Hello guys i was wondering if anyone has ever don this kinda swap and has any advice. I gave a boat that had been sitting for a few years to my boss to use as a paintball bunker. I recently asked him if i would be able to pull the 460 out of it and he said it was ok. I still need to make sure that its a 460 but that what i believe it is. The truck it will go into is an 1982 f-150. I know that i would need a different clutch and bell housing and probably motor mounts.

If anyone has any advice i would sure appreciate it.

Thanks

 

I had a buddy who bought a K5 Blazer with a 454 out of a boat. The damn thing shook itself to death... apparently boat motors spin backwards and trucks don't like that.

 

backwards??? mmm never heard that before. ive heard they have higher compression and higher performance sometimes but i havnt heard about them spining backwards. What would that do to the tranny and power train?

 

some boat motors spin backwards. it wouldn't cause a shaking, but you would have 1 forward speed and a bunch of reverse speeds.

On a single motor boat there's a good cahnce it spins the right way (but no guarantee), on twin motor boats one spins each way so to balance prop wash and minimize vibrations.

Make sure it spins the right way, if it does you're still probably going to have to put a cam in it. boat motors are made to run right at a specific RPM, not like truck motors that have to run well over a wide range of RPM.

If it spins the wrong way you can make it spin the right way with the correct camshaft, but if it spins backwards you're going to want to do a total rebuild before even thinking about putting it in any vehicle at all.

 

A boat engine shouldn't shake. They are pretty much balanced and blueprinted from the factory. A reverse rotation engine is only different in the cam, nothing else, but a single engine boat should be standard rotation.

You're going to need a 460 bell, clutch, mounts, etc. I'd recommend going with 83+ F250/350 factory stuff instead of the aftermarket stuff. For the flywheel, you will need to verify if the engine is internal or external balance, if it's internal, you will need to run a 390 flywheel, or one of the aftermarket ones, or have a factory 460 flywheel re-balanced.

 

Most V-8 "boat motors" are just the same as the motors they put in cars and trucks. Besides why on earth would a vehicle factory tool up to make an engine run in reverse rotation? It just doesn't make good economical sense. All the boats I have worked on be it inboard V-8, 4 cyl, or 6 cyl using a water jet propulsion system all turn in the counter clockwise direction (That's to the right like most cars and trucks). So you shouldn't have any trouble putting this "boat motor" into your truck. Geez some people just really scare me!

 

Reverse rotation engines are common on dual engine propeller boats, it is a requirement so the boat actually will go straight.
As for just being standard production engines, those installed by mercury marine, OMC etc from the factory are not your average run of the mill production line engine. Castinsg are the same, but, they are assembled to much tighter tolerances balance wise due to how much vibration would be transmitted to the hull, and due to the extent of time they spend at higher rpm.

 

ok well it's a single engine boat. I don't know the year or maker of the boat but I'll find that out.

 

yeah it's a single engine boat. I don't know the year or maker of the boat right now but I'll find that out. One thing I've also heard are that boat motors usually have higher compression and higher performance that normal engines. Is this true or are people just talkin?

 

I don't think any "boat engine" is built any differently than any production engine unless of course it's a race boat and in that case the motor would be built similar to the high performance engines in race cars. I know several people in the boat business and they all tell me the same thing that the boat factories such as, OMC, Volvo-Penta, Merc-cruiser, etc all use regular production engines and there is nothing special or different about them internally. If vibration was such an issue in boats than they would also vibrate in whatever production vehicle they were placed in as well. Sorry your argument doesn't hold any water. I've been turning wrenches for over 30 years and have worked on everything from lawn mower engines to big Caterpillar tractor engines and everything in between so I do know what I'm talking about.

 

ok that's for the info guys. I'm gunna try and get ahold of the guy to look at the boat more and see when it was built and all that other good stuff

 

I've re-blocked a few marine 350's, and in the process, checked the balance, the rod weights, piston weights, etc are identical, in your average automotive engine they are usually within tolerances, but, I've yet to pull apart one that was matched like the marine engines. Stuff like a windage tray and a bigger sump pan which are there for higher rpm operation is typical, as is a midrange cam, which is more aggressive than your standard oem stuff(The first 302HO cam started out as a marine 351W cam.)

None of that really means much when you put it in a truck, it'll work just fine.

 

A word of caution, down here in Florida people usually never properly flush out marine engines so they start rusting up from the inside cooling passages! Unless that engine seen only fresh water usage or is a sealed coolant system, check it over really good! There are some diffrences bewteen marine and automotive engines, I found out the hard way on trying to use a mer-cruser 4cyc engine in a buggy. Some mounting holes are not there(totaly missing on block)and crank has a diffrent bolt pattern for the flywheel than the automotive.

 

ok thanks again for the advice. If anyone else has any that would be pretty helpful too.

 

Some Chevy boat motors I've fiddled with have a weird cam in them. They're meant for sustained mid to high RPM. They seem to dog a bit lower in a car, but the 460 may have enough torque that they used a drop in motor. Chevy boat motors are also made with more nickle in the block for a more durable casting. They're more desired by roundy round racers limited to a stock block. I know the Chevy info doesn't apply directly. It may help to check a boat forum.
I think if they have a direct drive, like a V hull Ski Boats, they use reverse rotation. If there is an out drive, this usually has a standard config motor. It has to do with the standard curve of props. You are supposed to be able to tell by the starter, but can't recall how. Boat motors also have different alternators and carbs, but that's to prevent a spark in the closed engine compartment, which could fill up with gas vapors. The exhaust manifolds are alos liquid cooled, but you wouldn't use those