I Need A Shrink !

[BigLew]

Strick,

Chris Downey put a Big block in his- a merc unit. He can probably fill you in on some of the obvious questions/challenges of doing so. Check it out over on the Gallery page.

[strick]

Chris Downey put a Big block in his- a merc unit. He can probably fill you in on some of the obvious questions/challenges of doing so. Check it out over on the Gallery page.

Does anyone know what Chris goes by on this site? I'm trying to research his engine install.

strick

[thehermit]

Sceptre right....

Water_Rat

[strick]

Thanks Hermit

strick

[ggreeby]

Check with a good Volvo rep. as to how mutch HP the out drive can with stand. Due to the change in Crankshafts in'85/'86 on Chev Motors, if you chose to repower with a Chev, the newer coupling to driveshaft will be required. As well as an Electric Fuel pump system. Good Luck. George.

[Water Rat]

Strick,

Chris here. My apologies for not responding sooner and for being absent from the board lately - must remember to keep my priorities straight. I would be happy to help in any way I can; e-mail me at cdowney@harbormortgage.com or try my cell at 617-594-1162. I think following this project unfold be more addicting than watching the Soprano's series. Good luck and look forward to hearing from you.
Chris

[strick]

Thanks fellas for all the help. We are going to pull the engine tomorrow. Mechanic found two cracks in the top of both manifolds. I want the engine out so I can clean up the bilge etc.. If I keep the 350 I want to do it up right which would entail new manifolds and risers, re doing the heads, electronic ignition, fresh water cooled and a few other gadgets. He has a 2 454 mercruisers sitting in crates at his shop (one is a factory rebuild and has less the 100 hrs) with all the bells and whistles already for a very good price. So we are discussing the pros and cons of both applications in terms of labor and $$ spent on parts. My mechanic tells me that the 290 out drive will handle the 454 ok. Will post more pictures soon.

Chris I will be in touch.

strick

[strick]

Moving along. We removed the engine on Friday. Outdrive is in excellent condition with no corrosion. We are replacing the seal and bellows. The engine looks OK but is a little rough especially under the oil pan as there was some rust there. We will know more after we take off the heads.





Another shot of the hull




It's been wet and foggy here in N. Cal and the sun has not shown itself in my neck of the woods for over 2 weeks!



I moved the cap into the shop were I can begin doing some glass work. Yes I did have to do some grinding myself as there were lots of spider cracks and holes that needed to be carefully ground down. I'll post more close ups as I begin to fill those. I will be using vinyl ester for most of the glass work however I may use some epoxy in the bilge area were the motor was.



Another shot of the tower



I like the looks of the one on this Scepter





I think I will modify the existing tower which has a visor type extension and make it look similar to the one you see on the scepter. This will also give it more support and add two more legs that mount to the front of the cap.

More to come

strick

[BigLew]

"Here we go again", AGAIN!!!! Can it get ANY better? We'll see.

I love it!!!