1978 Galaxie Day Crusier w/240HP OMC & Stringer Outdrive

[Wildman4x4]

Hello all,
I have been over in the Boat Restoration, Building, and Hull Repair since I got this boat. I only paid $400 for it and the trailer so I am not out any real money.
So I have figured out so far that my floors are rotten and need to be replaced.

The engine is questionable at best. I have found the engine is missing it's distributor.

And has popped at least one freeze plug

Plus for some reason the oil filter has been blown off

So I don't know at this point if the engine can be rebuilt or not. I also am not sure if I want to try rebuilding it. I was told that I might be able to bolt a Chevy engine to the outdrive because it has a universal bellhousing. Can anyone verify or disprove this information? Also does anyone know what the maximum HP rating for one of these outdrives? Now all this is assuming that my outdrive is in good shape and can be used. If not then I will end up swapping in a new style outdrive. What would be the easiest outdrive to swap in to replace my stock unit?

 

[Wildman4x4]

My outdrive model # is 981918 serial# W183014 if that helps any? I don't know anything about I/O boats or about the outdrive units. Now that I got that out in the open what can I tell you about my outdrive to figure out if it is any good or not?
The tilt gear has been taken off but I am going to guess that was so that they could get it tilted up. It is tied up with rope right now.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... Sweet lookin' boat,.....

Yer Best bet is to junk the motor, 'n stringer drive, glass in the transom hole, then install a later model Merc or Volvo power,.....
The parts from the Stringer drive might get ya some money for the replacement, as some folks are still tryin' to keep the ole Stringers runnin',...
There ain't no New parts, so used parts are worth some coin,....

The Best place to find yer replacement driveline is in craigslist, right 'bout now,.....
A hull with Rotten stringers, 'n transoms can be found reasonably cheap this time of year,...

Personally, I'd be huntin' a 350 Chevy ahead of an Alpha 1 drive, so anything from 'bout '83 on up, is fair game,...

Alpha 1, Gen.IIs came out in '91, so they're startin' to show up in Rotten boats on occasion,...

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

your outdrive is hydromechanical shift - a bit unique that lower unit, only used 1978-1981. That in an ad should help you get it sold correctly without having to answer a bunch of unrelated questions.
remove it carefully with the proper manual to prevent damage to the $700 shift cable.

 

[Wildman4x4]

Ok found a 06 Merc w/4.3 behind it. Would this be a good unit to get? Can I install a 350 behind that? It is complete with everything to include the 4.3.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

don't get it unless you are using the V6. DIfferent gearing in the outdrive for a V8.

I would just look for a different boat, myself. Always cheaper to find one in seaworthy condition than trying to piece one together. (that's why there's always money in parting boats out - you'll easily get double your $400 for that outdrive alone if it's in decent shape)

But if you love that one, follow Bondo's advice - get a 350/Alpha One setup... pulley to prop- a wrecked hull always the best way to buy it - that way you get all the helm stuff - like steering, gauges, shifter - all that stuff will have to change - none of what you got there will work on a Mercruiser without a lot of hassle.

 

[Wildman4x4]

Well no I am not In Love with this boat per say. It was just a good buy at the time so I took a chance. It is turning into a bigger project than I had first hoped for but I also wasn't planning on having a driveable boat for 2-3 years as I ain't rich and can't just go throw $10,000 at it and say be fixed. I am a little disappointed about the outdrive but didn't know OMC was a defunk company.
I'm not real sure about glassing over the current hole in the transom and it will be a learning experience for me to do all this work. I'm a pretty good mechanic but I suck as a carpenter. On top of which my garage isn't heated so I can't work on the boat during the winter.

Here is the engine I have been building for my Jeep.

 

[Tnstratofam]

Wildman I'm sorry for the discouraging news on the out drive. That is why I suggested asking about it in this section of the forum. People who have the right answer as to how hard or easy the repair of that out drive would be. That being said Since you're going to be looking at rebuilding a boat I would do some research on the different styles i.e. bowrider, ski, wakeboard, cuddy cabin etc. Figure out which style best suits your needs, and look for one of them to buy running or rebuild. If you like the boat you have, as has been mentioned a repower isn't out of the question either. Whatever you decide there are plenty of good people here who will help you along the way.

By the way that is one sharp looking engine.

 

[Wildman4x4]

No worries about the boat as I knew I was taking a chance when I bought the darn thing.
Type of boat I like? What I have or the sleeker ones with a nice big engine showing off in the rear. I'm pretty sure I can skip the over the transom headers though. Too much noise for me. I have also always wanted a Jet drive so that would be the other style of boat I would want. Then getting away from the ski boats my next choice would be an open bow boat. I really like them too but if it is a choice between the two styles the Ski boat wins out and if it is a jet drive then there is really no contest. My biggest issue is that I didn't have the money for a $4,000-8,000 boat but buying a project that I could work on a little at a time worked for me.
So I guess I'll just have to look at all my options real close and make a decision from that. But I'll wait til spring to decide anything as I am not going to be working on the boat thru winter. I have no heat in my garage so it will just sit until it is warm enough to work outside.

 

[Tnstratofam]

I would keep my eyes open then for either a good candidate for a mild redo, or a good donor boat for parts for the Galaxie. This time of year there are plenty of people getting rid of bad boats as well as people who are getting out of boating, and wanting to get more space in their yards. Those are the ones who tend to be easier to negotiate a good deal with. Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[Bondo]

No worries about the boat as I knew I was taking a chance when I bought the darn thing.
Type of boat I like? What I have or the sleeker ones with a nice big engine showing off in the rear. I'm pretty sure I can skip the over the transom headers though. Too much noise for me. I have also always wanted a Jet drive so that would be the other style of boat I would want. Then getting away from the ski boats my next choice would be an open bow boat. I really like them too but if it is a choice between the two styles the Ski boat wins out and if it is a jet drive then there is really no contest. My biggest issue is that I didn't have the money for a $4,000-8,000 boat but buying a project that I could work on a little at a time worked for me.
So I guess I'll just have to look at all my options real close and make a decision from that. But I'll wait til spring to decide anything as I am not going to be working on the boat thru winter. I have no heat in my garage so it will just sit until it is warm enough to work outside.

Ayuh,.... I've seen Jet powered hulls that look pretty much exactly like the day cruiser style posted above,.....

Donno's that particular hull could run a Jet, but it's entirely possible, with the right glass work to make it happen,....
Different that goin' another I/O, but still glass work,...

That's a Sweet lookin' hull,....

 

[Wildman4x4]

Bondo,
Local shop that repairs fiberglass and builds custom fiberglass stuff was showing me the 2 day cruiser's he has. One he is going to add 6 feet to it's length and the other he has added some cool touches to. Both are jet drives and one doesn't have a power plant right now so it is easy to see how the jet drive is setup. I'd have to move my engine forward about 12" to get the pump in the hull and working. I've got tons to be thinking about this winter.
He told me he could setup my hull for a jet pump for around $2,500. That is closing off the hole in the transom and putting the hole in the floor.

I've never done any glass work before so it is a little scary and doing something like closing the hole in the transom just scares me even more.

 

[Bondo]

Bondo,
Local shop that repairs fiberglass and builds custom fiberglass stuff was showing me the 2 day cruiser's he has. One he is going to add 6 feet to it's length and the other he has added some cool touches to. Both are jet drives and one doesn't have a power plant right now so it is easy to see how the jet drive is setup. I'd have to move my engine forward about 12" to get the pump in the hull and working. I've got tons to be thinking about this winter.
He told me he could setup my hull for a jet pump for around $2,500. That is closing off the hole in the transom and putting the hole in the floor.

I've never done any glass work before so it is a little scary and doing something like closing the hole in the transom just scares me even more.

Ayuh,...... You seem to be pretty "Handy",......

Plastic composites are pretty Easy, once ya understand the principals, 'n basics,...

Head on over to the Repair, 'n Restoration Forum, 'n sniff 'round,....
Lotsa Great folks, with volumes of knowledge, 'n ideas on how to get it done,.....
Sand, slather, sand, slather, sand, sand, slather, sand, sand, sand, 'n paint is the basic concept,...

 

[Wildman4x4]

Well I do have a question about the OMC outdrive.
Why can't I just build a new engine for the boat and run the OMC until it finally goes TU? Then when it does go bad I'll figure out what I want to do with it.
Is the OMC such a bad outdrive that it isn't even worth dealing with?

 

[southkogs]

The Stringer comes with a crumby marine social stigma for two reasons: 1) OMCs dead and gone and parts are getting a little harder to get hold of (some parts are VERY difficult to get hold of), and 2) the drives can be finicky at times and there aren't too many marine techs who want to (or know how to) deal with 'em.

That said, they have some positives and can be very robust if well cared for. If you don't have to rebuild the transom, and the floor and engine can be solved reasonably inexpensively, then the Stringer has the potential to keep ya' going for a while. Any idea what shape it's in? (I know very little about the hydro-mechanical shift) You'd have to make sure the engine would match the gear ratios for the drive.

If you have to rebuild the transom anyway, you can probably find a donor boat with a Mercruiser Stern drive in decent shape and consider a transplant.

Either way you'd have some work ahead of you, and if you have to rebuild the transom I'd stack the deck against future problems by going Merc now.

 

[Wildman4x4]

Southkogs,
I have no idea what kind of shape the Stringer is in as the engine doesn't run so I haven't even tried to turn it over. I have to replace the ignition switch before I can test the electrical system and see if the engine will even turn over of not. The outdrive appears to be all there so I think I am good as far as that goes. I know next to nothing or even less about an outdrive don't matter if it is OMC, Volvo, or Merc. Now I ain't without skills and can read up to a 2nd grade book on a good day. So if the repair manual walks me thru what I need to do I think I can get it done.

As far as I can tell the transom is fine it isn't soft like the floor is. Unless I am suppose to be checking it out some other way? Can someone walk me thru what and how I should be checking the transom? Yes the floor is going to be loads of fun but it will be a learning experience for me. I will learn about glassing and fix the boat at the same time. Engine will be a piece of cake for me just got to figure out what I will do to it. I know I need to use marine parts like water pump & cam but is there any other parts that are only for marine? Also brass freeze plugs but I like brass plugs even on my street engines. Thinking maybe I'd throw a throttle body on it too instead of running a carb? Also what about intakes? It has an Edelbrock manifold on it right now.

 

[southkogs]

Okay - my brain just kicked in a little bit on something: On a Stringer, the transom doesn't matter as much! One of the whole points of the Stringer (and a positive in my opinion) is that it mounts to the boats stringers, not to the transom. It passes through the transom: so as long as you're not leaking, you probably don't need to rebuild the transom.

Get a manual for your drive. It's a hydro-mechanical shift and I don't know those at all (mines an older electric shift). Find out how to remove the stern drive from the engine. I'm not sure how to test your lower unit to see if it's shifting right, but it's pretty easy to see if your upper gear case is free and moving.

 

[Wildman4x4]

Well that is good news in the fact that the transom isn't such a big deal. I still think the transom on the boat is in good shape anyhow. How do other outdrives mount to the boat?

I will get a repair manual coming on my drive. And come spring I will pull the boat up to my garage and yank the engine out of it so I can check all the mounts out better.

 

[southkogs]

How do other outdrives mount to the boat?

If you look at a Mercruiser or Volvo, you'll see a hard housing that marries up to the transom of the boat on the outside - in short, the engine mounts to the floor/sole/stringers and the sterndrive mounts to the transom. The bulk of the force (thrust from the screw pushing the boat) pushes against the transom, thus moving the boat. The transom bears quite a load.

The reason a OMC Stringer has it's name is because the engine and drive are both (together) mounted to the stringers of the boat (not the floor/sole). The drive passes through the transom (hence the big goofy boot on the back of your boat). All of the force that is pushing the boat is absorbed in the stringers of the boat, not the transom.

I don't know if all of the marketing fluff OMC would use on these drives holds true, but I have noticed (at least) that the vibration noise is my boat is significantly lower than my parents Merc, which is 30 years newer. At idle, you really can't hear my boat running ... the bubbling behind the drive is what gives it away.

 

[Wildman4x4]

Southkogs,
You have been a ton of info and I want to thank you for that. It sounds like the OMC drives were pretty good drives in their day. Wish they weren't so hard to get parts for. I think I am going to build a new 351 motor and take a chance on my drive being good. I of course will check everything out on my drive and make sure it is good. So I'm going to order a manual and go from there.