Houston….. We’ve had a problem…..

[Scott Danforth]

who is old as the 265 cu in small block?

you are vintage.....

 

[ScottinAZ]

meh.... im not middle aged.. Im emissions era... (1976)

 

[jimmbo]

and you remember Thurl Ravenscroft as the voice of Tony the Tiger,

He also sang "You're Mean One Mr. Grinch"

 

[Scott Danforth]

He also sang "You're Mean One Mr. Grinch"

yes he did.

 

[Lou C]

Now this is vintage. I learned how to fix my air cooled VWs reading this book, I bought this copy in 1972 when I started driving and still have it, grease and all. Scott do you remember that yellow fibrous grease we used to have to use to repack wheel bearings? Nasty stuff! So learned points distributors and Solex 1bbl carbs on the VW 1200 cc flat four. That and setting mechanical valve lifter clearances, still remember the specs....intake .004" and exhaust .006".

 

[dingbat]

Now this is vintage. I learned how to fix my air cooled VWs reading this book, I bought this copy in 1972 when I started driving and still have it, grease and all. Scott do you remember that yellow fibrous grease we used to have to use to repack wheel bearings? Nasty stuff! So learned points distributors and Solex 1bbl carbs on the VW 1200 cc flat four. That and setting mechanical valve lifter clearances, still remember the specs....intake .004" and exhaust .006".

Still have mine as well

My first Bug was the one my parents bought new in 1963. Sold my last “bug” in 1986
Owned a 67 bus, 72 convertible bug, 65 Karmon Ghia convertible and a 74 bug.

Cheap to “hot rod”. Forgot what a set of oversized “jugs” cost but it wasn’t that much. Always had a “spare” 1600cc with “bug spray” (2bbl) carbs in the basement. Got to where I could swap engines in under an hour.

 

[Lou C]

If you still had that KG & it wasn’t rusted good ones go for $35k.
I had a ‘65 Beetle & a Fiberfab Dune Buggy built off a 56 Beetle pan. One engine between them!
Put 2 scissors jacks on top of a reinforced creeper to swap engines after removing the fan housing etc.
Would love to have a KG now!

 

[dingbat]

If you still had that KG & it wasn’t rusted good ones go for $35k.
I had a ‘65 Beetle & a Fiberfab Dune Buggy built off a 56 Beetle pan. One engine between them!
Put 2 scissors jacks on top of a reinforced creeper to swap engines after removing the fan housing etc.
Would love to have a KG now!

Grew up in what was then the middle of no-where. Could go for miles via fields, old farm paths, etc. w/o getting on a public road.

Used to hot wire and go for rides while the parent where away when I was 14. They gave me the car when I turned 16.

The start of your typical “broke kid” trying to keep his “ride” on the road. The primary reason why I hate wrenching on cars to this day

 

[Lou C]

My early driving days were in suburban/rural Westchester County NY. We discovered that with big & wide tires in the rear, old school VWs were nearly as good as Jeeps off road! Fire roads were our playground.

 

[ScottinAZ]

ALL RIGHTY THEN!!!!!

got an early start, and installed all the rest of the crap I hadnt done yet. Retorqued the rocker nuts, installed valve cover gaskets, exhaust and carburetor. Put a shot of 50:1 down the yap (because I didnt have any other fuel.... ) and it barked right off. Only let it run for a second or so, I dont want to totally destroy the raw water pump (I have a kit on order, but why make more work by killing it completely)... happy day!!!

 

[Scott Danforth]

@Lou C , I may still have that book. Have about 75 manuals in a tote

 

[ScottinAZ]

well, its on to the next phase.... maintenance...

Pulled the outdrive this morning to check for alignment and to service the bellows (who knows when they were done last, its been off the water since 2017...)

Everything came apart as anticipated. Bellows were still "good" but getting old. Gimbal bearing is in great shape, and being the greasable type, it will stay in place. The replacement in the kit I got is NON-greasable, so it will stay in the box as a spare for either this boat, or my other one, should it decide to eat another gimbal bearing.... Alignment is awesome. No change needed, tool slides in just as intended, and has good spline contact all around. Now I just need to get a pair of snap ring pliers big enough to do the exhaust bellows......


As a bit of a rant, though I will say that OMC/Volvo GOT THIS THING RIGHT.... its a LOT easier to service than my Mercruiser MC-1. More room to work, things just seem better laid out inside the transom shield, no gasket to try and not shred, and of course you dont have to fight the shifter if it wants to be a pain in the ass..... The downside is, the outdrive itself seems a bit heavier, so that is gonna be fun to juggle back into place.....

 

[Lou C]

I use a drive jack to make that job easier. These cone clutch drives are very good the main issue is the cost of parts vs an Alpha is quite a bit more but strength wise these cone clutch drives are closer to a Bravo than an Alpha.
In general I have found that the OMC transom mount was well designed I have not had the problems that can be common with MC drives esp in salt water like wear in the steering pin & leaks thru the transom. In fact it is only now after 36 years that I have to repair one of the trim cyls for which you can get rebuild kits from BRP.
With the dog clutch models the main thing is the shift cable & its adjustments. With the 3 special tools it isn’t hard to do & if you keep the drive down the OEM cables last a very long time.

 

[ScottinAZ]

yeah, this is a cone clutch model, the adjustment is simple. Fasten in the cable, and adjust it til it fits in the hole in neutral.... for shits and giggles ill try it in all 3 positions to ensure my shifter is working properly. Last time I had the Mercruiser out, I fought it for over an hour before it went home. I dont have concrete, or even a level surface I could use a drive jack on, so I have to juggle the damn thing. The fact that neither of my trailers gets the drive to a "level" orientation on the drive doesnt help either. Ill have to jack up the back of the trailer to make it a bit easier on me so its a straight in shot.

 

[Lou C]

get a couple of pieces of 1/2" plywood about 4 ft long maybe a foot and a half wide, make a flat path, make your life easier.
At my age there is no way on God's Green Earth that I'm wrestling with an outdrive. The jack makes it easy, with the Cobra I R&R it in neutral, and I use a thin long screwdriver in the ujoint to turn the driveshaft to get the splines to line up. Once I learned that trick, very easy.

 

[ScottinAZ]

I ended up just wrasslin it into position. once I got the trailer tail high enough for it to be a straight shot, it went right in. Its a little disconcerting when it stops shy of fully mated, but the design of the bellows needs that last little bit snugged up with the bolts to compress the bellows and hold them in place. as long as the retaining bolts didnt get TOO tight, and I worked side to side, it snugged up nicely. At least I wont have to do this job again for a little while. Probably only be used 20-30 hours this year, so every few ill check it.... YES, I know it should be done YEARLY, but oh well.... I dont know the last time this drive was checked, but it was Pre-2017, and the tool slid right in with zero effort.... it should be good until I have to pop the drive again..... or I find bigger problems.

 

[nnl1987]

How would you describe how hard it was to turn the alignment tool. I've often wondered if I did my correctly last year. I read that it should turn with 2 fingers and a thumb.

I had the engine out for a rebuild. I didn't adjust the engine mount stands when I took the engine out. Everything stayed exactly as is and went in the exact same way. I never ended up adjusting it after checking it. Tool slipped in and it was easy to turn. Just second guessing myself I guess.

 

[ScottinAZ]

it is generally regarded as if there is "any resistance" that an adjustment needs to be made. Mine slipped in so easy that I didnt think it was fully seated...... it rotated as easily as moving the gimbal bearing by hand (so any resistance over and above the gimbal bearing itself is "bad")

I lightly greased the area of the tool where the splines go, and had a good even pattern all the way around it. I personally consider this to be good to go. If it slips in nicely, so will the driveshaft.

 

[alldodge]

If it is really easy as next to nothing, look close at the splines. The splines should be square and not tapered. Should be able to slide in/out with 2 fingers

 

[ScottinAZ]

If it is really easy as next to nothing, look close at the splines. The splines should be square and not tapered. Should be able to slide in/out with 2 fingers

splines were still nice and sharp (factory looking, not worn sharp) on both sides. I was expecting a little resistance when inserting, but really didnt feel anything. the grease says it was in the coupler, the splines didnt look worn, either my tool is a bit undersized (thats what She said....) or it was REALLY well aligned.