Rebuild or repower?

[Target-56]

Hey guys I just recently inherited this boat with a Volvo Penta 280 outdrive hooked to a Volvo AQ130D. It was taken apart because it stopped running, and the cylinder head has long since been lost. What I am wondering is, would it be possible to either rebuild this engine (expensive?), re-power the 280 with something else, or just replace the whole combo with something else? Is there any more modern outdrive that will fit in the same transom holes? Also, there doesn't seem to be any front motor mounts, should I be looking for them?

 

[gadget73]

Re: Rebuild or repower?

I would replace it. If its been apart so long that a head is missing, then basically what you have is a shortblock. By the time you pay machine shop fees to have the shortblock rebuilt and buy a set of heads, you're probably looking at the cost of a complete longblock. Besides, theres no telling what was initially wrong with the engine, so you might pay a machine shop to find its nothing more than a lump of oddly shaped scrap metal.

Normally I don't advise changing the engine type to something drastically different, just because of the parts and stuff you need to buy. Going from say a 305 to a 350 is a piece of cake, but staying in the same basic engine family is usually a good idea.

 

[krisnowicki]

Re: Rebuild or repower?

I would replace it. If its been apart so long that a head is missing, then basically what you have is a shortblock. By the time you pay machine shop fees to have the shortblock rebuilt and buy a set of heads, you're probably looking at the cost of a complete longblock. Besides, theres no telling what was initially wrong with the engine, so you might pay a machine shop to find its nothing more than a lump of oddly shaped scrap metal.

Normally I don't advise changing the engine type to something drastically different, just because of the parts and stuff you need to buy. Going from say a 305 to a 350 is a piece of cake, but staying in the same basic engine family is usually a good idea.

I am almost done with a project like this I went from a 125b to a 131d. Look for a aq 12X or 13X and change it with that. The only real problems I ran in to was the colling system on the 131 was incomplete and it was costly to complete it.
( thanks rob)
I still have the 125 engine laying in my garage and I may rebuild it to have a spare. who knows...

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Rebuild or repower?

If the motor is that far gone, it makes sense to investigate the later model OHC 4 cylinders. Parts availability is better with the newer motors. Since the bellhousing setup is the same, the only other mod is the exhaust pipe and some wiring changes. Should just bolt right up.