72s. I've never personally seen them on the flow bench but I take their word for it, especially Scott, the head porter. Don't sweat it if thats what you got though, I was just trying to tell him what to look for. Like somebody else said, any of the 68 -71 heads will work. The bb ford heads are also very resistant to detonation, far more so than the chevies. They can actually tolerate the 10:1 compression just fine, even on todays crappy gas. I'm at 10:1 with 12 initial, 38 total timing and I never get it to detonate. Course, like Alpo said, you won't be running regular :(

72 began the 8.5 comp ratio, that is all i want anyways. i want to run on cheap gas. the only thing i was thinking of running was a aftermaket intake 600 holley and a rv'ish cam. for just a little more than stock hp. this combo sholdn't be too much for these heads, you think?

The D3s and up can be made to flow very well, and in fact seem to be the preferred heads on the marine engines. Your exhaust side is where it needs the flow the most, just find some D3s and up and have a good porter clean them up for you, they'll do great.