1977 Stamas with 351W and Mercruiser Outdrive?

[LastCall1983]

I bought a 1977 stamas cuddy cabin boat a few weeks ago. After changing the starter solenoid and tracing wiring, etc i finally got it to start up and idle pretty good. I noticed the shift cables weren't connected. The guy i bought the boat from said it has been sitting about 3 years. I tried to hook up the cables, but the cable that goes to the actual outdrive will not move in or out. It's like it's frozen. Any suggestions as to what i can do to see if it's the cable or the actual outdrive?

The steering cable is also frozen, so i'm hoping it's just the cable. I'm new to outdrives (last boat was a jet boat) but have pretty good mechanic skills. just don't want to screw anything up lol.

Any advice would be appreciated...I plan on slowly restoring everything once i get it running and get to use it a little. Also i THINK the outdrive is a mercruiser, as there is no markings on it.. I'm going to attach a photo of it here. Motor is a 351W

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: 1977 Stamas with 351W and Mercruiser Outdrive?

Well, you can try some penetrating oil on the cables to see if it will free them up, but the only way to tell for sure on the outdrive is to remove the outdrive (8 bolts) and turn the shift shaft yourself. It would probably be a good idea to have the lower shift cable (the one you say is frozen) replaced, as well as the shift cable bellows, u-joint bellows, and exhaust bellows/tube. Those are all normal maintenance items, and aren't too terribly expensive to do. If the shift cable or u-joint bellows are torn, it will let water into the boat and could sink it if the tear is bad enough.

As far as the steering is concerned, you should be able to disconnect the steering arm from the cable to test the outdrive movement separate from the cable. There are a few grease zerks on the cable attachment part, and one on the top of the gimbal housing as seen in your picture. There are also two zerks for the outdrive hinge pins located where the bell housing pivots at the gimbal ring. You may find one more grease zerk on the starboard side of the gimbal housing around the middle, that is for the gimbal bearing, and requires a different type of grease than the other zerks.

Just for reference, what you have is likely the Mercruiser 233. It's a 233HP Ford 351w paired with an MC-1 outdrive (1.32 ratio). You should pick up a Mercruiser service manual for your setup to help you identify and service a lot of the items you are seeing.

 

[LastCall1983]

Re: 1977 Stamas with 351W and Mercruiser Outdrive?

Ok thanks. I was afraid I'd have to pull the drive.. It may not be as big a job as it seems but I'm just weary of it because the jet pump on my other boat was such a pain to replace. I'll check into the pricing of the parts you suggested and also i'll try and find a manual. is there a gasket or rubber i'll need to replace when reinstalling the drive?

I did disconnect the steering cable from the drive and the drive will turn easily side to side so I'm assuming it's the cable is frozen up inside of that cast iron guide tube. I'll disconnect it from the helm and and see if i can tap it out of the tube then wire brush it out, lube it up, etc.

Thanks for the information.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: 1977 Stamas with 351W and Mercruiser Outdrive?

Disconnecting the drive is no big deal. You will want to grease the u-joints on the driveshaft yoke (attached to the drive) while you have it off, too. Two nuts on the trim ram pin, 6 nuts on the outdrive studs, and put the gear selector in FWD, and pull off the drive. With your gear selector frozen, you might have to use a pair of pliers to turn the shift shaft into the FWD position, which is located on the front of the outdrive in the pocket where the upper/lower parts of the outdrive meet.

You will need to order an outdrive mounting kit, which includes the gaskets you need. One paper gasket for the bell housing, a rubber o-ring for the water inlet, and a large o-ring for the seal into the driveshaft/u-joint area. If you are going to do the bellows and such (and you should), you need this transom seal kit. It includes all of the bellows, o-rings, clamps, and seals you need to ensure the boat is ready to go from a preventative maintenance standpoint on the drive.

http://www.iboats.com/Transom-Seal-...9335804--session_id.140858607--view_id.187683

 

[LastCall1983]

Re: 1977 Stamas with 351W and Mercruiser Outdrive?

Thanks for the link and info. I will definitely be replacing everything that is suggested to keep from having to tear it back down after one or two outings.

I bought this as a project boat knowing it would need some work i was just hoping i wouldn't have to pour a ton of sweat and money into it. So far Including the carburetor I only have about $500 in it.