Thread: 460 Panther Marinetec motor

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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