OT: Tow Vehicle motors...good and bad thoughts on, Ford 460 versus Chevy 454 Options

[nine14cats]

With the gas crunch on there are several tow vehicles coming up for sale that have low miles on them. Ford 460 versus Chevy 454. Anything to watch out for in the years between 1994 through 2004?

Diesel is good for towing but they still seem to command a premium. For the limited amount of trailer towing I do, gas is fine for me.

Experiences and thoughts?

Bill P.

[Brian Mifsud]

For what it's worth, my buddy used to tow his boat to Tahoe almost every weekend during the summers with his Ford/460 for years and years. A mutual friend pulling a similar rig but driving a Chevy, had a smallblock 350. They both got identical fuel mileage... but the 460 didn't wear out as often. I think it boils down to for a given weight, you need a certain level of horsepower to climb.. no more, no less.

What is probably a bigger deal, is the condition of the transmission in either rig. They are built to tow, and most likely, have been doing exactly that so I'd pay to get the tranmissions analyzed inspected on either before I bought..

Just dropped $1500 on a complete rebuild + heavy duty cooler on my Turbo 350 and the truck is barely worth that much.