79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

illtww · Apr 8, 2006

Been about 2 years since my last post... http://forums.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=24;t=005859#000000 read for some background info..... I ended up buying a Remanned AdvanAuto 350 Marine Block motor. Motor was built by recon and it is out of its 1 year warranty stage. It has been running fine but I think my carb is out of wack. Questions.. (For Bondo and everyone else) 1. Motor seems to fall on it face if you gass it from a stop... I think it may be my 1979' carb that needs a rebuild... My 350 buddy said he could rebuild it for me. Where can i get the kit for it? 2. I have NO IDEA what cam is in the engine from Recon... Have to call them and they MIGHT know. I want to put in an aftermarket cam so I was looking at comp cams. We usually just do alot of crusin around but want that punch if we need it. I was looking at this cam.. (top end not an issue) http://store.summitracing.com/partd...1&part=CCA-12-318-4&N=400114+115&autoview=sku Any Suggestions? 3. Does anyone know the weight of this boat? My buddy told me to give him the weight/length/prop etc and Comp Cams would help me pick out a cam.... 4. Any other performce suggestions? Travis W.

Bondo · Apr 8, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

Welcome Back,...... If you'd provide Just Alittle more info,.... Maybe We can Help..... For Question #1,.... What Carb do you Have,.???... If by Chance it's a Rochester,.... It Might take a Rebuild,... But,...I'd Toss it,+ get an Edlebrock 1400series Performer...... For Question #2,.....Going back to Dennis Moore,...He says the Comp Cams #XE-262 H-10 is as Big as you want to use,..... The 1 you're linked to appears to be TOO BIG......... For Question #3,.....You've Yet to say What Boat this is In,....... Thunderbird, WHAT,.?? How Long,..???... Can't even Guess a Weight, not Knowing WHAT Boat...... OK,.....I'll GUESS,...2200lbs....

Btw,....... It appears that your College Education Is paying Off,...... Either that,.. Or you've gottin' a Spell Checker in the last 2 Years...........................................

illtww · Apr 9, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

It is a rochester 2bbl. I will look into the CAM and CARB. (Any suggestion the best place to buy these at?) I believe it is a 1979 21' Formula Thunderbird. TTYL

illtww · Apr 9, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

That cam you pointed me to is for a big block.... I have a small block 350... Can you sned me a link to the elde series 1400?

Bondo · Apr 9, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

That cam you pointed me to is for a big block.... I have a small block 350...

I took those #s right out of Dennis Moore's Book,....SBC, Marine Performance....... If I were You,..... I'd just Forget about the Cam Change Altogether....... Putting a BIG Cam in a 350 that's running a 2bbl. Carb.,..... Is a WASTE of Time,+ Money.......Period...... Your boat would appear to be in the 2000lb. class,.....The Only way to get Closer to the Actual Weight,.... Is Weigh It..... And,.... We're not supposed to provide direct links anymore,.... So,... Go to Summit Racing,.. or Jegs,.. they're mailorder Hot Rod shops,...... They'll have All the Stuff you're looking for....... The Single thing you can do for added Power is to Pull the 2bbl,+ it's manifold,.... Then install a 4bbl. with It's manifold...... That alone will give you 30+hp..... The Next Biggest Bang for the Buck would be to Install a set of Vortec Heads...........

illtww · Apr 9, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

How much are we talking for the 4bbl mani and carb? 500 bux? This has to be a marine carb and intake for venting purposes correct? The cam change won't be a problem. My 350 is going to take care of it but I see your point on the 2bbl vs 4bbl. Need more fuel for a bigger cam.

Could you emil me a link to the 1400 carb/intake setup? illtww AT Yahoo.com Getting a new sound system for the boat also.

Travis

Bondo · Apr 9, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

You got it............

but I see your point on the 2bbl vs 4bbl. Need more fuel for a bigger cam.

Ayuh,....... Ya need Bigger Holes to Suck More Air,+ Gas IN,............. 'Course,...... Then ya gotta get Bigger Pipes,... To get Rid of All the Extra Air.......... It's a Vicious Cycle,......................

illtww · Apr 9, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

I am wondering what cam Recon put in the remmaned motor.. Hmmm..... Think Advanced Auto could find out? Looking at the EldE Carbs and Intake... Any suggestions on the Elde intake? (there are like 5 different ones.. RPM, Performer ETC) Anyone have Dennis Moore's phone number? Might look into the performance manifolds... Travis.

Bondo · Apr 10, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

Anyone have Dennis Moore's phone number? Might look into the performance manifolds...

If by chance Dennis is still selling his products thru ebay,...... You can email him Thru ebay............. IF you Do get ahold of Dennis,..........Please give him a Message,........ Tell him,......... He Still Owes Bondo for the Ford/Mercruiser Parts I sent him a couple of Years Ago.........................

illtww · Apr 10, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

anyone have his #?

illtww · Apr 10, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

Bondo..... Do you think and experienced Automotive Hydra-Jet Car builder could tackle the 2bbl Rochester on my current boat effectively? If not where is best place to snag a Refurb/Reman to replace my current 2bbl?

Bondo · Apr 10, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

"experienced Automotive Hydra-Jet Car builder" Not Real Sure what that means...... Rebuilding a Carb is Really Pretty Much the Same for ALL Carbs,........ Just the Parts,+ Pieces Look alittle different........ Go to your local NAPA,+ give them All of the Info,+ #s for your Boat, Engine,+ Carb. you can Find...... Have the CounterGuy look in the NAPA Marine Specialties Catalog,.... Mine is NAPA Part# MSP-7.... They should be able to get you the Right Carb. Kit in a day or 2........ With a Manual,.. a few handtools,+ the limited Instructions that come in the Kit,..... Maybe You can rebuild it....... Otherwise,.... Do you have any friends who mess with Dirtbikes, or Chainsaws, or 4wheels, or Snowblowers, or Lawnmowers, or Cars,+ Trucks,... Jeeps,..???........................... A Basic Carb Kit is a pretty simple process,..... All it takes is Following the Instructions,.......... To A "T"................

ron7000 · Apr 14, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

if you're looking to sink some money into the boat for performance reasons, not just fixing the falling on it's face problem you described, then don't waste any money on the 1979 2-barrel. someone correct me if i'm wrong but if it's a newer vortec motor then he would have an electric fuel pump because they don't accept a mechanical fuel pump. So then if he has a mechanical fuel pump it's definitely not a newer gen ? block and probably doesn't have vortec heads? First thing I would do is replace the 2-barrel with a 4-barrel, either a holley or edelbrock. They are easy enough to get. Absolutely no sense upgrading a cam or any valvetrain when you still have a 2b carb. You would also need to replace the intake manifold. I'm not sure if vortec heads require a different 4-barrel intake manifold so you would have to research that and make that decision beforehand otherwise buy another intake when the time comes. My opinion, before doing a cam change I would change over the valvetrain to roller rockers- this is in addition to the 4b carb and intake. That should give you a decent performance gain to be happy with at a reasonable price. If you still want to go with a new cam, then you would need to gather all the info on your current setup- what type pistons, what type heads and whether or not you have or want vortec heads, valve lifts and clearances, and so on. I wouldn't be too gungho on a new cam since your current setup probably has the standard 350 head (its a reman engine) which won't flow well enough to get your money's worth out of the new cam. So new heads should be on your parts list if a cam is on that list, which will significantly up the costs. That's if you want everything to work together and give you the greatest performance boost. new 4b carb = $400-500 new 4b intake manifold = $300 new cam and valvetrain = $600 new vortec heads = $1200 letting the guys at iboats tell you how to setup your $h1t = priceless

illtww · Apr 17, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

I hear ya on the 4 bbl carb. I actually got my hands on the boat this weekend and it was a Qudra-Jet carb. We had the carb rebuilt and the boat seems to run much better. Starts right up and runs fine.... My mechanic suggested that I loose the Points Iginition and goto HEI... I can get the parts for cheep, ($150 for the whole HEI setup NEW!!!) ( using on eof his coils..) any thoughts? Travis

ron7000 · Apr 17, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

so you have a 4b carb, not a 2b carb, correct? did your remanned motor come with a distributor? Do you know if it's a mallory distributor? Regardless, if you're running points then converting to any electronic ignition is worth it. If you can get one for $150, to me the price sounds too good to be true. I would verify it gives the proper timing advance vs rpm. Do you know what brand HEI it is, and what kind of coil? You can also convert your current distributor over to electronic (HEI) with a pertronix module and new coil for about $200. In any case, I would agree with your mechanic that if you want more power and performance the first thing you do is upgrade your points ignition to electronic.

illtww · Apr 20, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

Can Someone PLEASE explain to me the differenc between the "Ignitor II" and the "Pertronix II". I am guessing that the "Ignitor II" is an add-on for OEM points igintions. The "Pertronix II" is the whole HEI distrib and cap replacment for OEM HEI setups? What would stop one from yanking the points and goin to HEI? ANy Suggestions? Need to get this thing ordered Quick!

ron7000 · Apr 20, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

Pertronix is the manufacturer name. The Ignitor is the name of the electronic module made by pertronix that replaces the breaker points in any distributor. It "converts" a breaker point ignition to an electronic ignition. You still use your original distributor. The Ignitor fits under the distributor cap. There is an Ignitor I, and an Ignitor II. The II is just a new version and better. Pertronix also makes a complete marine HEI distributor for SB chevy's, see their 2005 catalog. http://www.pertronix.com/ptx2005_cat/ptx_2005.pdf However, if you want to keep your current distributor and just convert it to electronic with the ignitor (I or II) module then you will need to know the make of your current distributor so you get the correct ignitor module. Which is why I asked since it is a remanned motor it could have been supplied with who knows what.

illtww · Apr 20, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

Do i need the Flame Thrower coil to realize the better spark? Whould there be any benefit of going wiht a FULL TRUE HEI setup? (New HEI Marine Distrib, HEI CAP, HEI Coil, HEI Wires)? and just running power to the HE coil? Or is that not possible? Ther part numbers are on the points cap correct?

illtww · Apr 21, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

Any feedback on the complete distributor swap from points to HEI?

ron7000 · Apr 21, 2006

Re: 79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

Ther part numbers are on the points cap correct?

sorry, don't know what you mean.

Do i need the Flame Thrower coil to realize the better spark?

well that sort of depends on what you have now. If your current coil is the original and many years old and which came with the breaker points ignition then I would say definitely. You should get the "Flamethrower II" coil to go with the "Ignitor II" if you convert your current distributor. I don't remember you saying what your current distributor is. If that's years old, and you took that from the old motor and put it on your new ramanned engine, then it may be wise to go with a whole new HEI distributor because the original distributor may be worn and not have much life left to it. No sense in spending $100-200 to convert that to electronic when for a little more you can get a complete HE distributor with electronic ignition. At least that's what I would do.

79' Mercruiser Thunderbird 350 Engine CAMs/CARB Questions...

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