Hi, this is my first post and my first gas engine project. Please excuse me if the questions seem stupid.
I'm pulling 1988 460 engine out of the boat to do some transom repairs and want to update the engine during the winter while it's out.
Currently, the engine seems to run ok, and my most efficient RPM is 3600
I usually run at 3600 RPM for 1-2 hours at a time and then at idle (650 RPM) for 10-15 minutes while docking in the marina.
I'm not concerned about any other RPM ranges because I don't use those.
The goal of this upgrade is to get better torque between 3200 to 3700 RPM, so I can use a higher-pitched prop while still able to reach ~4400 RPM at WOT
This should help me get a reasonable fuel consumption, which is important for me.
I don't need to get 1000HP out of this engine.
So far, I did the basics:
After reading some old posts on OMC 460 here, I see people were porting the original heads, changing heads to aluminum, and changing cams. But most posts are very old and don't have a follow-up to know if it helped with anything.
So my question:
What changes would you recommend to get noticeably better torque in my RPM range of 3200-3700?
Port original heads or get new aluminum? Which supplier would you recommend?
Get a new cam? Which one?
Is there a complete performance set for 460 I can buy that has matching components, so money are not wasted on experimentation and components that do not work together?
Thanks in advance
I'm pulling 1988 460 engine out of the boat to do some transom repairs and want to update the engine during the winter while it's out.
Currently, the engine seems to run ok, and my most efficient RPM is 3600
I usually run at 3600 RPM for 1-2 hours at a time and then at idle (650 RPM) for 10-15 minutes while docking in the marina.
I'm not concerned about any other RPM ranges because I don't use those.
The goal of this upgrade is to get better torque between 3200 to 3700 RPM, so I can use a higher-pitched prop while still able to reach ~4400 RPM at WOT
This should help me get a reasonable fuel consumption, which is important for me.
I don't need to get 1000HP out of this engine.
So far, I did the basics:
- a new 550 Holley Marine carb 1450
- new high-performance spark plug wires
- new spark plugs
- new OEM coil
- I played with ignition timing a bit and got better performance with a TT of 36, but that puts my initial timing at 14, and the engine is hard to start or restart. I'll probably put in progression ignition distributor so I can customize the curve.
After reading some old posts on OMC 460 here, I see people were porting the original heads, changing heads to aluminum, and changing cams. But most posts are very old and don't have a follow-up to know if it helped with anything.
So my question:
What changes would you recommend to get noticeably better torque in my RPM range of 3200-3700?
Port original heads or get new aluminum? Which supplier would you recommend?
Get a new cam? Which one?
Is there a complete performance set for 460 I can buy that has matching components, so money are not wasted on experimentation and components that do not work together?
Thanks in advance
