Re: Instructional video on Mercruiser 3.0L Alpha I Gen II bellows install
Well...I was hoping for constructive criticism so thanks BajaDan. I am sure there are easier ways to do this daunting task and if you?re a professional mechanic you might have found a preference in which you do the job.
As far as the "benefit" of the video, I found myself needing to replace the bellows on my boat. I have this much $$ and a marine mechanic charges this much $$$ to get the job done. I did a little homework in order to see if the job is possible for the "first timer" and I find YouTube a valuable source of education in several other projects I take on myself.
If someone needing to perform the same job in in my position, these are the benefits they might find watching the video:
-Proves an ordinary guy can accomplish this task in the garage.
-Gives an order of sequence in which the components are installed that clearly works.
-Gives an idea of what kind of tools are going to be required to perform this maintenance.
-Proves the maintenance CAN be done without the ridiculously priced Mercruiser tools.
-Shows there are some other required maintenance you must perform in order to accomplish the job and gives the viewer another idea of what the cost of this project is going to be.
-Shows the viewer a proven method of installation with handmade tools that require a little ingenuity but makes the hardest portion of this particular job easily performed and saves the individual from having to brainstorm to come up with said tools.
These are just a hand full of "benefits" that are coursing through my mind at the moment. Can you image if there were an instructional video for every task you needed to perform but have never done before? It would make being a boat owner a hell of a lot easier
My goal in putting the video up in a boating forum was to have some experience take a look and let me know if there was any blatant disregard to a specific step that I could include in the video to help the "first timer" out a bit in his venture into a project not worth spending $4-500 if its something one can do themselves.
My total cost out of pocket came to about $200. I was quoted close to $500 in parts and labor depending on how good of shape the outdrive and gimbal housing/bearing was in. I am confident in saying the $300+ I saved myself was worth the time I put into the project. I'm hoping the video I made will give the next guy the same confidence.
