What better grand finale for our Strokers Wild series than a Ford 460 stroker project? Like we said when we kicked this project off, there’s no replacement for displacement—and this final installment gives you 520 cubic inches worth of displacement!

We’re gong to show you how to punch an ordinary 460 out to 520 cubic inches without spending your kid’s college fund. This affordable big block Ford stroker combination is based on a SCAT 4.300-inch stroke cast crankshaft and 6.700-inch Eagle Specialties connecting rods. No block clearancing or other trick stuff is required. Other than Chevy rod bearings and a set of custom flattop pistons, the rest of the engine is built with off-the-shelf Ford performance parts.

Of course, those off-the-shelf parts are pretty good: Trick Flow PowerPort A460 aluminum cylinder heads and intake manifold, Crane roller cam, Holley 1,150 cfm Dominator carburetor, MSD crank trigger and Pro Billet distributor, and Hedman Husler headers. Together, they make for a very potent package.

How potent, you ask? You’ll have to wait until the big dyno super-session, when we thrash the 520 and its 347 cube 5.0L and 393 cube 351W brothers until they deliver the big numbers. In the meantime, we’ll show you how this King Daddy 520 went  together—and how Trick Flow made it even better with new and improved  PowerPort A460 cylinder heads, an R-Series A460 intake manifold, and 1.73 ratio roller rocker arms. The new parts are also listed below.
While the build-ups are done, the dyno-testing is still to come. Stay tuned to OnAllCylinders for dyno results for all three stroker mills.

installing a Crane solid roller cam
installing a Scat forged crankshaft
torqueing down engine main caps
installing pistons into an engine
torqueing down Eagle Specialties ESP connecting rods
degreeing a camshaft on a v8 engine
installing Trick Flow PowerPort A460 340 aluminum heads
installing roller lifters into an engine
determining proper pushrod length in a cylinder head
checking pushrod geometry in a cylinder head
installing and adjusting Crane Gold Race rocker arms
installing a moroso oil pan
installing a harmonic damper spacer
installing an ATI Super Damper
installing a MSD Flying Magnet crank trigger
installing a single-plane Trick Flow intake manifold
installing a 1,150 cfm Holley Dominator carburetor.
installing a MSD Pro-Billet distributor
installing a Meziere electric water pump
v8 engine on a stand
A460 intake manifold

The Crane solid roller cam (268-degree/278-degree duration at .050 inches, .718-inch of lift, 3,500-6,500 rpm range) into the 1972-vintage two-bolt block. Tim Lysikowski of Racing Products in Canton, OH bored the 460.030-inch over, line bored it, and decked it to 10.300 inches to help boost compression with the Arias flat top pistons.

The Scat forged crankshaft features a 4.300-inch stroke and is designed for use with 6.700-inch long big block Chevy-style connecting rods to get 520 cubic inches.

No trick bearings are required with the 520. The main bearings are standard 460 Clevite H-Series pieces. The Clevite rod bearings are standard big block Chevy. No block clearancing is needed, either. The main bolts are torqued to 110 foot-pounds.

The pistons are custom Arias forged flat tops. They yield 10.5:1 compression with the 86cc chambers on the Trick Flow A460 cylinder heads. The pistons are designed with a big Chevy pin bore (.990-inch).

The Eagle Specialties ESP connecting rods are key to making 520 cubic inches with a minimum of special parts. The rods are forged from 4340 steel, weight matched, and fitted with ARP capscrew bolts. The rod bolts are torqued to 70 foot-pounds.

After installing the Comp Cams Hi-Tech timing set, we degreed in the Crane roller cam. As we expected, it came in exactly as the cam card specifies.

The Trick Flow PowerPort A460 340 aluminum heads feature 91cc closed style combustion chambers for high compression use, raised 340cc intake ports for improved flow, and small cross-section runners to keep airflow velocity high. The heads come assembled with 2.300-inch/1.88-inch stainless steel valves, 1.640-inch dual valve springs, 10 degree valve locks and titanium retainers, ARP rocker arm studs, and guideplates. This is the old style cylinder head and is no longer available—check out its new and improved replacement, the Trick Flow PowerPort A460.

These COMP Cams Endure-X roller lifters will help ensure float-free valvetrain performance at higher rpms. The lifter link bars must face the inside of the block, not the outside. Otherwise, they will hit the pushrods.

With the heads on the block and torqued to 115 foot-pounds, we determined the proper pushrod length. First, he finds the proper valvetrain geometry on the number one intake valve using an adjustable pushrod and a rocker arm.

Pushrod geometry is correct when the rocker's roller tip is centered over the valve stem. The pushrod is removed, measured and the process is repeated on the exhaust valve. We found that 9.100-inch (intake) and 9.550-inch (exhaust) long pushrods were needed. Trick Flow supplied chromoly pushrods in the appropriate lengths.

The Crane Gold Race rocker arms are next on the install list. The 1.73 ratio roller rockers are CNC machined from billet aluminum, have needle bearing fulcrums to reduce friction, and have extra-long slots for additional rocker stud clearance.

The 520 has a top-notch oiling system consisting of a Melling high volume oil pump, Moroso pickup, Ford Racing hardened pump driveshaft, and a seven- quart Moroso Stage I oil pan. The double-hump pan is designed for use in 1979-93 Mustangs and other Fox-body vehicles.

Except for high-dollar racing cranks, all 460 cranks have long snouts, and require a harmonic damper spacer like this one.

The seven-inch ATI Super Damper uses removable elastomer strips to control vibration. If you change your engine combo, you can replace the strips with ones to match the engine's new vibration characteristics.

Mark bolts on the MSD Flying Magnet crank trigger. A crank trigger gets its firing signal directly from the crankshaft and sends it directly to the distributor. That means spark delivery is much more accurate compared to standard ignition systems, with little chance of the false triggering that can lead to preignition and other malfunctions.

This single-plane Trick Flow intake manifold is designed for use with the Trick Flow A460 340 heads. The "spider style" runners meet a raised plenum, which helps keep the air/fuel charge cooler and denser. The intake is drilled for Holley Dominator carburetors. This manifold has also been replaced with a new and better part, the Trick Flow R-Series A460 intake.

Topping off the Trick Flow intake is a 1,150 cfm Holley Dominator carburetor. It features big two-inch venturi and annular boosters, plus dual 50 cc accelerator pumps, four-corner idle circuit, and progressive throttle linkage.

The 520 gets an MSD Pro-Billet distributor. It has a CNC-machined billet housing that is 4 ¾-inch smaller in diameter for extra clearance. We removed the dual magnetic pickups since we are using the MSD crank trigger. The iron distributor gear was swapped for a bronze one that is compatible with the Crane roller cam.

A Meziere electric water pump and backing plate finish off the front of the engine. The bolts are stainless steel 12-point from the ARP Engine Accessory Bolt Kit.

With a set of Moroso chrome valve covers, 2 ¼-inch primary, HPC-coated Hedman Husler headers, and MSD Heli-Core ignition wires, our King Daddy 520 is ready to make some serious power.

The A460 intake manifold has also been revised to better match the "new" PowerPort A460 cylinder heads. The R-Series A460 intake retains the high-flow, "spider" individual runner layout and raised plenum floor of the old manifold, but is more of a "medium riser" to further improve overall airflow volume.

SCA-44604300     SCAT Forged Crankshaft, 4.300-inch stroke
ESP-67003D     Eagle Specialty Connecting Rods, 6.700- inch
SLP-R9374035     Sealed Power Plasma-Moly Piston Ring Set
CLE-MS1039P10     Clevite Main Bearing Set
CLE-CB743H     Clevite Connecting Rod Bearing Set, Big Chevy
CLE-SH1111S     Clevite Camshaft Bearing Set
CRN-358821     Crane Solid Roller Camshaft
CCA-836-16         Comp Cams Endure-X Roller Lifter Set
CCA-3122         Comp Cams Hi-Tech Roller Timing Set
ATI-917620         ATI Super Damper Harmonic Damper, 7-inch. Dia.
TFS-5441T801-M87 Trick Flow PowerPort A460 340 Aluminum Cylinder Heads, Assembled
TFS-21419100-8     Trick Flow Chromoly Intake Pushrods, 9.110 in.
TFS-21419550-8     Trick Flow Exhaust Pushrods, 9.550 in.
MEL-M84DHV     Melling High Volume Oil Pump
MOR-24508         Moroso Oil Pump Pickup
FMS-M6605A429     Ford Racing Oil Pump Drive Shaft
MOR-20625         Moroso Stage 1 Oil Pan, 7 Quart
HLY-0-80556-1     Holley Dominator Carburetor, 1,150 CFM
MSD-8477         MSD Pro Billet Distributor
MSD-8644         MSD Flying Magnet Crank Trigger
MSD-3138         MSD Heli-Core Ignition Wire Set
MEZ-WP108R     Mezeire Electric Water Pump
MEZ-WP109R     Meziere Water Pump Blockoff Plate
MOR-68131         Moroso Chrome Valve Covers
TFS-2707         Trick Flow Intake Gasket Set
FEL-1028         Fel-Pro Head Gasket, each
FEL-1412         Fel-Pro Exhaust Gasket Set
FEL-1812         Fel-Pro Oil Pan Gasket
FEL-1643         Fel-Pro Valve Cover Gasket Set
FEL-2712         Fel-Pro R.A.C.E. Gasket Set
ARP-155-5202     ARP Main Cap Bolt Kit
ARP-155-4203     ARP Cylinder Head Stud Kit
ARP-155-1002     ARP Camshaft Bolt
ARP-150-2501     ARP Harmonic Damper Bolt
ARP-100-7101     ARP Rocker Arm Stud Kit
ARP-255-1801     ARP Oil Pan Bolt Kit
SLP-381-8018     Sealed Power Expansion Plug Kit
TFS-54400111     Trick Flow R-Series A460 Intake Manifold  
TFS-53400621     Trick Flow Roller Rocker Arms