Bigdave196
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2009
- Messages
- 120
The time has come to spend a little $$$... I have mixed feelings about this, Kinda a cross between Tim-the tool man-Taylor and being a responsible adult in the budget department... Like I said, I am torn.
So I have a 5.7L Volvo GLI 350cid Tuned Port Injection small block that is completely bone stock, attached to an Volvo SX stern drive. The block has 2 external cracks that have been patched on both sides, (makes me wish I had seen this earlier),and 860 hours on the meter. No known internal cracks have surfaced because there is no water in the oil and no obvious signs of a cracked block.
I am torn because the people at the boat shop/performance shop said to trust the block because it made it thru all last season with no issues, but I want that piece of mind of knowing i'm 100% and not sitting on a disaster waiting for me to get 20 miles from the dock at Lake Powell.
I have a friend, who builds marine engines, tell me that we can repower with a new short block for $1600 and take it back to 300hp, for $1700ish we can go to 325hp, for $1800 we can go a 383cid 350-370hp, or we can spend $2000 and go with a 400cid 430hp. I know my sterndrive wil handle 500hp, and I am really torn. The 400cid will spin around 4500-4750 max rpm and he has built a few of these in the past for other boats. In my smaller hull this set up should fly, and propped right I should be very happy.
Do I trust the repair guy or do I do a total repower with a new short block, or new long block? The obvious answer is always budget regulated but having a 9.5:1cr 430hp small block that is pump gas friendly in my ski boat sounds really tempting and easily achieved.
Thank you in advance.
David
So I have a 5.7L Volvo GLI 350cid Tuned Port Injection small block that is completely bone stock, attached to an Volvo SX stern drive. The block has 2 external cracks that have been patched on both sides, (makes me wish I had seen this earlier),and 860 hours on the meter. No known internal cracks have surfaced because there is no water in the oil and no obvious signs of a cracked block.
I am torn because the people at the boat shop/performance shop said to trust the block because it made it thru all last season with no issues, but I want that piece of mind of knowing i'm 100% and not sitting on a disaster waiting for me to get 20 miles from the dock at Lake Powell.
I have a friend, who builds marine engines, tell me that we can repower with a new short block for $1600 and take it back to 300hp, for $1700ish we can go to 325hp, for $1800 we can go a 383cid 350-370hp, or we can spend $2000 and go with a 400cid 430hp. I know my sterndrive wil handle 500hp, and I am really torn. The 400cid will spin around 4500-4750 max rpm and he has built a few of these in the past for other boats. In my smaller hull this set up should fly, and propped right I should be very happy.
Do I trust the repair guy or do I do a total repower with a new short block, or new long block? The obvious answer is always budget regulated but having a 9.5:1cr 430hp small block that is pump gas friendly in my ski boat sounds really tempting and easily achieved.
Thank you in advance.
David
