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  1. Lou C

    Volvo Penta Steering Stiff

    If not the cable is the drive belt tight and is the system free of leaks? It is common for the actuator to leak on these. Look where the piston rod comes out of the hydraulic actuator…
  2. Lou C

    Trailer Brakes or Not

    Or if you have drum brakes that are way out of adjustment….
  3. Lou C

    1990 Mercruiser & BBC 454: Cautions or Concerns

    With raw water cooling my experience (20 years in salt water) is that the cyl heads suffer more from the effects of salt than the block. At least here it is rare to see a block rust through. However when I removed the cyl heads on my old engine in 2017 due to blown head gaskets (caused by an...
  4. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3 removing oil from bores?

    A good troubleshootin’ tool is a Harbor Freight (here in Long Island we call them Horror Freight lol) IR temp gun. Use it to find high resistance circuits and terminals, sticky brake calipers, exhaust elbows that are clogging up, etc. Another good tool is a multimeter with an amp clamp this can...
  5. Lou C

    1990 Mercruiser & BBC 454: Cautions or Concerns

    Remember there are used boats (5-10 years) and used up boats (15+ years). If you buy a used up boat all bets are off. I did, not really realizing this fact of boat ownership and wound up doing a partial restoration (stringers, deck, had hull painted replaced much of the interior) and top engine...
  6. Lou C

    got a question about a future V6 to V8 repower...

    Yes it can the original Cobras were used behind 5.7 4bbl V8s. They are as strong as an Alpha as far as I know. OMC went to the Baby King Cobra for the 460 Ford which puts out a good deal more torque than the Chevy small block. These drives had the regular Cobra upper gear housing with the...
  7. Lou C

    1990 Mercruiser & BBC 454: Cautions or Concerns

    The thing I'd be most concerned with is the condition of the hull, deck, stringers and transom, those repairs are a lot more involved/difficult than engine repairs, at least in my opinion. Once you understand carbs they are easy to rebuild. As a young-un I recall being told that GM's Quadrajet...
  8. Lou C

    transom leak

    Your transom basically looked like new, as if it was done a couple years ago! I am also running a Cobra (original) and picked up a spare from ebay, about $950 for a nice one. Also have a spare transom mount complete with the trim rams etc. I'll keep them going as long as I can then figure out...
  9. Lou C

    Need help with transom repair...

    You have what looks like the easiest to replace transom ever, replacing all of it now makes the most sense, good exterior plywood coated in epoxy will last for years and not cost that much because it is not a large area.
  10. Lou C

    1990 Mercruiser & BBC 454: Cautions or Concerns

    If anything you want a 454 paired up with a Bravo, vs an Alpha and, for older boats you will have an easier time maintaining a carbed boat than EFI. Why, because on older boats EFI parts often become NLA whereas carb parts are widely available as are new carbs if the old one is too far gone to...
  11. Lou C

    got a question about a future V6 to V8 repower...

    See that is part of it, the only 4.3s you can find now are remanufactured not new. You can still get V8s brand new. If I could find one locally I might do that; vs buying a reman a distance away and then having to pay for shipping it back if there’s a problem. Might start researching engine...
  12. Lou C

    got a question about a future V6 to V8 repower...

    Thanks yes I think ultimately it should work with my OMC because they used a taller drive ratio than Mercruiser used with the same engine. While I have 2 good 4.3 ratio Cobras 🐍 I could see converting it over to a Volvo SX or even the SEI conversion. My thought process behind all this is that...
  13. Lou C

    got a question about a future V6 to V8 repower...

    1988 Four Winns 200…20’9”, 7’8” beam 3800-4000 lbs est weight
  14. Lou C

    Carb choice.

    Any QJet questions head over to: www.cliffshighperformance.com Sign up for their forums & they will know the answers to all your questions. A clean & well set up Quadrajet is an excellent carb.
  15. Lou C

    got a question about a future V6 to V8 repower...

    Did some checking on the Michigan Prop website.... For a 23 pitch (3 blade alu) largest diameter is 14"...so not sure if that would work... On the Cobra the lower gear ratios are all the same, any change is done in the upper, so if that didn't work I'd have to get a V-8 upper gear unit.
  16. Lou C

    Something to Think of While Towing a Boat

    And it’s only been that way since…2004 lol! Roller trailer & very steep hill up from the boat ramp hence the extra back up of the chain/turnbuckle/hook. Our street is elevated 80 ft above sea level and the ramp obviously is sea level so there are steep hills all around here unlike most of Long...
  17. Lou C

    got a question about a future V6 to V8 repower...

    OK seriously thinking of re-powering my old boat over next winter, from the 4.3 V6 to the 5.7 Vortec. Question is, the Cobra drive system I am using (I have a good original drive and a good spare) uses a 1:68:1 ratio. Will this work well with a V8 if I go to a larger pitch prop? I had used both...
  18. Lou C

    Trailer Brakes or Not

    As far as the banging of the surge actuator and replacement of wheel cylinders, for one thing not all surge actuators bang, I have a Tie Down model 66 on my trailer that I installed way back in 2004 and it has never banged on stop/starts, there is a built in damper that works well, you can...
  19. Lou C

    Surge brakes lasted 1200 miles of highway, whats wrong

    Well they came out with the stainless backed pads for a reason don’t you think?
  20. Lou C

    What is this sound on Mercruiser 4.3, Alpha One?

    Perhaps that tin cover over the bottom of the flywheel housing is loose & vibrating…
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