MrCableTek
Cadet
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2014
- Messages
- 20
Long time reader, first time poster here. I've got a good one for all you super helpful folks out there that you may enjoy. The short of it is that I've got 3 boats and I'm gonna make one of them work or die trying.
I will begin by letting you all know what I'm working with to avoid confusion. Boat number one is a 1987 Four Winns with a 4.3L that appears to have 250 hours on it but won't currently spin. I pulled the exhaust manifolds and valve covers and the top end looks clean. The oil is clean too. I'm assuming that I have a stuck ring which is no big deal as I will be pulling the engine and tearing it down for a good resealing before I put it back in (I have the tools and know-how to rebuild the engine if need be). As long as I don't discover a cracked block or head in the process, this is our powerplant for this project. This boat has no sterndrive or trim system. The only thing outside the boat is the gimbal housing and bell housing. Everything else was pillaged by a previous vulture.
Boat number two is a 1996 Rinker bow rider that had a complete 4.3L drive train in it when I got it. The guy I got it from only wanted the engine so I got a really good deal from him by pulling the engine and delivering it to him in exchange for a significant discount on the boat and trailer. The sterndrive unit is complete and looks pretty good and since the previous owner only wants the long block he's going to give me everything that he pulls from the engine that he doesn't need (he's got a cracked block so he won't need much). I will have the bellhousing from this engine if I need it. Basically, everything ou the outside of this boat (and the related parts inside the transom) and the tilt/trim system will be used for our Frankenboat monstrosity.
And finally, the third boat. It's a 1986 (I think, cant remember atm) Dixie walkaround cuddy that is basically just a hull. It's a good, solid hull with no rot in the floor, transom, or stringers that I could find. It still has the steering, throttle, and wiring harness but it's been stripped. If I'm not mistaken, this boat had that bastard 3.7L four-banger and a 470 outdrive at one time. The last owner took the upper and lower and stuck them on another boat and then sold it 20 minutes before I got there. At any rate this is our hull that will eventually become what I hope to be my awesomesauce fish slaying home-away-from-home.
So, here are the questions that I have:
#1: Most importantly, will my gen 1 motor work with the gen 2 outdrive? I'm not sure about the bolt patterns on the bellhousings for the two motors and if they are compatible or not. I can tell you that both engines have the v-belt setup and both arecarburated but I forgot to get the casting numbers from the one I gave back to the dude.
#2: What is the best method of going about building up the motor mount stringers in the engine bay? I only have a front mount for the 3.7L currently and I need to build something to hold this bad boy down in there.
#3: If you've done this before, please feel free to offer your hard won sage advice on how not to screw this up so I don't explode and/or sink to the bottom of the Chesapeake bay as my wife would likely be quite upset when she finds out how small my life insurance policy is.
Now here's the REALLY hard part. Try to avoid the word "buy" when possible. I'm keeping this project on the cheap where feasible. Please don't think I'm going to rig this thing up all half-arsed, but I obviously don't have a ton to dump in to this project or I would just buy a boat that worked in the first place. Plus I'll have a very unique vessel that my boat partner and I can say was built not bought. Here's the other good reason:
Boat #1: 1987 Four Winns and EZ Loader trailer - $75
Boat #2: 1996 Rinker and Venture trailer - $200 (and some elbow grease)
Boat #3: 1986 Dixie and the cinder blocks it's parked on in some dude's yard - FREE
I'll be posting pictures of everything as I go along for posterity and hopefully to help someone one day avoid some mistakes.
P.S. sorry for the long winded post but I'm nothing if not thorough.
I will begin by letting you all know what I'm working with to avoid confusion. Boat number one is a 1987 Four Winns with a 4.3L that appears to have 250 hours on it but won't currently spin. I pulled the exhaust manifolds and valve covers and the top end looks clean. The oil is clean too. I'm assuming that I have a stuck ring which is no big deal as I will be pulling the engine and tearing it down for a good resealing before I put it back in (I have the tools and know-how to rebuild the engine if need be). As long as I don't discover a cracked block or head in the process, this is our powerplant for this project. This boat has no sterndrive or trim system. The only thing outside the boat is the gimbal housing and bell housing. Everything else was pillaged by a previous vulture.
Boat number two is a 1996 Rinker bow rider that had a complete 4.3L drive train in it when I got it. The guy I got it from only wanted the engine so I got a really good deal from him by pulling the engine and delivering it to him in exchange for a significant discount on the boat and trailer. The sterndrive unit is complete and looks pretty good and since the previous owner only wants the long block he's going to give me everything that he pulls from the engine that he doesn't need (he's got a cracked block so he won't need much). I will have the bellhousing from this engine if I need it. Basically, everything ou the outside of this boat (and the related parts inside the transom) and the tilt/trim system will be used for our Frankenboat monstrosity.
And finally, the third boat. It's a 1986 (I think, cant remember atm) Dixie walkaround cuddy that is basically just a hull. It's a good, solid hull with no rot in the floor, transom, or stringers that I could find. It still has the steering, throttle, and wiring harness but it's been stripped. If I'm not mistaken, this boat had that bastard 3.7L four-banger and a 470 outdrive at one time. The last owner took the upper and lower and stuck them on another boat and then sold it 20 minutes before I got there. At any rate this is our hull that will eventually become what I hope to be my awesomesauce fish slaying home-away-from-home.
So, here are the questions that I have:
#1: Most importantly, will my gen 1 motor work with the gen 2 outdrive? I'm not sure about the bolt patterns on the bellhousings for the two motors and if they are compatible or not. I can tell you that both engines have the v-belt setup and both arecarburated but I forgot to get the casting numbers from the one I gave back to the dude.
#2: What is the best method of going about building up the motor mount stringers in the engine bay? I only have a front mount for the 3.7L currently and I need to build something to hold this bad boy down in there.
#3: If you've done this before, please feel free to offer your hard won sage advice on how not to screw this up so I don't explode and/or sink to the bottom of the Chesapeake bay as my wife would likely be quite upset when she finds out how small my life insurance policy is.
Now here's the REALLY hard part. Try to avoid the word "buy" when possible. I'm keeping this project on the cheap where feasible. Please don't think I'm going to rig this thing up all half-arsed, but I obviously don't have a ton to dump in to this project or I would just buy a boat that worked in the first place. Plus I'll have a very unique vessel that my boat partner and I can say was built not bought. Here's the other good reason:
Boat #1: 1987 Four Winns and EZ Loader trailer - $75
Boat #2: 1996 Rinker and Venture trailer - $200 (and some elbow grease)
Boat #3: 1986 Dixie and the cinder blocks it's parked on in some dude's yard - FREE
I'll be posting pictures of everything as I go along for posterity and hopefully to help someone one day avoid some mistakes.
P.S. sorry for the long winded post but I'm nothing if not thorough.
