The 429 cid engine was sold by the Ford Motor Company factory converted to operate on Propane or LPG as a fuel. These gaseous are very dry in that they leave very little ashy residue from combustion to act as a lubricant between the valve face and the seat in the head. The components used in these factory converted heads, specifically the valves and the valve seat inserts, are unique to the application and involve the use of highly upgraded materials to provide the desired service life of the head. The exhaust seat is inserted with a non-magnetic Nickel based material; the exhaust valve is Stellite faced and is Sodium cooled. The use of any other components will severely reduce the service life of the head resulting in valve and seat wear and severe valve recession. The replacement parts to rebuild these heads are available from SBI inventory.
The part numbers are as follows:
| Description |
SBI Part No. |
OEM Number |
| Intake Valve |
01548S |
E7TE-6507-BA or
E7TZ-6507-D |
| Exhaust Valve |
01832SN |
F1HE-6505-AB or
F1HZ-6505-A |
| Exhaust Seat Insert |
SB1781E-1N |
D9HZ-6057-A or
E7TZ-6057-A |
The above seat is a direct factory replacement. If a larger outside diameter is required, it is recommended to use SB1812-21N, which is designed for use with a 1-13/16" standard cutter. The required press fit is already designed into the outside diameter of the seat. The 460 head prior to 1993 model year can use exactly the same components to achieve the desired results. In 1993 the intake valve head diameter was increased from 1.977" to 2.083".
Unfortunately there is no Stellite intake valve available in this head diameter. The only way to convert these later heads is to insert an intake seat to bring down the diameter to match the smaller diameter of the 429 Stellite intake valve. The seat to use is SBI part number SB2062-30, which is designed to use a standard 2-1/16" cutter. Again the required press fit is already built into the outside diameter of the seat. The specifications for both the intake and the exhaust seats are listed below:
| Part Number |
I.D. |
O.D. |
Depth |
| SB1871E-1N |
1-13/16" |
1.781" |
0.311" |
| SB1812-21N |
1-15/32" |
1-13/16" |
5/16" |
| SB2062-30 |
1-13/16" |
2-1/16" |
3/16" |
At this point SBI is the only aftermarket supplier of the correct valves for these Propane / LPG engines.
For more information, or the location of the SBI Distributor nearest you, please call 1-888-THE SEAT (843-7328).
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