460 Ford engine

[Statue]

I have a 21' Charger jet. So far, nothing but a headache! i need to install a new engine and i am wondering what you guys think about the 460 Ford. Good or Bad. Looking for a reliable 50mph cruiser boat, not a 1/4 mile boat.
I know that a stock 460 is a cast crank, I figure that it will only see aroud 4500 rpm. Any help is appreciated.

[Squirtcha?]

Do it up. Lots of us running the BBFs. For the speeds you're talking about, you could build a bone stock 460 and it'd last ya for many years.

[396_WAYS_TO_SPIT]

Do it up. Lots of us running the BBFs. For the speeds you're talking about, you could build a bone stock 460 and it'd last ya for many years.
Amen!!!!

[mgar_red]

Original factory stock Indmar w/ original parts ( starter rebuilt ) on a heavy laid '78 Taylor gettin' a few tenths shy of 60 gps. Reliable?... I'd have to say so. Fast?... Enough for me when my eyes dry out from a run.

[SB]

460 Fords are great. That crank is better than you think. We've had $100 junkyard engines we put in the boat that ran great for years. What do you have now?

[IMPATIENT 1]

I have a 21' Charger jet. So far, nothing but a headache! i need to install a new engine and i am wondering what you guys think about the 460 Ford. Good or Bad. Looking for a reliable 50mph cruiser boat, not a 1/4 mile boat.
I know that a stock 460 is a cast crank, I figure that it will only see aroud 4500 rpm. Any help is appreciated.
i work for general motors and run bbf's.my own personal opinion is that they stay together longer and can take more abuse.i've had several bbc's and they didn't last long.
just my 2 pennies :idea:

[460 jus getn it]

i work for general motors and run bbf's.my own personal opinion is that they stay together longer and can take more abuse.i've had several bbc's and they didn't last long.
just my 2 pennies :idea:
now thats a good man.........i ran my ford to 5100rpm the first 5 min and its still going strong...................... :D :D the parts may be more $ but when i get on it i know it will last..................

[SmokinLowriderSS]

I'm a chevy guy, but only give the Fords a hard time in good nature. The 460 is a good motor for what you want, and the cast crank will take more than you think at modest RPM levels. IMO, the biggest killer of a cast crank (pistons too) is trying to spin them too fast. The torsional stresses from 6,000RPM and the acceleration/decelerations of the pistons get insane at those revs & above. Occasional SHORT trips there survivable, want to live there, need forgings.
I've been running a 454 (stock Indmar 330HP till last winter when I started upgrading it) since 1978 with cast pistons & crank. SHe's seen a LOT of arround 5K (up to 5300RPM) with never a whimper. Just rebuilt it, only thing bad was the lower bearings worn out.
You could likely run up a 9.5:1 460, apropriate cam, good heads, good exhaust & intake, right size carb, generate well over 400HP and maybe see a good 60mph from the 21'er, even on cast parts, and be as reliable as a stone. Fit an impeller to it to allow you to top rev arround 5,000+ and should be solid IMO.

[Hot Rod Hallett]

Running a stroked 460 in my Hallett. Great motor. My old 365 horse 460 was bulletproof too. Good motors. They run hard and run all day long.

[Tresguey]

hey statue why didn't you tell everyone the name of your boat was "Limp Wood"? :D

[LakesOnly]

I know that a stock 460 is a cast crank, I figure that it will only see around 4500 rpm.
The stock 460 crank is underrated. The virtues of its design and materials makeup will allow a lightly prepared one to sustain your desired 4500 rpm for perhaps one million hours.
I know of well-prepped ones that run at twice that rpm.
LO

[FILUCKY]

I've run BBF's in both of my boats and all of my work trucks and have always been very happy.

[USMCpfc04]

i have a 460 on my 22' biez day cruiser, its prolly the best engine i have ever run, turn key motor all day, 50-55mph. never a problem with it

[IMPATIENT 1]

Original factory stock Indmar w/ original parts ( starter rebuilt ) on a heavy laid '78 Taylor gettin' a few tenths shy of 60 gps. Reliable?... I'd have to say so. Fast?... Enough for me when my eyes dry out from a run.
when i got my 78 taylor sj nothing had been done to oe engine(460).i stuck a healthy cam,rpm intake,and 150 shot on it.got drunk and stupid a few times and just gave it hell!!it held together.in may ,before rebuild,i took it to the lake,opened the bottle and was intent on melting it for fun.ran a 10 pd bottle out in 20mins and it still held together.took it apart for rebuild and nothing
was wrong.stock pistons looked great and bore was perfect.took it to machine shop for boring.got call next day and machinist said he recommended just a good deglazed honing to achieve the clearence my new pistons needed for nitrous.try this with a bbc and see what happens.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

when i got my 78 taylor sj nothing had been done to oe engine(460).i stuck a healthy cam,rpm intake,and 150 shot on it.got drunk and stupid a few times and just gave it hell!!it held together.in may ,before rebuild,i took it to the lake,opened the bottle and was intent on melting it for fun.ran a 10 pd bottle out in 20mins and it still held together.took it apart for rebuild and nothing
was wrong.stock pistons looked great and bore was perfect.took it to machine shop for boring.got call next day and machinist said he recommended just a good deglazed honing to achieve the clearence my new pistons needed for nitrous.try this with a bbc and see what happens.
Ummmmmmmmmm Well, lessee ......... 454 chevy, stock cast crank & Pistons, from 1978. Been running 75 Horse N2O on top of her 330HP Indmar rating since 1979, No telling how many hundreds of pounds she swallowed over the decades, on loooooong (3 minuite) runs too. The Nitroused RPM was running 5,300 solid as stone, 4850 dry. Rebuilt last winter, cammed, RPM Air Gap, all the Cylinders needed was a hone to deglaze, all the crank needed was a LIGHT polish. Was turnkey solid all the time.
I made a few changes as I am pushing her toward 600HP.
Now try that with a non-hemi mopar .................. :D

[Squirtin Thunder]

BBF engines are about the most durable on this planet !!! :idea:

[396_WAYS_TO_SPIT]

BBF engines are about the most durable on this planet !!! :idea:
some leak oil but they do run good;)

[Squirtin Thunder]

some leak oil but they do run good;)
Some melt pistons but run good on 7 cyls.

[396_WAYS_TO_SPIT]

jim, did u get my pm?

[Squirtin Thunder]

jim, did u get my pm?
Yes I did !!!
I will have that for you asap tonight !!!

[Tresguey]

yeah i would say that Fords are pretty reliable. like his last 460 in that daycruiser ran great!!!! until it came unglued!!! LMAO! with what? 3 hours on it?

[spectratoad]

The paperwork on my 460 shows the rebuild done in 1984. It is the original engine in my 77 Spectra. When I did the top end gaskets 2 years ago the cylinders still had the hone marks, pistons nice and shiney on top, still no leaks and burns maybe one quart of oil a season.
Except for the gaskets I have never had to turn a wrench on this motor and even then the gaskets were replaced only because I thought it was a good thing to do while the motor was out while I did the interior. :cool:

[stashtrey]

I have a 460 as well... all stock from my '77 Spectra.
I have a question though... I think my tach might be faulty.... it sticks and I'm not sure it is giving me an accurate read. What is too high an rpm to run on this motor? When I get under way, out of the hole, it takes a lot to get on plane... I've pushed it to over 5500 according to my tach. I have this feeling it is reading too high. According to my tach the engine idles at about 1800 rpm.... but it doesn't sound like its idling that high.
Spectratoad- we have the same setup...same boat. What do you idle at and how high do you turn that motor? I'm curious... I don't want to fry my engine.

[Squirtin Thunder]

I have a 460 as well... all stock from my '77 Spectra.
I have a question though... I think my tach might be faulty.... it sticks and I'm not sure it is giving me an accurate read. What is too high an rpm to run on this motor? When I get under way, out of the hole, it takes a lot to get on plane... I've pushed it to over 5500 according to my tach. I have this feeling it is reading too high. According to my tach the engine idles at about 1800 rpm.... but it doesn't sound like its idling that high.
Spectratoad- we have the same setup...same boat. What do you idle at and how high do you turn that motor? I'm curious... I don't want to fry my engine.
Chances are your tach is off. Mine when it was stock would only turn a Berk "A" impeller to 4800 and I had headers on it. If your spinning 5500 out of the hole your cavatating the pump. My 460 idels at about 900rpms and is not stock. I believe a stock 460 should idle around, if everything is right, 750rpms.
I think an inducer and a angle iron loader would help your boat then again the HTP shoe and ride plate would help a ton too, all the way around.
Jim

[stashtrey]

Jim- would replacing the tach be a difficult job? I've never done anything like that. could I just find a replacement and swap it out without chaning any of the wiring? Also... how can I adjust the idle? Could my choke having anything to do with the idle?
Sorry... I know I'm a newb.
My brother mentioned that it definitely didn't sound like it was idling at 1800 rpms. I also noticed that when I turn the motor off, the tach will stick sometimes. I imagine its just a bogus tach.

[Squirtin Thunder]

Real easy job, most good tachs have pritty good instructions. I will be up after labor day weekend so I could help you if you want.
One thing is to try and get one that is as close to your other guages in style so it doesn't look like an after thought.
Rex Marine has a good selection also.

[stashtrey]

You know... I'm thinking of just replacing them all. I'd like to have a volt meter instead of the amp meter I have. They are old guages. I might just buy a set and do them all at the same time. I also bought a new engine wiring harness from cpperformance that I'd like to install over the winter. I guess I'll just wait it out until the season is over and add this to my other list of things to do on the boat.
Thanks for your help!!

[bmadison31]

The biggest problem I've had with a 460 is breaking rods. Stepped up to a Scat stroker crank and big chevy H-beam rods and haven't had a problem yet.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

I also noticed that when I turn the motor off, the tach will stick sometimes. I imagine its just a bogus tach.
My new tach stays at whatever speed it was at when I kill the ignition, but my tach is designed to. upon turning the key back on, the needle drops to zero.

[IMPATIENT 1]

The biggest problem I've had with a 460 is breaking rods. Stepped up to a Scat stroker crank and big chevy H-beam rods and haven't had a problem yet.
i spin the hell outta some eagle h-beam 460 rods without a prob.i've come outta water a few times and seen over 8000 on the tach.scares the hell outta ya but they seem to hold up well.always h-beam it!