Thread: 460 Panther Marinetec motor

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Hello...another new member knowing nothing about BBF's. I'm hoping someone can provide some much needed info about my 1977' 460 Panther built motor in my boat. The manufacturer is not providing any assistance! I do not know anything about the internal components, cam, pistons, etc. Here's what is visible: Heads - D3VE-A2A, Intake Manifold - ford - DOOE-8425C (7L21), Carb. - holly - 2R-4608. I guess my question is this, is this simply a stock engine with chrome valve covers with Panthers name on them, or has some modifications been done? I realize this is little info and seemingly a stupid post, but you guy's know your stuff and I don't have a clue! Any guess as to the HP output of such an engine, even if stock inside? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated and start me off on my learning curve...I'm reading everything on this site...it's excellent!!!

Having found within this site some info on reading motor codes, I've concluded that my intake manifold is a 1970 from either a Fairlane or Torino. The previous one owner of my motor says it's the one that came on the 460 Panther marine motor new in 1977. Why would they use a seven year old manifold design in building a motor for a high dollar boat (in 1977). Where they special in some way?

Originally posted by CV Gwin
I'm hoping someone can provide info about my 1977' 460 Panther built motor in my boat. Here's what is visible: Heads - D3VE-A2A, Intake Manifold - ford - DOOE-8425C (7L21), Carb. - holly - 2R-4608. Any guess as to the HP output of such an engine, even if stock inside? Having found within this site some info on reading motor codes, I've concluded that my intake manifold is a 1970 from either a Fairlane or Torino. The previous one owner of my motor says it's the one that came on the 460 Panther marine motor new in 1977. Why would they use a seven year old manifold design in building a motor for a high dollar boat (in 1977). Where they special in some way?

Your engine is a Ford 460 Marine motor that is essentially a stock 460 passenger car engine with a few differences. For one, the intake manifold on your motor indeed appears to be original, as the casting number is DOOE-9425-C and was cast on November 21, 1977. What you basically have there is a Cobra Jet intake manifold. The 429 Cobra Jet engine was available at the beginning of the decade only and many car enthusiasts consider your intake manifold to be rare. But actually quite a few were made because it was also a marine application manifold. This is why such an "old design" is original equipment on such a late engine. Auto emmissions regulations is what killed the Cobra Jet engine, but that was a great intake and so Ford continued to use it offshore. The D3VE-A2A heads are very common as a head casting. Your heads have 97cc combustion chambers, 2.08" intake valves and 1.65" exhaust valves. They are the lowest on the list of performance heads but can be made into decent heads nonetheless. Porting is required. That head casting first appeared on 1973 vehicles and ususally was drilled for smog pump passages. What's nice about the marine D3VE-A2A heads is that they are not drilled for the smog pump...same reason as the CJ intake manifold, because they were used offshore and therefore not subject to smog laws. Other than that, you engine is pretty much a passentger car engine. It likely has the Cobra jet connecting rods too, but they are not any stronger than the stock passenger car rods.

In stock trim and well tuned, you have perhaps 300HP with thru-transom exhaust, signficantly more with tubular OT headers, maybe over 325HP.

Paul

Thank You Paul, I very much appreciate your sharing your time and vast knowledge on Ford engines....thanks again!

300HP (perhaps) is not what I expected. That seems kinda weak for a BB gas drinker like this engine. I truly thought it would be somewhere around 375+. Many friends have 350 SBC that are putting out about 100HP more than my 460 BBF! As you know, the 455 Olds marine engine puts out 390HP. Guess I'll consider swapping out for an Olds marine (plentiful) and gain 100HP cheaper than messing with this BBF. Regardless, I thank the members of this forum for their time and excellent reading!

Originally posted by CV Gwin
Thank You Paul, I very much appreciate your sharing your time and vast knowledge on Ford engines....thanks again!

300HP (perhaps) is not what I expected. That seems kinda weak for a BB gas drinker like this engine. I truly thought it would be somewhere around 375+. Many friends have 350 SBC that are putting out about 100HP more than my 460 BBF! As you know, the 455 Olds marine engine puts out 390HP. Guess I'll consider swapping out for an Olds marine (plentiful) and gain 100HP cheaper than messing with this BBF. Regardless, I thank the members of this forum for their time and excellent reading!

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.)

The big block ford is going to put out big time torgue compared to the small blocks. Check that out also.

Hello there, Here's my situation. My buddy gave me a Glastron Carlson jet boat. It is an early 80's CVX 20, I think. It needs some work!!! It has a Berkeley jet drive in it that has supposedly been re-built. How can I make sure it is in good shape? Also, just coincidentally, it ran a 455 Olds. It blew up!! My buddy lost interest in the boat. I read your posts about Ford big blocks being reliable, cheap, and easy to hot rod. Will the jet drive hook up to a Ford motor or is it "set up" for an Olds? Also, have always been a fan of big block mopars. How to they stack up in the jet boat world? As you probably have gathered, I know nothing about jet boats, except that they look cool and float!! (I hope). Thank you!!

Originally posted by Neb
My buddy gave me a Glastron Carlson jet boat. It has a Berkeley jet drive in it that has been re-built. How can I make sure it is in good shape? Also, just coincidentally, it ran a 455 Olds. It blew up!! Will the jet drive hook up to a Ford motor or is it "set up" for an Olds? Also, have always been a fan of big block mopars. How to they stack up in the jet boat world? As you probably have gathered, I know nothing about jet boats, except that they look cool and float!! (I hope). Thank you!!

The Berkeley jet will bolt up to the Ford block, but you will need a coupler for the Ford (goes between the block and jet pump) to replace the Olds coupler. You will also need Ford Mounts, Ford exhaust, Ford this and Ford that. Same with a MoPar but the mopar marine parts are less available and more expensive as a result.

Your best bet is to be lucky enough to find a 460 motor our of a jet boat that has all the marine parts already included. Fact is that if this is your first boat, then it might be a good idea to find a running boat first and learn about what you're getting into. Boats are expensive as a rule.

The absolute cheapest thing to do with that CVX is to rebuild the existing Olds motor...but it will just blow up again...sorry.

Paul

My question is more about my own Reinell Boat. Its a 1988 King Cobra 460. Its rated at 330HP. Is this also basically a car engine placed in my boat or is it of more of a performance mode. Also what cold I do to increase the output of this engine... Thanks for looing.

Panhof,

Your motor is the same internally as the one I describe in my very first post on this thread. All the 460 Marine engines are about the same.

There are several things you could do to increase performance. As delivered the 460 Marine engine has low compression and increasing c/r ratio by way of swapping out heads and/or pistons helps a lot. Adding a camshaft to the increased compression helps also.

Unfortunately these mods require significant engine surgery for the average person; don't know your abilities but some external bolt-ons can help noticably, such as a bigger carbuetor like a 750 or 850 cfm (re-jetting mandatory!) and playing with your distributor's ignition timing (rejettting mandatory!).

Paul

Just send all that ford junk to me, u dont need that old 460,with that old cj intake,ill take it off ur hands,hehe!!!!Thats good stuff right there,mucho horses can be produced from those engines!!!

Originally Posted by CV Gwin

Thank You Paul, I very much appreciate your sharing your time and vast knowledge on Ford engines....thanks again!

300HP (perhaps) is not what I expected. That seems kinda weak for a BB gas drinker like this engine. I truly thought it would be somewhere around 375+. Many friends have 350 SBC that are putting out about 100HP more than my 460 BBF! As you know, the 455 Olds marine engine puts out 390HP. Guess I'll consider swapping out for an Olds marine (plentiful) and gain 100HP cheaper than messing with this BBF. Regardless, I thank the members of this forum for their time and excellent reading!

with some newer engineering from ford they now make a 460 SCJ which pushes out a little over 600 n/a that would be a nice build up, requires new heads, probably should replace with a forged crank and rods, some domed pistons, bigger cam and intake and you'll be pushing the same...... add a super charger to it and you can see 800hp in your boat

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 ?????

Paul Kane knows what hes talking about and provided valid technical info. Pat the chevy man on the other hand ............. I would provide pat with the link to a ford big block forum so he could make a informed rebutal........but after reading his reply I think conduct could be a issue if I did Pat knows what he is talking about when it comes to building chevy motors and has a shop and nice tools,but may not be up to speed on the latest Ford information.

so the cam hit the counterweight no they hit on if any on the side of the rods the case of the block will hit before the counterweight would hit the cam. swhanlee28 thanks for the nice comments and my tools have work on fords .i have a customer that hase a pull truck that eats 520+ fords and it a 496 kane needs to get up to speed on the chevys i am not saying you can not make fords run BUT if you think you are going to just run one over a chevy and i have no need to get up to speed on the fords i have work on them and valid technical info swhanlee28 you may want to look at my 1600 +post and read back thru some of them on big block chevys? . 600 hp can be done with stock gm big block stock stuff .new ford info?? i can not keep up with all the new chevys heads that have came out in the last two years so do you think the chevy info i know is old news?? why yes it may be 1965 is when they came out but i have built many over 540+ big block chevys and they had 750to 800 lift cams .oh they look better to. swhanlee28 are you selling your chevy truck?and if it was not for the cheap H beams bbc chevy rods you use and the rod bearings you could not cut down your cranks and do it on the cheap?