I've taken a lot from this site, so here's my attempt to give back...<br /><br />I have a 89 OMC 4.3 engine. Discovered water in my plugs and then water in the oil. Exhaust manifolds were old and head gasket was suspect. Removed the cylinder heads and had them rebuilt and replaced the head gasket. Also, to avoid paying $1,000 for two of OMC's 1-piece exhaust manifolds, bought a Mercruiser conversion kit from a vendor at fredwarner1@hotmail.com. The manifolds, risers, elbows and hose came to around $500 - half the price of the OMC stock parts. For anyone thinking of converting, the pieces lined up perfectly on the engine and on the bellows. The only hitch was the stud length...needed 5.5 " (longer) studs to attach manifold to the engine. Hope this helps anyone trying to find the 1-piece or "batwing" manifolds or just trying to save money. <br /><br />This winter, I plan to pull and service the outdrive in my basement. I also need to build and mount potatoe guns to ward off those dang pirates. They were last spotted attacking cruise ships but heard to be headed this way. Always be prepared - expect the worst hope for the best. <br /><br />Semper Fi
