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  1. ratdude747

    Boat Trailer Tail Lights

    Seconded. I found a deal for genuine Optronics lights on eBay... different style than original (went from square/round to "full clear" retangular), but I think they ended up looking and functioning nicer than original. I also (as I prefer) ran dedicated ground wires alongside new light wires. I...
  2. ratdude747

    Best "low effort" towable?

    Last season I tried tubing with my boat... and well, for me (and my wife) things didn't go well. We started with an old SportsStuff 4-person donut that came with the boat (and despite being 12+ years old, still worked great). While it was fine for some teenage guests (who were fit athletes) and...
  3. ratdude747

    Mercruiser 888 (302) Cylinder Head swap?

    Shot them a message. Probably not going to buy anything but an extra opinion never hurts.
  4. ratdude747

    Mercruiser 888 (302) Cylinder Head swap?

    Fair enough... If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And if it misfires due to an exhaust leak, then re-evaluate and then look into finding heads that already have hard seats if there is any question about the machinability of the existing heads. Supposedly after 1976 302 and 351 heads converged on...
  5. ratdude747

    Mercruiser 888 (302) Cylinder Head swap?

    I've also heard that boating is hard on engines and it'd be more likely to fail than a weekend cruiser car. Last thing I want is a leaky exhaust valve burning things down on the water.
  6. ratdude747

    Mercruiser 888 (302) Cylinder Head swap?

    As long as it is available for local purchase. For now it seems like auto parts stores still sell motor medic brand... But if that drops and lead substitute becomes an online-only purchase, then it becomes a pain. Btw, the heads aren't that far away... 5 hours (Kalamazoo, MI). I used to drive...
  7. ratdude747

    Mercruiser 888 (302) Cylinder Head swap?

    1976 Mercruiser 888... Covered in leaded fuel warning stickers and the like. Previous owners ran 100% leaded or (later) unleaded with lead substitute. Engine is completely stock other than having an Edelbrock performer 289 intake and Holley marine 4160 carb. Swap was done partially by the...
  8. ratdude747

    Mercruiser 888 (302) Cylinder Head swap?

    They're perfectly fine other than requiring lead substitute every 3rd fill-up due to having soft valve seats (added cost plus an inconvenience to have to find and buy). I have a lead on a machine shop too (same guy that did the machine work on my 1984 F150's 300 back in 2020)... The issue is...
  9. ratdude747

    Mercruiser 888 (302) Cylinder Head swap?

    One thing I eventually need to do on my Mercruiser 888 is swap or rework the heads so I no longer need to run lead substitute. I may have found a deal on some heads that likely have hardened seats... they're Ford D5AE-CA 351 heads that came off an OMC 302 (supposedly includes ARP 351-302...
  10. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Reviving this... now that the holidays have come and mostly gone, I can better budget repairs and upgrades. Things I want to get done before the upcoming season (aside from the annual oil/fuel filter change and waxing): Re-upholster rear seat cushion (a deferred repair from last season)-...
  11. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Test fitted the Hoyer lifter last night... Perhaps with some different casters I think I have a winner?
  12. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Pulled the hoyer lifter from storage... I'm wondering if I can put different casters on it that handle being used in the yard. If nothing else, the lift mast slides out of the base and could be mounted in something else instead.
  13. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Forgot to post it, but the seat was fixed several weeks ago (used some 3/4 plywood that my father-in-law had on the scrap shelf). But, between booked weekends and remains of hurricanes I couldn't get the boat back on the water until today, which is the final outing of the year. Like the last two...
  14. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Two things: First, I took the boat out today on Monroe Lake... more on that later. Second, since it seems that the photo issue isn't getting resolved any time soon, I've uploaded some things to Imgur... here's what I had worked on previously with some additional commentary based on how today...
  15. ratdude747

    Prop questions on a 16' 1976 StarCraft Montego (Merc 888)

    Finally had a good chance to get it to WOT. 4050RPM, 41-42mph. Not as fast as new but for what I'm doing it's fine. Decent hole shot.
  16. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Pump came in yesterday. Works great at least in testing. The LAPS had the pigtails that match the stock pump connector in stock, so I used that rather than cutting up the new pump. I spliced that to some spare 16-3 extension cord cable I had in the junk pile (same as what the old pump used)...
  17. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    I already have a 3/4 hose... my concern is overloading the wiring and/or tripping the breaker. The rotten debris is from known locations... between the known deck issue (old damage) and a rotten divider board at the front of the engine area/end of the deck under the gas tank such is accounted...
  18. ratdude747

    Photo dilemma

    I used to use TinyPic for working around upload limits. But having been a former forum mod elsewhere where offsite linked pics were trouble when the offsite host nuked the files (Photobucket in particular), I hesitate to do that. Nothing like reading an old thread with the picture you need to...
  19. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Was thinking roughly the same thing pump wise now that I've slept on it. I'm thinking of getting a pump with a built in switch (due to the poor access to the area, having both in the same unit makes things a lot easier to manage). No worries about draining the battery when not in the water...
  20. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Looking into Rule pumps, the smallest full auto pump they make is the 500GPH Rule 25SA. Draws 1.8A @ 12V and 1.8V @13.6v supposedly. Does draw a bit of power when on, but that just means I need to be more diligent with disconnecting the battery when the boat isn't in use. I already do a decent...
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