So, yeah, I really needed this...

Topic: So, yeah, I really needed this... (Read 2817 times) previous topic - next topic

So, yeah, I really needed this...

Reply #15 – September 01, 2007, 01:15:50 AM

305 heads plus 350 block equals 350HO
check it out.

So, yeah, I really needed this...

Reply #16 – September 01, 2007, 01:35:02 AM

i put myself in your shoes and i think i found my solution to the cherry picker if i lived there.

I would get up in the attic of that shop there in the background and s up a hardwood 4''x8''x16' beam up near the gable of the rafters.

Id mount it so that 10' ws inside and 6' stuck out. It would make a great tool for future engine pulls and you would have vertually no limit on how tall things are anymore. Youd just want to oil base paint it so it lasts a long time and having hardwood is a must.

Only you know how the upper rafter part of that shop is but your an engineer type,, you can figure out lumber bracing and all the dynamics of making a decent lift point using that bulding.

The bonus is that this puts the boat near all our tools. I know you gotta have some sort of beam lying around or at a local sawmill.

i put a circle on your pic where im talking about. The engine really aint all that much weight , the trick is bracing and using your already vertically and inclined rafters and the horizontal 2x strap which are already opposing eachother where they meet at the top. Thats called a triangle,, and they are strong.

so what if you got something sticking out of the shop from now on,, put a canadian flag up on it. im sure no ones gonna bump their head on it either. All i can say is you better get on her before it gets too cold.

So, yeah, I really needed this...

Reply #17 – September 01, 2007, 02:28:31 AM

heres how id do the beam,, sorry for the sloppy drawing.

i didnt include any gables inbetween the first and last one cause they can be transitioned from the upward force to the downward force as illustrated. The blue and red shows new lumber.

So, yeah, I really needed this...

Reply #18 – September 01, 2007, 02:17:43 PM

Quote from: 88turbo;173759

skip the 350 and go 454 :hick:

he could but then the special manifolds wont work for the big block and those things arent cheep. also it may not fit . thats why small block chevys get used cheep and replaced ez. bc im sure if he checked the oil in that thing it's blacker than black thats a problem with boats it's tough to change the oil in them.

So, yeah, I really needed this...

Reply #19 – September 01, 2007, 02:50:50 PM

are you sure its a points distributor? That engine is a centerbolt bolt valve cover engine so 87 and newer. And none of the centerbolt engines used the big HEI, they had a small cap HEI with a remote mounted coil. But its a boat. More than likely that is a roller engine..

So, yeah, I really needed this...

Reply #20 – September 01, 2007, 07:13:31 PM

The boat is newer than I thought it was (apparently it's early 90's, I was thinking early 80's) but it's definitely a points-style distributor. You can see the old-style "canister" coil atop the engine, next to the port-side manifold. The guy at the marine shop told my uncle he couldn't put an HEI in because it would screw up the shift solenoids. Personally, I don't believe that. I don't know anything at all about stern drives and very little about marine engines (but I do know car engines, which a 305 first and foremost is, and an engine's an engine as far as basic operation goes anyway) but I do know electronics, and I'd bet that if the shift solenoids are relying on any signal from the points at all it'd be a simple tach signal. I fully intend on looking into it, because I'd much rather have an electronic distributor in there (and it isn't even my frickin' boat!)

Scott: That beam/arm coming out of the garage is a fine idea, but it'd be a bigger project than actually swapping the boat engine, and another project is exactly what I don't need :hick: I've decided a pair of tripods (one on each side of the boat) and a beam between them with a chain lift hanging from it should suffice...

Cougarcoupe88: Good point with the manifolds AND with the "not fitting" - look at that space between the water pump pulley and the bulkhead, there ain't no way a big block is gonna fit in that hole. Can't make a hole in the bulkhead because it's actually one of the gas tank walls.

So, yeah, I really needed this...

Reply #21 – September 01, 2007, 08:45:00 PM

About 10 yrs ago, I put an engine into a friends boat after his son changed the oil and forgot to tighten the drain plug.......scratch 1 GM 305. I went to a place that built marine engines and I picked up a 350 instead of a replacement 305, the friend wanted bigger engine and the extra cost was minimal. We were told that pretty much the only differences between a car engine and a marine engine was the cam design and the marine engines had brass expansion plugs, and that reverse rotation wasn't usually used on single engine setups. Mainly with twin engines to counter a torque issue. Just my .02

So, yeah, I really needed this...

Reply #22 – September 02, 2007, 03:36:14 AM

the cams used in mairine engines are just pure tourque. as you run the engine in rpm ranges no trans to shift to the next gear like in a car.
we contimplated putting that "marine" cam into the "rebuilt"(new crank) 305 in my pickup when i owned it. to just have it be an monster for tourqe but we also said a 327 instead of 305 but this never happened in the long run as it was just gonna be a BEATER.

So, yeah, I really needed this...

Reply #23 – September 04, 2007, 11:46:55 PM

Probably a little too late here, but I have taken apart a few Mercuriser and Volvo Penta Stearn drives.

Both use "marinized" GM engines. Marinized meaning that they are equipped to handle prolonged high rpms better than a typical GM truck engine. For example my boats 4.3L Merc runs 4500 at cruizing speed and the 4.3L in my blazer red lines at 4000. I believe (not 100% sure) the the crank, cam and bearings are different than a typical GM engine. Only dual engine boats have the port engine running backwards, to even out the torsional forces of the prop rotating.

I once overheated my marine 4.3 to the point of cracking both heads, and did not damage the pistons. We just slapped new heads on and were back on the water the next weekend. So I would suggest that you tear this engine apart, and if need be send her to the machine shop go .030 over and rebuild. Unless installing a 5.7L is appealing (it would be to me).

Another word of caution: once you replace the engine don't forget the new impeller. It would be a shame to cook another motor for a little rubber part that is $11 at Canadian Tire :) And for the future, Mercruiser recommends the impeller be replaced every 500hrs, it is the most common inboard failure point, and likely the root cause of your overheating problem.

So, yeah, I really needed this...

Reply #24 – September 05, 2007, 09:43:51 AM

That's the sickening part... there's a brand new impeller sitting in the sink in the cabin. He knew (was told by marine shop) that the old one was weak and just didn't get around to installing it :hick: