Rebuilt by a reputable local in Sept '09, maybe 20 hrs on it according to popular myth, Mk IV vintage 454, Isky MegaHydraulic cam, (#396271/281-14), Edlebrock Airgap intake, Holley, thru hull, Bravo 1. The PO was tired of pumping money into this particular hole in the water, and just wants out. The B 1 outdrive is scragged, but will doubtless have useful parts, and this donor boat has a newer transom ***'y than the slack plagued one on my boy's boat. He gave the PO 2500 dracma for the whole schmear, High Pockets hull, trailer, and all, with the proviso that if his 'mechanic', (yeah, right), did'nt like it, he'd bring it back, get his money back. PO says'fine, but he better not screw it up'. This all strikes me as reasonable, and I can just smell it that this IS the drop in solution to my problem. I need to be sure, though. I made an adapter to screw a garden hose into the S-bent water tube retaining wedge-sleeve thingy in the bellhousing, cut a 4 foot section of hose to drop the open end into my plastic trash can full of water from it, and then dropped a garden hose in the trash can from the spigot. After sniffing around in this alien boat for a bit trying to figure out the instruments and switchgear, I thought, "Yeah, let's light it up". Oil looked great, it has access to water, so I set the main batt switch to 'ALL', and the bilge pump blower started. First thing I see is that if the key is in the 'run' position, the temp gauge pegs out and stays. WTF? Hit the key anyway. Turns over, won't start without a taste of fuel in the primaries. Rumps and dies. Squirt it again, rumps, and rumps, and rumps.... That sound has to be a lot of why those BBCs stayed in production for so many decades. What a tune! So I let it go for about 45 seconds and kill it, because I can't see the pipes, no clue if it's moving water. Cruised around back,and the joint where my adapter is plugged into the water tube at the bell housing is hissing and bubbling. Shoved my hands into the tailpipes, felt water in there, then realized, I hadn't done a pre-ignition tail pipe grope, it could have been wet when I started all this. Lit it off again, jumped down, ran around the stern , by then it was too dark, and I'm too fat old and blind to see water coming out, so I shove my hand in front of each pipe, and it only feels like a fine mist. Don't like it. I'm thinkin' maybe the belt driven pump is pulling air thru that joint, and getting some water, but not enough. I had the idea that until the t-stat opened, all the pump's water went thru the manifolds, so I should be seeing all the water at the tail pipes that my garden hose can supply by 12 - 1500 R's. What else should I be looking at this weekend, besides coupler spline profile, and post-run oil color ?
