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  1. Lou C

    Bent push rods….calling engine builders

    If there were stuck valves from the overheat, that could have bent the original pushrods. How'd they look when you took em off? Some say to roll them on a piece of glass to see if any are bent. Also when doing the hydraulic lifter preload adjustment it is easy to make a mistake with the intakes...
  2. Lou C

    closed cooling

    If you are in freshwater it might not seem as important but here in the salt pond, there is no way I'd put in a reman or new engine without it. In fact in my mind that is the one of the few advantages of an inboard vs an outboard, here a closed cooled inboard could actually last longer than an...
  3. Lou C

    What is the all time record for lower shift cable life?

    It definitely makes sense that if the shift interrupt is working there will be less stress on the cable, so that and also keeping your engine idle speed where it should be are helpful. I'm not sure if this also applies to Alphas, but on OMC Cobras and Volvo SX drives if you keep the drive down...
  4. Lou C

    7.4 merc won't start after winter storage

    Agreed that's a crazy design. Would have been better with a crank mounted impeller and normal fuel pump!
  5. Lou C

    350 Magnum Tournament Ski spark plugs

    I've posted these pix a few times but in case you never saw them....from 8 years ago..... starboard head removal: cleaning up the old block: reman cylinder heads purchased from a local speed shop, $550 for the pair: reman heads installed: overall not a hard job, what took the longest was...
  6. Lou C

    350 Magnum Tournament Ski spark plugs

    When my head gaskets leaked I was able to do the top end overhaul with the engine in the boat, I caught it early so no fire slotting, just water starting to leak into cyls but not enough to hydro lock it…
  7. Lou C

    converted an early 4.3 from 2 to 4 barrel carb. getting issue at WOT

    While it may seem like it the Quadrajet is not too much carb for a 4.3 especially in marine use, a properly set up QJet is almost like a variable venturi carb. Post your concern up at Cliff's High Performance Quadrajets, they have a forum there and he does answer questions. My OMC 4.3 came from...
  8. Lou C

    converted an early 4.3 from 2 to 4 barrel carb. getting issue at WOT

    The Quadrajet was available with different size plungers for the accel pump and this could then very the amount of fuel the pump would dispense. Similar to how a marine carb is jetted more rich than an automotive carb…
  9. Lou C

    converted an early 4.3 from 2 to 4 barrel carb. getting issue at WOT

    The plus to them being set up right is the classic Quadrajet howl when they open, sounds just like classic GM musclecars most of which had Quadrajets, except the highest performance variants that had Holleys.
  10. Lou C

    converted an early 4.3 from 2 to 4 barrel carb. getting issue at WOT

    Has it been gone thru, cleaned and put back together with new gaskets, new marine style accelerator pump? A common problem on Quadrajets is the adjustment of the secondary air doors. The way the Quadrajet works for the secondary system, the secondary throttle plates are mechanically opened but...
  11. Lou C

    converted an early 4.3 from 2 to 4 barrel carb. getting issue at WOT

    Which carb did you install? Different issues for the 3 main types used, Merc/Weber/Edelbrock, Holley or Quadrajet. Is it a marine carb for sure?
  12. Lou C

    350 Magnum Tournament Ski spark plugs

    Yes pulling the exhaust can give you a clue as to what went wrong. I got an endoscope camera and started scoping the exhaust at the end of each season to check for water leaks. It sure saves time vs taking it all apart.
  13. Lou C

    Trim up doesn’t work when on plane

    I guess I got lucky mine lasted 35 years!
  14. Lou C

    Trim up doesn’t work when on plane

    If you can get those end caps off changing the piston seals isn’t a bad job. Did that on my Cobra last year.
  15. Lou C

    Flushing out cooling system after sucking in mud

  16. Lou C

    I used up all my curse words yesterday

    I think 55/50 series tires on trucks are just silly!
  17. Lou C

    I used up all my curse words yesterday

    And real beach drivers know how to air down….12-10 psi and never get stuck as long as not high centered…
  18. Lou C

    I used up all my curse words yesterday

    The advantage of solid front axle vs torsion bars is longer suspension travel. But yeah the torsion bar set up probably rides better and shocks are easy to change. I also love the shift it yourself transfer case on the Jeeps. Over the years o have seen a few 4x4s on the beach stuck because the...
  19. Lou C

    I used up all my curse words yesterday

    AMC/Chrysler/Jeep inline 6, simple like nothing else... New Venture Gear NV 242, shift it yourself 4x4 that gives you 2wd, 4x4 part time, 4x4 full time and 4x4 low, with no modules, no actuators, etc. all it requires is an educated driver lol Jeep solid axle suspension, easy shock changes, no...
  20. Lou C

    I used up all my curse words yesterday

    This is one reason I kept my old ‘98 Grand Cherokee with the 4.0 straight six. One of the easiest to work on engines ever built. Also changing shocks on the Jeep live axle suspension is far easier than modern 4x4 designs with coil over shock IFS designs….
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