Alpha 1 gen 2 Gimbal Rebuild

[Dave Desilets]

Does anyone know if JR Marine is still in business. I searched on line and found their website but there were only a few pages that I could open. Gave them a couple of calls last week and left messages, but no return calls.
This is for a '94 Alpha that has the usual wandering due to a warn Gimbal. Nothing has been
done to the drive over the years other than the usual maintainence. I bought the boat and discovered the bellows and shift boot are leaking, along with the loose Gimbal. So my
thinking is to fix the Gimbal now rather than just doing the bellows and having to take it
all apart again.
In pricing this all up I suffered great sticker shock at the cost of replacing the Gimbal with
new Mercruiser parts. This is when I came across JR Marine, but the threads were 10-15
years old. So, if anyone knows if they are still in business, please let me know or if they know of someone that rebuilds Gimbals, that would be great. Thanks!

 

[alldodge]

Don't know about JR, but if you pull the motor then no need for the JR or Merc method.

 

[alldodge]

Found this on NLA parts, says it was removed from a very tight ring. At $30 if true is well worth it
https://www.nlamarine.com/products/...g-upper-swivel-shaft-alpha-one-gen-i-ii-bravo

They have a ring for $500
Ebay also shows some

Could also check with the local machine shop and they may be able to rebuild your current one

 

[Mad Props]

Just out of curiosity, are you making the assumption that the steering pin is worn out because the boat meanders back and forth at low speed or are you actually doing a "shakedown" test to confirm that the gimbal ring is loose? Not saying it isn't, but if you're assuming its worn because of the oscillating back and forth in the water, thats actually a totally normal thing for I/Os and is a little confusing if you are new to them.

 

[Dave Desilets]

Don't know about JR, but if you pull the motor then no need for the JR or Merc method.

It's more of the fact that I need a new or good used or rebuilt Gimbal Ring Assy. Same for a Shaft Assy and Steering Lever Assy. They had some good pricing back years ago. If I can get a really good complete transom assy, I'll pull the motor, and replace everything mainly due to hearing stories of
cracks in everything.

 

[Dave Desilets]

Just out of curiosity, are you making the assumption that the steering pin is worn out because the boat meanders back and forth at low speed or are you actually doing a "shakedown" test to confirm that the gimbal ring is loose? Not saying it isn't, but if you're assuming its worn because of the oscillating back and forth in the water, thats actually a totally normal thing for I/Os and is a little confusing if you are new to them.

I've had Mercruiser stern drives for almost 30 years and I completely agree with your question. No argument. Yup it is a V hull and a known problem. The previous boat, a 1989 Sea Ray 21' had it so bad, I put on a pair of 2' long trim tabs to help the wandering and steering slop. They worked great.
So good in fact, I could steer the boat at any speed with them and keep
the bow down to boot.

 

[Dave Desilets]

Found this on NLA parts, says it was removed from a very tight ring. At $30 if true is well worth it
https://www.nlamarine.com/products/...g-upper-swivel-shaft-alpha-one-gen-i-ii-bravo

They have a ring for $500
Ebay also shows some

Could also check with the local machine shop and they may be able to rebuild your current one

Thanks! Really appreciate your help!
I have an email into them now to see what they have. Fingers crossed!

 

[Bodean1]

J-R marine is most certainly in business. I just did mine two weeks ago. ( Bravo 3) Ron is a nice guy and very helpful. Not cheap but much better than having a shop do it.

 

[Dave Desilets]

J-R marine is most certainly in business. I just did mine two weeks ago. ( Bravo 3) Ron is a nice guy and very helpful. Not cheap but much better than having a shop do it.

I assume that this the J-R Marine in Eastlake, OH because you talked to Ron. Seems that there are other "JR marines out there. He might not have called back because I mentioned that I needed Alpha parts not Bravo. His website seems to be all Bravo orientated. I'll try calling again.
When you say not cheap, if you wouldn't mind, what did you get and how much was it. If I go Mercruiser parts for a new Gimbal Ring Asy, New Shaft Asy (Square), new Steering Lever Asy, and a few other minor parts I'm just short of $1500 with shipping on top of that. Suffering from sticker shock!

 

[Dave Desilets]

Thanks! Really appreciate your help!
I have an email into them now to see what they have. Fingers crossed!

I have traded a couple of emails with them, nice folks. I seems like there were only a few Aplha parts that came in last year and they gone. Will have to wait until late winter/spring to see what comes in.

 

[Dave Desilets]

I assume that this the J-R Marine in Eastlake, OH because you talked to Ron. Seems that there are other "JR marines out there. He might not have called back because I mentioned that I needed Alpha parts not Bravo. His website seems to be all Bravo orientated. I'll try calling again.
When you say not cheap, if you wouldn't mind, what did you get and how much was it. If I go Mercruiser parts for a new Gimbal Ring Asy, New Shaft Asy (Square), new Steering Lever Asy, and a few other minor parts I'm just short of $1500 with shipping on top of that. Suffering from sticker shock!

Finally got Ron on the phone yesterday. Yup, he's not cheap for sure. Probably saving $400 over new Mercruiser parts. The cost savings mainly comes from a rebuilt Gimbal vs. New and the SS Shaft he has is almost half the cost of the Mercruiser part. Have to send him my old Gimbal for credit.
This was factored into the price and assumes that it doesn't have any cracks. Worn surfaces thsy can be welded and machined back are expected but cracks are not.
From what I've read on a few forums everyone that went with him have not had a problem that could be traced back to him. I'm stretching a bit to put this amount of money into a 27 year old boat along with all the bellows shift cable, gimbal bearing and tools. But when I look at the cost of replacing this boat one for one and the amount to time it really gets used, fixing it is a whole lot cheaper!
So unless someone comes back with " what are you nuts" comment, I'm going the JR route and save some money. Oh by the way, before I hack out the hole to access the steering lever and shaft nut, after I pull off the drive and the Bell housing I'm really going to look hard at the Gimbal to make sure, as best as I can, that I'll get a credit for it. If not, I'll get a new one.
Thanks!