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  1. FreeBeeTony

    O/D Remote Reservoir, Is It Woth it?

    This year I trailered my boat ('78 20' Grady White, Mercruiser 165 IL6), next year I plan on getting a slip and leave it in the water for the season. I am going to convert to FWC and am thinking of installing a reservoir for the outdrive. I don't know how they work exactly, but I am assuming it...
  2. FreeBeeTony

    '80's Loadrite Trailer w/ Brakes

    I have a '84 tandem Loadrite trailer w/ brakes. I just purchased it this spring and assumed the brakes were not working due to the age of the trailer. I removed the front 2 wheels for winterizing and want to check out the brakes. What are the chances that I can get the drums off and get these...
  3. FreeBeeTony

    Painting Trailer and Rims

    As a fall project I want to paint my trailer and rims. The trailer is a '80 loadrite with a fair amount of surface rust. The rims also have some rust, I pulled 2 of the 4 wheels off tonight. My question is: does anydody have any tips on painting over rust? I was going to wire brush off the heavy...
  4. FreeBeeTony

    Gear oil in bellows

    I recently replaced the seal on the yoke. I only used the boat once since then to check out the rest of my rebuild of the lower unit. I removed the drive today to winterize and found new gear oil in the bellows! Is it possible I put the seal on backwards? I replaced the seal and the carrier. Or...
  5. FreeBeeTony

    FWC Conversion Kits

    Does anybody have a recommendation on a FWC conversion kit. I want to convert my Mercruiser 165 IL6 to a closed cooling system and am looking for any suggestions/recommendations someone may have. They seem kinda pricy (~$500-$600). Thanks in advance......<br /><br />Tony
  6. FreeBeeTony

    hey bondo....got the drive back together

    bondo, just thought i would let you know I put my drive back together. new gears, bearings, bearing carrier and seals in lower unit and new seals in upper. filled with lube tonight, will check for leaks in the morning and will hopefully test run in the bay tomorrow. wish me luck, I will let you...
  7. FreeBeeTony

    Torque specs for Mercruiser 165

    Can someone tell me what the torque spec for the drive gear is on a Mercruiser 165 outdrive? I have a manual but can't tell if I am reading it correctly. Under the model 1 heading it calls for 80 ft lbs for the pinion nut in the drive shaft housing. Is this correct? This seems very critical for...
  8. FreeBeeTony

    Lower Unit Rebuild Kit

    I am looking to purchase a rebuild kit for a Mercruiser pre-Alpha drive. The kit contains: gears, bearings carrier, seals, washer and cover nut. What is this cover nut? The nut that holds the pinion gear onto the driveshaft?
  9. FreeBeeTony

    Outdrive Rebuild

    Just got back from the mechanic. He said the lower unit was blown (probably the pinion gear).<br />He also said the upper wasn't in very good shape either, said the gears were pitted. The gears seemed fine to me , although I did see the pitting. Does this pitting mean the gears are shot? He also...
  10. FreeBeeTony

    HELP....noise in outdrive

    Just came back from a VERY short fishing trip!! While heading out, all of a sudden I heard a noise from the outdrive. Only happens in fwd, rev and neutral are fine. I drained the gear oil and it seemed ok. I am going to refilll and run in the drive way on the muffs. What can this be? Sounded...
  11. FreeBeeTony

    fwc temp vs. raw water cooled temp

    I have a Mercruiser 165 IL6 that is raw water cooled. At 3200 RPM' the temp is ~160. If I open it up the temp climbs past 180. I don't run it at WOT for long periods of time. I am planning on converting to a fwc system this winter and am wondering if I will see an increase in temp. I imagine the...
  12. FreeBeeTony

    What a difference the right prop makes!!

    I was running about 3200 RPM at WOT on my newly rebuilt Mercruiser 165 IL6 with a 19" pitch prop. Last night I changed the prop to a 15" pitch.<br />What a difference!!! Came up on a plane alot faster/easier, seemed like the engine wasn't working as hard, the temp came down to a more reasonalbe...
  13. FreeBeeTony

    Powerwinch 812C

    I have an older powerwinch model 812C. My boat is a '78 20' Grady White Gulfstream on a tandem axle loadrite trailer. The ramp I use is fairly steep. I start getting the boat on the trailer with the winch, seems ok then starts to loose power as the boat gets about 2/3 the way on the trailer...
  14. FreeBeeTony

    Nicks in gelcoat

    Now that my '78 Grady White Gulfstream is mechanically sound, I want to start making her look a little better. Taking into consideration it's a '78, she doesn't look too bad but there are a few nicks here and there in the gelcoat. Is there an easy way to possibly fill these nicks in? I don't...
  15. FreeBeeTony

    Vibration in transom

    Today I noticed a vibration in the transom when I have the wheel turned hard in either direction. Only seems to happen when in gear. Doesn't seem to happen on the muffs in the driveway. If this is the case, can it still be the u-joints? I greased them before installing the outdrive. How about...
  16. FreeBeeTony

    First oil change HELP!

    First time changing oil on my i/o. Warmed up the engine on the muffs shut engine off and removed dipstick. I bought one of those "drill pumps". It didn't pump s@#t! Maybe a cup in 5 min! Am I doing something wrong? Said it was self priming. What did I do wrong? Seemed to pick the oil up out of...
  17. FreeBeeTony

    Converting to FWC

    I am considering converting my 165 Mercruiser IL6 to FWC. Can I buy a heat exchanger on ebay and make some brackets to hold it on? Or am I better off buying a kit? The kits are quite expensive (>$500). Any body have any suggestions?
  18. FreeBeeTony

    Mercruiser Normal Running Temp

    I rebuilt a '67 Mercruiser 160. It seemed to be running hot. I removed the thermostst and it ran cooler but still looked like it would go past 200 if ran towards WOT for too long. After a few short outings it is running much cooler. Now at sustained high RPM's it is running at ~ 150 deg. While...
  19. FreeBeeTony

    Prop: difference between 4 bld and 3 bld

    My boat is currently over proped with a 19' pitch. WOT is only 3200RPM. I was going to try a 15" pitch. I have been told I should try a 4 blade. The boat is a '78 20' Grady White ~3000lbs with a 165 Mercruiser IL6. If I was to try a 4 blade, should that also be a 15" pitch? Will the 4 blade get...
  20. FreeBeeTony

    HELP!...My Trailer is BENT!

    Yesterday while trailering my '78 20' Grady White Gulfstream on my '84 Loadrite tandem trailer, I heard a god awful sound, like the trailer broke in half! When I got out of the truck to see what happened, I noticed all the way in the rear on the right side the main tube went downward behind the...
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