400 vs 460

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atime
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400 vs 460

Post by atime »

I am looking a t 1979 MK V with 400 engine, I had 79 TC with the 400 and thought it was fine. Is there a real noticeable difference between the 400 and 460?? The car I am looking at has 15,000 miles and looks to be in like new condition.
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TonyC
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Re: 400 vs 460

Post by TonyC »

Well, many can get into the dynamic differences between the 400 and the 460; the former was basically an enlarged version of the 351 series of engines, which save for a few years of Clevelands were stones; the latter was no great performer by the late-'70s, either, but there is a large network of custom-performance components to improve the overall performance.

That said, you will not find any '79 Lincoln fitted with a 460, unless a prior owner retrofitted one from a prior year. The last year of the 460 option was 1978, after which only the 400 was offered on Lincolns...and only in '79, after which they went to smaller engines (and cars). With a mere 150-horse output lugging about 4,800 pounds of car (not counting the weight of the passengers or cargo), you cannot expect to dazzle anybody at a red light, unless we're talking about somebody in a contemporary Granada. Reliability can be an issue as well, depending on how the engine was treated by prior owners over the years. If well-cared-for, it can get you where you need to go, just not very fast.

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Re: 400 vs 460

Post by action »

TonyC wrote:
.... and only in '79, after which they went to smaller engines (and cars). With a mere 150-horse output lugging about 4,800 pounds of car (not counting the weight of the passengers or cargo), you cannot expect to dazzle anybody at a red light, unless we're talking about somebody in a contemporary Granada.

---Tony
A 1979 Granada with a 351 weighing in at 3100 pounds would out run a 1979 Mark V every time.
The 17 hundred pound difference in weight would not be offset by the 49 cubes of displacement.

The 400 in a Mark V is OK as long as you are OK with slow acceleration.
The horsepower difference between the two is on 18 ponies from that era.
400 = 179
460 = 197
But another part of the puzzle is the greater torque for the 385 block. It could push the weight around easier than the 400

If you are going to drive is slow or at least accelerate slow and the engine is in good shape, it will be another lux ride that you enjoy. The disappointment comes when accelerating and if you have a full load in the car. (With AC on)

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Last edited by action on Tue Oct 19, 2021 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Dan Szwarc
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Re: 400 vs 460

Post by Dan Szwarc »

There is a noticeable difference, especially for parts.
Look for a 460. You'll be happier with it.
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Re: 400 vs 460

Post by danleblanc »

I've not had the opportunity to drive a 400 car yet. Just my 460.

All I can say is at least the 400 is not a Cadillac HT4100. Be thankful for that. Lmao
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Re: 400 vs 460

Post by Dan Szwarc »

Here’s an older topic on this issue. Still relevant.

Subject: How bad is the 400 engine?


I was quite defensive if the 400 at the time. No longer.
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Re: 400 vs 460

Post by TonyC »

action wrote:
A 1979 Granada with a 351 weighing in at 3100 pounds would out run a 1979 Mark V every time.
The 17 hundred pound difference in weight would not be offset by the 49 cubes of displacement.

Action
Good point, I concede that. But if said Granada had either straight-6, that'd be a different story; then a Lincoln 400 could smoke it. :lol: Hell, even a 1924 Model-L could smoke it.

---Tony
"Don't believe everything you read on the Internet, just because there is a picture with a quote next to it." (Abraham Lincoln, 1866)
"Question Authority!"

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