Thread: 460 Panther Marinetec motor

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Originally Posted by Paul Kane

Switching to a different brand engine is not only an expensive proposition (because of all the engine specific marine hardware involved) but you will have a less reliable engine and not much more power.

The horsepower rating I gave you is a real world estimate. I am basing it on the notioin that your engine was probably never apart and is over twenty five years old. They were rated higher than what I am stating. The 390HP rating ot the Olds motor is not real world, it's total BS.

I have owned two jet boats with Olds motors and know others that have also owned them and let me tell you, they are known in the jet boat world among most unreliable choice, and for being ticking time bombs. They often spin rod bearings. I am being completley truthful when I tell you that my friend John build his Olds motor 6 times in a row and blew it up six times in a row. Then he bought the 460 Ford, rebuilt it and had a great season last summer.

As lousy as the Olds motor is for a jet boat, one nice feature about them is that they came with rather high compression (in the boats). The Ford engine in your boat has perhaps 8.2:1 compression ratio and therein lies the reality of your horsepower rating, but don't overlook the potential of your engine. My boat has the same block heads and crank as your engine and my boat goes 85 MPH, and produces between 550-600HP naturally aspirated. I don't know of a chevy or olds that could get anywhere close to that utilizing the components that my engine has in it, nor would they be anywhere as reliable.

Getting 375HP from your Ford-powered boat can practially be done in your sleep, and be the most reliable out there of the mtors your mentioned. If you really wanted to go crazy, you could double the HP your engine is putting out now.

Advantages of Ford over Chevy

• The Ford block is finished a little nicer than the chevy; for example, the head bolts are counter bored so if you deck the block you dont have to counter sink/thread chase the holes--already done.
  
• (people on the boat forum successfully) using blowers and turbos on stock rods.
  
• large cube stroker cranks from stock oem cranks...
  
• They have the same canted valve design as the Chevy and the 429/460's are dime-a-dozen everywhere for dirt cheap. And I mean dirt cheap.
  
• We don't have to search hi and low for a tall deck block, all Fords are "tall" deck [10.300+"]
  
• ...symmeterical ports for better fuel distribution.
  
• The Ford cast crank and 2-bolt block power threshhold is alot higher than the BBC.
  
• BBFs can run bigger cams as it is located higher in the block than the BBC (the BBC cam lobes actually HIT the crank counterweights if you go too big)...
  
• BBFs have bigger diameter lifters for a more "friendly" cam profile for flat tappet cams...
  
• BBFs can make good compresson ratios with flat top pistons [chamber CCs range 72cc to 96cc] We don't need huge dome pistons to get a 10.5 to 1 C/R..
  
• BBFs have a 1.71 rod ratio...
  
• BBF's make a 514-521-540" engine with stock parts and do it for under 3K...
  
• many blocks can be bored to 4.500"...put in a 4.500" stroke crank and it makes a 572" engine for just under $3K...can ya do that with a stock block Chevy? (Answer: Hell no. And by the way, unlike the chevy the Ford's block does not nedd to be clearanced for the crankshaft to do this.)

hmmmmmmmmmmm fords are no way much better than chevys have seen alot of omc fords 460 in the machine shop and the head bolt pattern ? the chevy hase a much better head bolt pattern then the fords and on the deck there is alot of 427 tall decks out there if you look around ? i guess not ?to busy looking at ford parts ? 526 cid to541with out to much work yes not 572 . and on the rods a stock 460 rod s are not that hot.have you look at the chevy 3/8 truck rod? but lets forget all that. they do have a big bore that is about it .the mains are to big and the rods ? so i do not think they are that great over the big block chevy? where? but hey i am a chevy guy and you i see are a ford guy? but last time i check mercruiser was doing good with the poor big block chevy and last time i did check sterling engines .was doing very good with the big block chevys?off shore ????the chevy has adjustable rocker studs your ford dose not . and the big block chevy block stock can take alot of hp? how much hp do you want to run down a stock block ?over 600+ hp all day long. how much on the ford before the head gaskets go south ? and it must bug you ford guys to buy them 6.700 -6.800 h beam rods cut for the big block chevy rod bearings and to cut your crank for chevy rods?for the lifter size ? i have runned some big cams big in the chevy .800 lift and did not hit any thing ? big lifters more valve train mass to hold down . if i piss any one off? i did just want to say this. and i do know it is a ford post. but hey i did not say why chevys big blocks are better than big block fords and not think i would not get some heat ?from a post like that . a stock chevy block is very good and no way is the ford stock block better ?tell me were i like to know? do you know much about chevys? and i can get 511 out of a short deck stock block and 541 a 4.1/2 crank will drop in with very little work in a tall deck 427 block. and the milodon pan that is $175 will work just fine out of the box. but i would use the #31195 for a boat.and you could get more out of a stock tall deck block .and this block hase a 4 bolt main and with steel caps over 900hp you may want to look at the chevy a bit more ?????