omc upper gear case compatibility

[BEACHCRAFT85]

i am changing my upper gear case on my 1985 beachcraft because mine seized up,i found a used gear case but it is the older electric shift and my mechanical shift cables wont fit through the hole in the upper gear case.so my question is can the hole be drilled out to accomodate the bigger cables?the boat has the omc 5.7l 260hp motor and 800 series stringer outdrive,i am new to this forum and this is my first boat so forgive me in advance if i do or say something stupid thank you...

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: omc upper gear case compatibility

before you drill it out, does it have the same gear ratio as the original
does it have trucourse steering? (was an option on electric shift units)
Is it low profile? (i.e.- same lenght of housing as the 800)

after all that, I *think so*..... there should be enough meat in the casting, but if you hit a sand pocket or something it could chip or break...it's a risk but it has been done... that's why it isn't worth trying if not the same gearing etc

 

[run2car]

Re: omc upper gear case compatibility

Another thing to check is the worm gear for the steering. There are a few floating around that the steering is reversed. The worm gear is easy the swap with the old drive.

 

[BEACHCRAFT85]

Re: omc upper gear case compatibility

yeah it has the 21/16 gearing in it but mine was 21/17 because it was geared for high altitude do you think that will be a problem or something that i could fix with a prop change?it is the same length and has the same steering.the guy i was buying the gearcase from told me it could be drilled out but i wanted to get a second opinion so i appreciate your help and expertise cause i am lost right now dealing with this boat.the case was a rebuild he did for someone 2 years ago and the guy never picked it up,and its hard to find one here locally for less than 1500 that has been rebuilt and i paid 800 for this one so i was hoping it would work so thank you for your help...

 

[BEACHCRAFT85]

Re: omc upper gear case compatibility

i will have to check that worm gear issue to and make sure its all good...