King Cobra (1993-1994) prop shaft removal

[Jllindy]

Looking for someone or "someplace" knowledgeable with the King Cobra (1993-1994) ALL of the boat shops around me (within 60 miles) do not/will not work on the King Cobra...given the short summer season here in MN I am determined to learn and buy the tools needed to keep it on the water.

1994 Chris Craft 248 concept with 7.4GL, King Cobra Drive...I have searched off and on for just shy of a year(since i bought the boat) to find info on removing the prop shaft and what specific tools are needed...i purchased the SELOC Manual as well as the Clymer and i have a "1994 Factory Service Manual" on the way. Both manuals mention the typical Long Armed puller after removing the retaining bolts, housing set screw and diode...but never mention a spanner nut which is the first thing staring at you when remove the prop and thrust bushing. I have worked on motors my whole life and normally don't hesitate to jump in an figure things out BUT i am being a little more cautious with this because i don't have a lot of experience with sterndrives AND i am learning that this drive is EXTREMELY hard to find parts for. with that all being said can someone here lead me in the direction or take me under wing and guide me safely.

 

[Jllindy]

Looking for someone or "someplace" knowledgeable with the King Cobra (1993-1994) ALL of the boat shops around me (within 60 miles) do not/will not work on the King Cobra...given the short summer season here in MN I am determined to learn and buy the tools needed to keep it on the water.

1994 Chris Craft 248 concept with 7.4GL, King Cobra Drive...I have searched off and on for just shy of a year(since i bought the boat) to find info on removing the prop shaft and what specific tools are needed...i purchased the SELOC Manual as well as the Clymer and i have a "1994 Factory Service Manual" on the way. Both manuals mention the typical Long Armed puller after removing the retaining bolts, housing set screw and diode...but never mention a spanner nut which is the first thing staring at you when remove the prop and thrust bushing. I have worked on motors my whole life and normally don't hesitate to jump in an figure things out BUT i am being a little more cautious with this because i don't have a lot of experience with sterndrives AND i am learning that this drive is EXTREMELY hard to find parts for. with that all being said can someone here lead me in the direction or take me under wing and guide me safely.

Please help, I know that someone on here is a King Cobra Guru…thank you in advance for your help

 

[jbcurt00]

It's the middle of the day, on a Sat during boating season, might give it a bit more than 2.5hrs

 

[itsathepete]

I am not an expert, but from what I have learned, King Cobras are extremely difficult to find parts for or anyone to work on them. I don't know what the best option would be, but it might be best to convert to a different drive that has better parts and service availability

 

[Lou C]

Agreed before throwing a ton of money into this, if you want to keep the boat start looking for parts to convert it to a Merc Bravo set up. Won’t be cheap but a good long term solution if the rest of the boat is in good shape.
Then sell off the OMC stuff on eBay to recoup costs.
The regular dog clutch cobras are much easier to get parts for….

 

[Jllindy]

It's the middle of the day, on a Sat during boating season, might give it a bit more than 2.5hrs

good point…I had just seen a lot of action in the forums and thought I would give it a little “bump”

 

[Jllindy]

I understand that they are rare and hard to get parts for… which is the exact reason why I am trying to maintain it meticulously and learn… you might not be an expert and most of us are not but I did consult some “experts” (dealership technicians that actually worked on these in the mid to late 90s) and they informed me that this is actually a very solid drive when maintained properly and that its biggest downfall was getting “lost” a bit during the selling/transfer of the business of OMC. When searching for information on the King cobras within these forums, before I posted this question, I’ll bet 9 out of 10 replies were to point out how hard it is to get parts for and to run away, scrap or convert the drive for that reason alone. What help is that to someone just trying to learn? I Know if someone is asking about major repairs needed and struggling to find parts I could see where such a reply is warranted. Fact is this I have a beautiful one owner 1994 Chris Craft that has been meticulously maintained, I have 28 years worth of service records and other than routine maintenance and an updated carburetor nothing has been changed on this boat, not even the vinyl seats. I intend to continue meticulously maintaining and caring for this boat and then prepare to buy any necessary tools as well as keep my eye open for spare drives if needed for future hard parts. That being said…as a community I think we can do better to help others by answering their questions and not scrapping there vessels. Especially when someone already owns the boat and is looking for help. If money wasn’t an issue we would all just bring our boats to a dealership and pay the big money or just buy new and let the warranty cover things but the reality is that many of us are trying to save a little money which is the whole purpose of this forum group, to help one another learn when trying to DIY various boat projects. Just to recap my question was of basic maintenance, not difficulty in finding parts... In fact the only parts I need are the seals that I am replacing because of preventative maintenance, seals that are readily available and that I have multiple sets of. The reason for this bit of a rant is I also worked on a sportjet 120 in a Sugar Sand and found MANY forums with similar negative NON-helpful responses… granted that is another very similar unit that is solid if well-maintained but parts can be hard to find because of the company closing down much like OMC but let’s face it if people still have these units it is because they love them or can’t afford to spend or justify $40-$50,000 on a new replacement. Let’s all do better to help teach and recognize that if someone already owns the vessel and is trying to fix it that it is not helping to tell them what junk it is…help if you can or move on if you can’t…the smart ones will learn quickly what is truly needed to fix/maintain there boats…the less educated ones will just continue to ignore advice and can’t be helped/reached anyways.

 

[Lou C]

What you said makes sense but you have to also think about how long it takes to find NLA spares, and a mechanic who can do what you can't. My garage is full of Cobra spares....complete spare drive, transom mount, power steering actuator, pump, trim pump, trim lines, exhaust Y pipe, fuel pump, Prestolite points distributor, Holley 4160 4bbl carb, and numerous other small parts. It takes a LOT of time, and takes up a LOT of room in your garage, and unless you are experienced at setting up gear boxes you are not taking one of these apart and re-assembling it successfully, at least I don't think so. So when people say it is better to convert, yes keep that great boat but be practical. You do it once, and then, don't have to keep searching for NLA parts on NLA Marine & ebay. Been there done that. If my engine has to be replaced in the near future, I am going to look hard and long at a complete Merc Alpha conversion.
That's my opinion from maintaining a Cobra in salt water for 20 years.
When properly set up and maintained they are excellent. I believe superior to a Mercruiser Alpha and as good as a much more expensive Volvo SX swap (yes priced that one out many times).
However, how much time do you want to devote to searching for parts and how much boating season time are you willing to lose when you can't find that one part?
PS also got rid of another oddball OMC "problem" the one piece V6 manifolds, that have been NLA for years. I converted that over to the later style exhaust using Volvo Penta 90* exhaust pipes & hoses and Barr Marine aftermarket exhaust. Cost a bit more because of the VP parts prices but fit like factory.

 

[Scott Danforth]

trying to buy the thousands of dollars worth of tools to service a non-desirable drive with no parts support is a fools errand.

besides throwing away the clymer and seloc manual (they make ok knee pads, however do not work well as toilet paper) you will need to have factory training (which no longer exists) to use the tools properly to service the king cobra drives.

you will be further ahead to pull the drive, pull the motor, remove the OMC transom plate, bolt in a Volvo SX or a Merc Bravo drive transom plate and hang a used volvo or merc drive.

for the price of the tools (many of which have not been made in 20 years) you can buy a really nice drive you can get service and parts for.

 

[Lou C]

Only other thing I might do, before doing the Merc conversion, is if my engine doesn't need to be replaced, then get that spare drive rebuilt, this way I have 2 good drives and can avoid down time. Cost wise I think its about the same, as to convert to Merc, and if the engine's out, it really makes more sense to convert, then I'd sell off all the OMC stuff, might actually break even. Any of the used Volvo SXs I saw where 4 grand or more and you also need more parts to do that conversion, I think by the time you're done, 5500-6000 in parts, vs approx 2000 to rebuild that spare Cobra....in fact I may just bolt it up next season and try it out before doing that.

In your case the thing to keep in mind is who has the best parts and service support in your area....Here both Merc and Volvo are supported but if you are in a Merc only area, then that is the way to go.

 

[jbcurt00]

good point…I had just seen a lot of action in the forums and thought I would give it a little “bump”

Then post a simply BTTT or Bump

Back
To
The
Top

Bump

 

[Jllindy]

trying to buy the thousands of dollars worth of tools to service a non-desirable drive with no parts support is a fools errand.

besides throwing away the clymer and seloc manual (they make ok knee pads, however do not work well as toilet paper) you will need to have factory training (which no longer exists) to use the tools properly to service the king cobra drives.

you will be further ahead to pull the drive, pull the motor, remove the OMC transom plate, bolt in a Volvo SX or a Merc Bravo drive transom plate and hang a used volvo or merc drive.

for the price of the tools (many of which have not been made in 20 years) you can buy a really nice drive you can get service and parts for.

Once again I am not looking for parts! My unit works flawlessly l…if/when it stops working flawlessly I will look at conversion options…I am extremely mechanically inclined…grew up on a farm, have rebuilt transmissions, duramax motors (back in 2005 before even the “factory trained service techs” could help much beyond bolt on parts, I even traveled the country on the NHRA circuit for a couple years working on a Top Alcohol Funny Car…boats however are a new thing for me…I have no problem spending my money on the tools or to spend the money on a spare drive unit to have in case I need some rare “hard parts”…sadly, many here just assume or act like they are smarter, more experienced and that people have to think the way they do and if they don’t agree then the bashing or insults commence…

once again I HAVE A FULLY FUNCTIONING 1994 Chris Craft with 7.4GL OMC (carbureted) PAIRED WITH THE ORIGINAL KING COBRA (cone drive). I intend on maintaining this drivetrain the best I can! I understand that HARD parts can be scarce and that many people that worked on these and have/had the tools are retired or passed…I do have an original service manual coming that should be more helpful that the Clymer and Seloc…
What I am looking for is one of those “old” gurus that can share some knowledge and maybe even sell me some of the old tools that by many people claim should be worthless even though those same people claim that they are no longer available or expensive if found…I don’t know ANYONE who throws tools away so they have to be somewhere lol and I very strongly disagree that one needs “factory training” just to learn how to USE the tools

I like factory original and matching stuff, much easier to keep track of and find parts for than something like Johnny Cash’s Cadillac lol…when the time comes that it is no longer financial feasible for me to keep things original than I will explore the other options available…till then…please help me learn how to keep this beautiful vessel running like a top so my family and I can enjoy her for many more years to come. Thank You in advance for your help and input.

 

[Jllindy]

Then post a simply BTTT or Bump

Back
To
The
Top

Bump

Will do! Thank You for the advice/tip…I know I need to be patient with find this “needle in a haystack” guru …I am certain that of one exists that they will be on this forum or someone on this forum can hopefully put me in touch with one.

 

[Scott Danforth]

No one is questioning your background.

However the truth is, most of the tech's trained 30 years ago have long since retired or passed. Those tools would have been owned by the shop and not the individual techs. so you are looking for an independent shop owner that was factory trained and held onto their tools after retiring, and willing to sell the tools, or have identified the tools for the next of kin to sell. Most shops did not participate in training as the drives were new and then gone with the JV to Volvo.

Remember, the service manual will have been written assuming you are factory trained.

Good luck in your search.

additionally, the only reason that Chris Craft rigged with OMC back in 1994 is that OMC owned Chris Craft. they offered both OMC and Mercruiser and sold more Mercruiser boats than OMC boats.

 

[Jllindy]

No one is questioning your background.

However the truth is, most of the tech's trained 30 years ago have long since retired or passed. Those tools would have been owned by the shop and not the individual techs. so you are looking for an independent shop owner that was factory trained and held onto their tools after retiring, and willing to sell the tools, or have identified the tools for the next of kin to sell. Most shops did not participate in training as the drives were new and then gone with the JV to Volvo.

Remember, the service manual will have been written assuming you are factory trained.

Good luck in your search.

additionally, the only reason that Chris Craft rigged with OMC back in 1994 is that OMC owned Chris Craft. they offered both OMC and Mercruiser and sold more Mercruiser boats than OMC boats.

Thank you and yes I understand I am searching for A needle in a haystack kind of…I have a dealer about 45 miles away that welcomes this old iron and I have let him know that I am interest in his tools and knowledge whenever he stops working on these boats but for now he is still “taking my money” to fix it lol l…So it wouldn’t be in his best interest “yet” to pass along his tools and/or knowledge…hoping to maybe find someone on or through this forum that has reached that point in their technician career…thank you for your well wishes.