1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

A friend of a friend is going to buy a '63 Hydrodyne with a 4 cylinder Volvo Penta powerplant. She has been sitting since 2007 and while I am no stranger to bringing old outboards to life, I have very limited experience with Inboards. Other than replacing or rebuilding the water pump and hoses, replacing fuel lines, filters, Carb kit, LU oil and seals, crankcase oil, and belts. Is there anything else that should be looked at and or changed?
I don't have the model number for the engine yet so I haven't downloaded a manual from Volvo. I am hoping it won't be one of the ones in German or Swedish.

Thanks!

P.S. I am also hopeful that I can still get tune-up parts for it.

Re: 1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

Cobe Marine in Pasadena,Md. They are the ones I go to for any Volvo parts/info.
A 50 year old boat?? You sure you want that trauma??
Post the model and pics of the drive.
Volvo Penta Official Online Store try here?

Re: 1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

50 year old boats don't scare me. I have found that vintage outboards are simpler to work on than the newer ones. And from the pics I have seen, this looks like a pretty basic 4 cylinder. 6 volt system.
NOT rocket science.
When he gets it to me, I'll get some pics and post them here.

Re: 1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

I believe when he was talking about the boat itself when he asked if you wanted the trauma of a 50 year old boat. You know like, the engine would be the least of your worries..

Re: 1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

Still not worried.
But back to the original question, is there anything else that I should be looking at or checking for?

Re: 1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

Yeah you should check for rot, everywhere.

Re: 1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

Yeah, I understand that. Knew that going into it. I was asking about the Volvo. Not the Hydrodyne.
Like I said in the first post, I have experience with vintage outboards and vintage boats was assumed, they kinda go together.
(facepalm)

Re: 1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

remember with an inboard you basically are dealing with and automotive engine. while some parts a specific to marine,alot can be bought at and auto parts store. that is why I went with an inboard. think of the engine as a car that has been sitting since 2007. I would run a compression test and make sure all cyl are close to the same. you will want to drain tank and prob replace all fel lines. remember to get lines compatible with the new fuel sold at gas stations. if it is a fiberglass tank you will prob want to replace it with ss. other than that do your basic tune up and change remaining fluids. good luck

Re: 1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

Is it an Inboard (with driveshaft and prop and rudder underneath) ? Or Inboard/Outboard, aka Stern Drive, with engine inboard at very back and outboard drive unit outside the boat that tilts up?

If it is an I/O then there are ujoint bellows and ujoints to consider, the bellows should be changed out as they have 3-5 year life without luck. In an I/O there is a big hole in the back of the boat and the u-joint (or drive) bellows is on the first line of defense against water intrusion. If they had not been changed and have leaked then u-joints are probably compromised. Also consider that in an I/O that the u-joints are driven anytime the engine is running, neutral/forward/reverse shifting is in the drive and AFTER the u-joints. There is also drive unit oil to inspect and change out.

Please excuse the base descriptions if you understand all of this already, some readers may have "landed" here from a search and not know the difference.

Re: 1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

ericv26 said:

remember with an inboard you basically are dealing with and automotive engine. while some parts a specific to marine,alot can be bought at and auto parts store. that is why I went with an inboard. think of the engine as a car that has been sitting since 2007. I would run a compression test and make sure all cyl are close to the same. you will want to drain tank and prob replace all fel lines. remember to get lines compatible with the new fuel sold at gas stations. if it is a fiberglass tank you will prob want to replace it with ss. other than that do your basic tune up and change remaining fluids. good luck

Click to expand...

This is the info that I was looking for. Thanks!

Re: 1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

Maclin said:

Is it an Inboard (with driveshaft and prop and rudder underneath) ? Or Inboard/Outboard, aka Stern Drive, with engine inboard at very back and outboard drive unit outside the boat that tilts up?

If it is an I/O then there are ujoint bellows and ujoints to consider, the bellows should be changed out as they have 3-5 year life without luck. In an I/O there is a big hole in the back of the boat and the u-joint (or drive) bellows is on the first line of defense against water intrusion. If they had not been changed and have leaked then u-joints are probably compromised. Also consider that in an I/O that the u-joints are driven anytime the engine is running, neutral/forward/reverse shifting is in the drive and AFTER the u-joints. There is also drive unit oil to inspect and change out.

Please excuse the base descriptions if you understand all of this already, some readers may have "landed" here from a search and not know the difference.

Click to expand...

I hadn't considered the bellows or the U-joints. Great info! I haven't actually seen the boat yet. So I'm not sure if it is an I/O or a stern drive. I have just seen a few camera phone pics of the boat and engine. And they weren't the best.
More info like this is what I'm looking for.

Re: 1963 Hydrodyne with a Volvo Penta engine

^^^ I/O and sterndrive are the same thing. Everybody here has laid out good info, compression is going to be the most important thing for the motor.

Look visually for any freeze damage and such while in there.