Looking for bare engine block with pistons

[Lou C]

You are right about the metal tube it just loops into the exhaust crossover passage. The newer Vortec style engines (1996 and newer) do not use an exhaust crossover and have to use an electric choke. The newer engines do have 2 advantages over the old style V6’s we both have:
1) the Vortec cyl heads give 20 more hp
2) the post ‘94/95 engines have a balance shaft just above the camshaft that cancels out the vibrations caused by the uneven firing pulses of the 90* V6. GM did this to save money and was able to use the same tooling they used for a V6 as for their V8s. So the 4.3 is just a 5.7 with 2 cyls removed or 3/4 of a 5.7. The crankshaft has split rod bearing journals to even out the firing pulses.
and, if you use a Vortec engine and add an Edelbrock dual plane 4 bbl manifold it adds 18 more hp over the stock 4 bbl cast iron intake.
so here are the power ratings:
Pre Vortec 2 bbl 175 hp
Pre Vortec 4 bbl 205 hp
the Vortec heads add 20 more for 195 and 225,
and if you add the 4 bbl Edelbrock alu manifold it goes to 243....

 

[Lou C]

With the electric pump, if the engine that came with the boat had one the safety shut off wiring and switch should already be there. If not you’d have add it. The way these were set up there has to be a way for the pump to automatically shut off when the engine is off or if it stalled. That could become dangerous because if the engine stalled the electric pump would continue to pump fuel and overflow the carb’s needle valve and cause a fuel leak. So they use a normally open switch attached to the oil pressure sensor that closes when the oil pressure builds up to turn on the pump. While the engine is cranking it is powered by a terminal on the starter solenoid. The mechanical pump is simpler and less trouble. I have replaced just one after 30 years of use!

 

[Westieman]

The original engine is / was equipped with the electric fuel pump so the wiring is present! Beside that, this is a low pressure fuel pump. What they should have done is to install a return fuel line to the tank. That way fuel is returned and there is no, or limited fuel pressure build up. Anyway, I will need to test it before I do anything else. This boat has seen a lot of water inside so I am not to confident about the pump. Look at the picture of the Holley carb, Hope the pump will be better!!
Power is nice but I am more than happy with 175 hp. We like it smooth and steady on the water. If I wanted more bhp, I would have planted a V8 in the boat with the sound as a bonus. Besides, I am on a budget so no extra expense :lol:
On our rivers, speed is ( to ) limited. 12 km/h, sometimes less ( 5 km/h ), sometimes more but only for about 2 or maybe 3 kilometers. These are the waterboarding sites.
Now that I think about it, I will need to check the camshaft. It came from the initial engine with the electric pump so maybe the lobe for the mechanical pump is not present. Also, the alignment of the alternator is not so good and will need some correction ( about 1/4 an inch ).
Have a nice Sunday Lou! Soon you will be able to hit the water!

 

[Lou C]

We just heard on the news that marinas will be open for personal use starting May 1. Great news.

 

[Lou C]

back to the fuel pump, if you have the electric already set up that might be easier, you can get a new Carter low pressure fuel pump.

 

[Westieman]

Told you so Lou! Get the boat ready, you have 2 weeks!

 

[Westieman]

Hello to everyone!
Had some other tasks last week so small update.
Took the transom apart this weekend and I am glad I did. Gaskets are all in bad shape so continuing like this would have produced more trouble. Decided on sand blasting the corroded areas and protect the naked aluminium with a good primer.
A complete paint job of the transom, gimball bearing housing, outdrive will be necessary. Thinking of what color I will use Gimball housing is in a better condition than I had expected ( see pics at #58 ) and new pic...Gimball bearing is as new probably because it was greased a few times!
Lou, look how the pipe for the choke came out of the intake manifold
The shift cable appears to stuck. I need special tools to install it correctly?

 

[Lou C]

Looks like the choke heat tube never worked! There may be electric choke conversions for the 2bbl Rochester you can look around to see (try carburetion.com) or just fix it the way the best you can. I had a choke heat tube on my Autolite 2100 2bbl on my 1970 Ford 5 liter V8 and had to replace the heat tube on it as well, easier though because it was a different design.
Your transom parts look very good. Will clean up well and last a long time.
The shift cable adjustment is a bit complex but if you find the right tools you can do it. I’ve done it myself using the 3 OMC tools made to make it fool proof. The whole thing takes too long to type out, but here are some basic tips:
1) start with the shift rod height in the lower unit, measure it make sure its right, if not all the other adjustments will be off
2) the shift cable must have very minimal drag. With both ends disconnected, you measure the drag with a fish scale no more than 2.5 lbs in both directions. I guess in metric that’s about 1 KG lol!
3) there is a tool that is used to hold the shifter bell crank in the pivot housing at a 90* angle, this is the next step after verifying the cable drag
4) then the other cable tool, is used to set the cable length up on the engine shift bracket.
5) lastly the remote cable also has to be adjusted. The idea is for it to have equal throw on both sides of neutral. What helps when doing it is to have a helper shift the remote control while you spin the prop by hand, Then you can tell if the drive is engaging each gear position fully. Very important.

Look up:
Midnight Wolf OMC parts, they sell the tools and have updated shop manual instructions on line.

BTW, why did you not just convert it over to a Volvo SX, they must have easier parts availability in Europe than OMC does?
Cost? If I had it taken apart and found the old transom parts too corroded, I would have just bought a VOlvo transom mount and trim rams off eBay and then start looking for an SX drive the correct ratio for the 4.3....

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... A perfect time to grind back abit of the plywood in the transom,. 'n seal it up with resin, 'n filler/ glass,....

In the picture, the wood looks good, 'n solid,...... seal it up to keep it that way,......

 

[Westieman]

Yes Bondo, that is what I will do. Got some epoxy resin primer. This is more liquid then the normal resin and will be absorbed better by the plywood. Grinding back might be a bit tricky. The transom hole was not cut out in the best way possible and is not centered very well. The gasket is partly eaten by the salt and oxidation. This brings me to wonder if I will order a new gasket or make a joint with some sort of " sikaflex". Think this might perform better on the uneven surface of the gimbal carrier which is pitted and dented by corrosion. As you stated, sealing it will be very important. A second attack by ( salt ) water would be terminal for the complete transom plate and components! At first, I hesitated to start taking the transom apart but now that I did, I am happy with what I found. Things can go very wrong at this point. Very glad it is in reasonable condition. Some sand blasting, or rather glass pearl blasting, will remove all the oxidation of the aluminium components and prepare them for a fresh start!

Lou, I totally understand your point off view but, Belgium is not very " boat orientated" and there are not so many boaters around here let alone second hand parts. That is compared to the US. I found 2 VP SX, both in France. You do not want to know the price they are asking! AQ 280 drives are easier to find, I found 4 of them but all in questionable condition and they will not fit.
So, maybe next time? Besides that, I have 2 complete OMC drives. My goal is to make 1 complete OMC Z-drive out of all the parts I have here. Of course it is time consuming but hey, this is a hobby. Very important to me is to learn, and to get it to work properly.
With all the help of you guys, for which I am very grateful, I think it might just work out nice!!
Besides, I like to chat with you guys, especially the " of topics".
Thanks a lot for all the comments and advice, thank you very much!

 

[Lou C]

Interesting I thought that Volvo Penta being a Euro based company, would be well supplied in the EU! Especially because the SX drives were used on many boats for a long time.
Well I can tell you that I am a fan of the OMC Cobra, it in some ways is better than the Merc Alpha (bigger gears and bearings, easier to replace impeller and bellows, more robust transom assembly less prone to play in the steering and leaks) and when they are set up right they are excellent. In fact the problems I have had with this boat, were not with the drive or transom assembly. It was other age related things (wood rot, etc) that lead to the interior rebuild (2006-2007) and outside paint job (2012) and one bad overheat (2013) that led to the top engine overhaul. With the drive, I have had to repair a few things when I first had it but it has not had to go back to a shop....since...about 2006. I can do the shift cable and set up myself. The main thing is finding parts fortunately in the US we have a very large fresh water boating area in the Midwest and parts of the south where these parts last much longer. For now I will keep it going but if you need an internal repair that you can't do yourself, even here you will have a tough time finding a tech who will work on them.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Lou, granted the headquarters is in Sweden, however most of the gasoline marine motors and mating drives came out of Lexington KY, and primarily the Europe only varieties of diesels and petrol engiens and associated drives came from Koping Sweden

 

[Westieman]

Hello fellow boaters, a small update of the progress. Mostly pictures....
Been busy getting the outdrive corrosion free and make it look nice again. Engine is ready to go in but will need the transom for that. Putting it all together will be so much fun!
Noticed that the prop shaft seal is leaking so will need to replace. Anyone has experience with this? Was thinking off putting air pressure on the housing to get the carrier out. Would this work?

 

[Lou C]

Hello again! Your pix look great! As far as the propshaft seal Kenny Nunez explained how to do that on this forum, scroll back a few days or search on his name; he explains it well; does not sound hard. I have not had to do this on mine yet!

 

[Westieman]

Today I ordered a gasket kit for the lower part of the outdrive. Also I was looking for the gasket for the Y-pipe / transom mount.
Unbelievable, the part ( 3852846 rubber o-ring ) is some 8$ but shipping is 26$ !!!! This is theft.
A part of that weight can be sent in an envelop with a stamp.
So will be looking for other solutions. Maybe I will follow the advice I got from Scott, look for somebody who can weld aluminium and have the parts ( Y-pipe and transom plate ) repaired and discard the o-ring. Of course, non off this is you guys fault but you know, sometimes we need to open our eyes put things into perspective.

 

[Westieman]

Hi boat lovers!
Small update on the progress made on the Four Winns Sundowner 195.
Got almost all the parts I need so now it is big fun. Putting it all together is a challenge but I am getting there. I spent a lot off time getting all the parts corrosion free. Protecting the parts against corrosion is another challenge but multiple layers of primers and paint should take care of that.
Only the Y-pipe is giving me a headache. Can't find a good secondhand one here in Europe so will be repairing the one I have. After that, the engine is ready to take his place. Let's hope there are no more surprises!
Got some pictures because they say more than a thousand words....:joyous:

Hope to get the boat on the water this summer, but that is only 3 weeks away. Wish you all a great time on the water or off!

 

[Lou C]

gotta tell you, you did a BEAUTIFUL job on that! Mine alas, shifts great but looks horrible because of years of salt water use and I don't like sanding off toxic anti fouling paint. So I scrape, sand a bit and slap on a new coat. Probably the whole thing really should be bead blasted and re-done.

 

[Westieman]

Hello boaters;
Hope your are all in good health!
Have been struggling a bit to get the project back on the road again but now that I have most off the parts on the table, I can continue the work. So at last an update!
Engine is in the boat and I am in the process of connecting it all up. It took a long time to finally drop the engine in because I waited a long on the Y-pipe to arrive.
But, it is going great now! Check the pics!
Hope you guys like it.
Will keep you posted soon!

Greetings from Flanders!

 

[Scott Danforth]

dont forget to align the motor

 

[Lou C]

Excellent work looks great! Probably the most immaculate Cobra install I've ever seen!
I did get my boat in, I was held up a bit waiting to get the bottom paint done but will start using it soon! Today my son and I replaced a faulty rear door window regulator on our old '98 Jeep. Not the easiest job working through the speaker hole but it works now for the first time in about 4 years!