What engine blocks will fit my 350 Mercruiser?

[Bayliner Guy]

Hello, I just bought a 1996 bayliner capri 2050 and when i changed the oil i saw it had water in it. So long story short. I'm looking for a long engine block and i don't know what year chevy will fit it? Thanks.

 

[wnaplay]

Re: What engine blocks will fit my 350 Mercruiser?

Are you suggesting you might use a car engine in place of a marine motor?

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: What engine blocks will fit my 350 Mercruiser?

Depends on how many bolts are in your intake. If there is 8 then it is a Vortec and if you wanna use your accessories you will need to find a Vortec Longblock. If you have 16 bolts then just about any early 350 will fit. Be careful if you plan to buy a used engine. I got screwed on one. He claimed it was a low hour engine and it turned out to have a dead cylinder.

You might be able to rebuild yours for cheaper than buying another. I wish I had done that before I started buying engines. I wasted a ton of time and money on that when if I had just rebuilt mine it would have been in the water several weeks ago and for less money.

 

[Alpheus]

Re: What engine blocks will fit my 350 Mercruiser?

If you have 16 bolts then just about any early 350 will fit.

Wrong.

I could put a set of Vortec heads on a 283 from the 60's or put a set of bowties on a on a 1996 block.

Engines with a 2 piece and 1 piece rear main seal are different. Intake manifold has nothing to do with what the short block is, just what heads are being used...

Your engine is most likley a 1 piece rear main seal small block. Post your serial number for 100% certainty. Try tracking down the source of the water intrusion before jumping to conclusions. There is still a very slight chance it may be something stupid that allowed the water in.

If you are looking for a good deal on a long block check out Rapido Marine. I bought one of their engines and had it sitting at my front door in less than a week...

http://www.rapidomarine.com/default.aspx?p=/engines/default.aspx

 

[John_S]

Re: What engine blocks will fit my 350 Mercruiser?

Hello, I just bought a 1996 bayliner capri 2050 and when i changed the oil i saw it had water in it. So long story short. I'm looking for a long engine block and i don't know what year chevy will fit it? Thanks.

You need the post-87 long block with one piece rear main seal, and roller cam ready, I suspect you have the 5.7L 2 brl, which would not have vortec heads or roller cam in '96. If the cam is good, you can just buy another set of lifters. You also need recessed pistons to go with your 64cc heads.

Another thing to look out for is the composite timing cover switch over. Merc switched sometime in '96 mfg year. I suspect you have the metal one though. But if you go to composite, you need the Harmonic Balencer with the additional timing marks and the water circ pump that will clear the edge of the composite cover.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: What engine blocks will fit my 350 Mercruiser?

Wrong.

I could put a set of Vortec heads on a 283 from the 60's or put a set of bowties on a on a 1996 block.

Engines with a 2 piece and 1 piece rear main seal are different. Intake manifold has nothing to do with what the short block is, just what heads are being used...

Your engine is most likley a 1 piece rear main seal small block. Post your serial number for 100% certainty. Try tracking down the source of the water intrusion before jumping to conclusions. There is still a very slight chance it may be something stupid that allowed the water in.

If you are looking for a good deal on a long block check out Rapido Marine. I bought one of their engines and had it sitting at my front door in less than a week...

http://www.rapidomarine.com/default.aspx?p=/engines/default.aspx

Correct sir. It has been so long since I have seen a 2 peice rear seal that I forgot that tidbit. The fact remains that if he is buying a longblock and not just a shortblock, that he has to differentiate between a Vortec or non Vortec for all of his accessories to fit, or at least the intake.

And like we have both suggested, it might be better to rebuild what he allready has rather than start fresh, especially if a used engine is a consideration. If its got water intrusion, I would certainly pull the bottom end apart and throw some rings and bearings in there, and have it checked to make sure it doesnt require anything else. Valve job etc.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: What engine blocks will fit my 350 Mercruiser?

Wrong.

I could put a set of Vortec heads on a 283 from the 60's or put a set of bowties on a on a 1996 block.

Engines with a 2 piece and 1 piece rear main seal are different. Intake manifold has nothing to do with what the short block is, just what heads are being used...

Your engine is most likley a 1 piece rear main seal small block. Post your serial number for 100% certainty. Try tracking down the source of the water intrusion before jumping to conclusions. There is still a very slight chance it may be something stupid that allowed the water in.

If you are looking for a good deal on a long block check out Rapido Marine. I bought one of their engines and had it sitting at my front door in less than a week...

http://www.rapidomarine.com/default.aspx?p=/engines/default.aspx

Crap, that place has great prices. I wish I had known about them when I started this whole mess. URGH.

 

[John_S]

Re: What engine blocks will fit my 350 Mercruiser?

I imagine the long version of the story includes a cracked or wasted block. But, if it was a quick or poor diagnosis, yep expensive way to fix things. Maybe the OP will give us the "long" version.