Mercruiser is mercruiser is mercruiser... right????

[PSS-Mag]

It was my understanding and all that I talked to before and have talked to that all Mercruisers used the same transom template.

I bought a 1975 webcraft, had a 888 ford v8 in it same as mine.
It had came unhooked from the truck rolled down hill and smashed into another truck. Busting the transom assembly.

My old boat had rotted and eventually sank last year after being rear ended on the highway. Just wasn't worth fixing anymore. I picked this hull up for less than it would have cost me for thw wood to fix mine.

So I scrapped my boat, it had the 888 also, I had just replaced the transom assembly last year after getting rear ended only to find excessive rot when I tore it apart.

I figured this boat was also 888 ford V8, he wanted the engine so I pulled that out for him. Pulled the busted transom assembly off. then took mine off my boat and preceded to transplant my 888 transom assembly, engine and lower unit. Long story short, the Webbcraft was not the same. 2 key differences,
1 the drive hole was slightly smaller in a couple places, had to be modified.
2. the top 2 bolt holes were 1.5" lower, the other 4 were the same.

Luckily I had my old boat still so I used it to make myself a template.
Drill to new top bolt holes and reshape the drive hole.

Does anyone know of anytime that Merc used a different template?
It's fixed and working, but is still bothering me that it wasn't the same. Like to know why.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Mercruiser is mercruiser is mercruiser... right????

I can't tell you the exact differences, but i know there were differences, as they sell at least two different gaskets for the pre-alphas:

 

[JCF350]

Re: Mercruiser is mercruiser is mercruiser... right????

Like to know why.

A part may develop a "pattern" failure or issue later on in it's life (could be years later) that was unforeseen at the time of it's original design. So the engineers will make changes in the part from time to time.

 

[PSS-Mag]

Re: Mercruiser is mercruiser is mercruiser... right????

I can't tell you the exact differences, but i know there were differences, as they sell at least two different gaskets for the pre-alphas:

Very interesting....

Mine was shaped like the one on the left, his was shaped like teh one on the right. Although didn't have any trouble with the bottom, it was the top 2 holes that were different.

Mine was a 76, this one is a 75.

 

[captk]

Re: Mercruiser is mercruiser is mercruiser... right????

Merc used two transom assy on 888's. One has trim sender on the side of the gimbal ring, the other does not. One of them uses a foam o-ring type seal, the other a cork gasket. could this be the diff? Bill

 

[JCF350]

Re: Mercruiser is mercruiser is mercruiser... right????

The gimbal ring was changed to accommodate the routing of the hydraulic hoses to bottom. Don't remember when the change took place
I do remember changing the older style hoses though (3 wrenches and a chair).