Hello, I have a 1974 Mercruiser 188 / Ford 302 2V V8 with 888 (MC1 outdrive) that I have been working on. After pulling it from the boat for further inspection I have decided that the corroded log manifolds cannot be trusted so they will be replaced with nice new ones. I am working on...
454 big block heat exchanger for the small block. Passages inside look really clean, no tubes blocked off or evidence of repairs that I have noticed so far.
Thanks! Just grabbed a sweet 454 big block heat exchanger for the ol girl. Gotta protect the Ford Dino-drive you know. 🦖 Saves me the giant hassle of moving the distributor alll the way to the back.. lol Definitely going to paint it and get all that done before next season now that I have the...
Starboard log
Port log
Manifolds and Risers off to be cleaned and inspected later. Both sides have lots of old river sediment and rust flakes. Going to scrape it out and see what it looks like afterwards.
The HP robbing log manifolds I have would be fine for my cruising purposes other than all the corrosion inside that would clog an exchanger. I want to keep the original Y pipe setup so I am not complety redoing everything so I don't think I will be converting to Osco's or anything. Is there a...
I am considering swapping all the marine parts over to another 302 block I have. This block has never seen anyrjing but coolant in its passages. Need to find out how compatible it would be with its truck cam and standard 302 firing order. Any comments/ideas on this are welcome. But please keep...
Stbd front end cap:
Some evidence of rust present inside.
Stbd rear end cap:
No manifold bolts broken or needing anything more than a 3/8 ratchet, very lucky. Guessing everything must have been assembled with antiseize, been seeing grey on mostly unrusted bolts. A number of things like this...
Starboard log exhaust manifold disassembly:
Nuts, bolts, and studs came right out luckily.
A view down the ol log flume 🪵
Risers appear to have block off plates with just a small vent hole pass through in one passage to log.
So, there have been a whole number of things that have happened and changed since the last post. Engine was in and running, was working on timing and carb tune, things were moving along. Unfortunately the oil pump driveshaft beneath the distributor that I was desperately trying to replace- is...
Awesome Express you found! Really is a beauty. Looks like she was already very nicely custom outfitted by a serious fisherman before. That's a lot of nice gear still on there. Jealous of that super sharp looking hardtop! That must be so nice for getting out of the weather and keeping the console...
Those bunks look great with all that nice grain showing, like the wood peg solution. That penofin stuff looks like it really soaked in nicely, going to have to try some of that out myself I think. Cutting the tops to the correct angle is a very nice touch that I think is rarely actually done...
Those bunks Do look really nice and beefy. I agree with the pressure point concern and the comment from SHSU about it having edges to grab rivets. Sacrificial free carpet suffering vs the hull definitely seems like a better choice for yours!
My first Starcraft (SS16) came on a trailer that had...
Sweet trailer, aluminum I-beam is very nice! Not sure what's up with the spaced apart white pads, never seen that before.. Are you going to carpet the bunks or something instead?
Great points and totally agree, I love knowing my boats inside and out too, knowing what each hidden area conceals, where wires were routed, etc., etc. Great peace of mind when you're out on the water truly depending on the damn thing.
Great pictures, awesome to finally see all the hard work you've been doing on her! That bare hull picture was a familiar sight! Lol I had to do the same, so much crap gets down there over the years. It's kinda nice to build it up just how you want from a clean slate though isn't it? Those...
