I'm sure this question has been asked many times! I looked back in forum history after history and couldn't find an answer.
I recently bought my first Jet boat with the intensions of building a new engine for piece of mind. I found and bought a 1978 Tahiti with the 460 packajet. Berkeley 12JC pump, all new interior, gauges, cables, a decsent paint job. I paid only $1500 including the trailer and new engine parts. The guy I bought it from said The issue with the engine was it had blown while breaking in the cam. He thought maybe the valves were adjusted wrong.?. I didn't care cause I was going to build another engine anyway. When I disassembled the blown engine to salvage the pistons I found more metal in the pan than ZZ Top has on there beards. The cam was completely flat and one of the main cap bolts wasn't torqued. I remember him saying he's built quite a few engines and didn't know what happend. I found so many other things wrong with this "so called fresh" engine it made me sick. The original engine was rebuilt with K.B. pistons .030, Edelbrock performer RPM manifold, a single 750 Holly, a decsent flat tappit extreme marine comp cam, a Miloden 10qt pan, stock heads with a valve job and double springs, roller rockers....
So I am in the process of machining a virgin 460 and had both engines at my machinists shop. Two days later my machinist got so sick he had to stay in the hospital for 6 weeks and it didn't look good. So in a panic I bought another "so called fresh" engine that was out of a lincoln. It too supposedly had KB pistons with all the extras. I figured I would have something to start with and try and make one good engine and sell the other parts to recupe some cash. The newest engine came with the MSD 8350 pro billet ready to run distributor, an MSD 6AL control box, an MSD Blaster coil, an MSD 130 amp one wire billet altenator and a set of March power pullies. As well as another Miloden pan.
Which leads me to ask my question (sorry for the long story).... I am seeing mixed opinions all over different sites saying that the ignition will or will not work in a boat. I know the vacuum advance is no good for jets but it has a lockout. The control box really isn't needed. This distributor looks way better and safer than the original point dist. that was in the boat and what did they used to use before the "marine dist came out? Isn't there parts I could throw on or send the dist back to MSD for an upgrade?
Should I sell everything and start fresh with the marine MSD ignition or will this system work and be leagal? I'm in California by the way.
Thank you!
Tony
I recently bought my first Jet boat with the intensions of building a new engine for piece of mind. I found and bought a 1978 Tahiti with the 460 packajet. Berkeley 12JC pump, all new interior, gauges, cables, a decsent paint job. I paid only $1500 including the trailer and new engine parts. The guy I bought it from said The issue with the engine was it had blown while breaking in the cam. He thought maybe the valves were adjusted wrong.?. I didn't care cause I was going to build another engine anyway. When I disassembled the blown engine to salvage the pistons I found more metal in the pan than ZZ Top has on there beards. The cam was completely flat and one of the main cap bolts wasn't torqued. I remember him saying he's built quite a few engines and didn't know what happend. I found so many other things wrong with this "so called fresh" engine it made me sick. The original engine was rebuilt with K.B. pistons .030, Edelbrock performer RPM manifold, a single 750 Holly, a decsent flat tappit extreme marine comp cam, a Miloden 10qt pan, stock heads with a valve job and double springs, roller rockers....
So I am in the process of machining a virgin 460 and had both engines at my machinists shop. Two days later my machinist got so sick he had to stay in the hospital for 6 weeks and it didn't look good. So in a panic I bought another "so called fresh" engine that was out of a lincoln. It too supposedly had KB pistons with all the extras. I figured I would have something to start with and try and make one good engine and sell the other parts to recupe some cash. The newest engine came with the MSD 8350 pro billet ready to run distributor, an MSD 6AL control box, an MSD Blaster coil, an MSD 130 amp one wire billet altenator and a set of March power pullies. As well as another Miloden pan.
Which leads me to ask my question (sorry for the long story).... I am seeing mixed opinions all over different sites saying that the ignition will or will not work in a boat. I know the vacuum advance is no good for jets but it has a lockout. The control box really isn't needed. This distributor looks way better and safer than the original point dist. that was in the boat and what did they used to use before the "marine dist came out? Isn't there parts I could throw on or send the dist back to MSD for an upgrade?
Should I sell everything and start fresh with the marine MSD ignition or will this system work and be leagal? I'm in California by the way.
Thank you!
Tony