What does a-429 or a-460 mean regarding cylinder heads?

Sorry for my ignorance but just trying to learn all this stuff I keep hearing about. Are we talking style, brand, size, or what

The heads they call a429 were the (I call them 1st gen. OEM style Aluminum) Ford Motorsport , fairly close to the SCJ cast iron.
The A460 head is a race style head w/BBC exhaust pattern, and really big I/E ports. They can be bolted on a 429/460 stock or aftermarket block, but have bigger valves and diff.valve angle so they take a different piston than a OEM style head.
OH Yea,TFS and other mfd's make the A460 head but Ford does not have it any longer.

It all stems from the original Ford Motorsport/Racing part numbers where the suffix is A429 or A460 or C460 or D460 or E460. They are all a different "family" of heads and each family is based upon the same basic head.

Ok starting to get it, so those prefixes don't indicate necessarily a brand but the style which helps my question so if someone says they have a429 aluminum heads they most likely have the ford motorsports aluminum scj head and if they say a460 heads not really enough info just know that they are new design heads, right So nevertheless headers for a460 heads will not fit a429 heads?

A460 and A429 do require different header flanges .

The A429s were refered to as CJs .

Fast Fox wrote: so if someone says they have a429 aluminum heads they most likely have the ford motorsports aluminum scj head

SCJ's and A-429's are completely different heads. The A-429's are aluminum heads that are a similar design to the original DOOE-R or what is referred to as the Cobra Jet or Super Cobra Jet iron head. They are a bolt on replacement head with standard ie. DOVE, or DOOE, valve pierce points. The SCJ aluminum head has the same pierce points as the P-51 head and are a design developed by Jon Kasse.

Thanks for lining me out there fellas Didn't realize so many different heads were available.

Nor do most NON big block Ford people; they seem to have "no idea". Especially rules makers for class competition where all they know is the basics other than Chevrolet. Their ignorance makes me want to vomit sometimes 'cause they are SUPPOSED to be in the know ... their are other designs as well like the Profiler and Thor heads too. AND, this year a new NHRA pro stock head is gonna be released.
Then, of course, there are several hemi type heads for the big block Ford.

The big block Ford is well covered when choosing a specific cylinder head for a certain application.

Yes I admit I am an ex SBC guy and thats all aftermarket wise I know. But now I am true blue and learning all I can

But, in all honesty, people such as you are NOT the problem as you are trying to learn. AND, you are not in charge of writing rules in a rule book to govern a class in a racing association.
Those people are the menaces to what is actually available in the marketplace for a big block Ford.
They get all "high and mighty" as if they know all the stuff out there while they really have no clue about the Ford, (or Chrysler for that matter), and their rules are VERY evident that they know almost nothing about engines which aren't Chevrolet. (And, their ego is to big to ask for any help).

THOSE people are the BIG problem to anyone running anything else in most associations, except Chevrolets.

so... chances are my 70's era cast iron heads are DoveC's ?

LuckyTX52 wrote:so... chances are my 70's era cast iron heads are DoveC's ?

Could be DOVE, D3VE, D2OE, or D2VE. Very small possibiilty of DOOE.

schmitty wrote:

LuckyTX52 wrote:so... chances are my 70's era cast iron heads are DoveC's ?

Could be DOVE, D3VE, D2OE, or D2VE. Very small possibiilty of DOOE.

give ya one guess what my next ? is...

how do you tell what one i have?

Do i Win.

Northwest outlaw wrote:how do you tell what one i have?

Do i Win.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!!

Northwest outlaw wrote:how do you tell what one i have?

Do i Win.

Ya beat me to it.




Look above the exhaust ports on the Iron heads and it will have

D0VE-?
D2vE-
D20E-
D3VE-

Post it here and we can help.

sweet thanks y'all

LuckyTX52 wrote:sweet thanks y'all

Here's what my plant has stamped on it.

Block "DIVE-6015-A2B"

Heads "D3VE-A2A"

Can't wait for the intel on this!!!

Two of the most common components. The D1VE block was cast between 1971 and 1978 and is a very sound block. The D3VE heads are the most common of the cylinder heads available. They were cast from 73-86, have a pedestal style rocker arm vs. rocker stud like the earlier heads. They have +/-92cc chambers which are great for stroker pump gas builds. They can make some serious power if properly set up and ported. I don't know exactly what the max is, but over 650hp is not out of the realm of possibilities.

i handed the ol girl over to a shop a few years ago and they took $3,500 from me and said it was gonna be around 500hp. I'm playing dumb cuz it was so long ago. Mission Auto Part is a premier engine builder here in San Antonio. They gave me a flow chart for the heads but I have moved about 3 times since then. I have a build sheet and need to start a topic of the build.

Thanks,

K