Ayuh,..... I would probably go with a piece of aluminum, rather than plastic myself,....
Easy to work with, more secure, 'n doesn't sun-rot like plastic,....
Ayuh,..... See my tagline,.....
Generally speakin', the gimbal bearing gets greased plenty, by owners that service their own boats,....
I grease mine with plain ole chassis grease, the same grease that lives in my "use it everyday" shop grease gun,....
Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,..... Do you have a test light,..??
I ask, because if both went out at the same time, I'd start checking for power at both sides of the switch 1st,....
Ayuh,.... I wouldn't, as ya run the risk of glazing the cylinders, but it's yer motor,.....
Don't run the manifolds dry, they'll crack,.....
Use the ones off the S10, or none at all,.....
Ayuh,.... What vintage is the boat,..??..??
If it overheated, start at the impeller, 'n work out from there to find where the water problem is,....
To find the oil leak, ya just gotta Look,.....
Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,..... You can't "Break in" a motor without a load on it,....
It just don't work that way,....
If you want to start it for a few seconds, to see it start, go for it,..... dry,......
Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,..... How much water do you have in the fuel filters,..??
That's the 1st thing I'd have checked, before changing the fuel pump,....
Change the bad hoses, Then diagnose yer issues,....
Ayuh,.... The 260 hp 350 Chevy has been in production since bout the early '70s,....
You've gotta narrow it down a bit more than that,....
'n why would you replace only one valve cover,..??
Ayuh,..... Yer best bet is to find a boat with a rotten hull, 'n whatever motor, 'n drive you need, then swap in the entire driveline package,.....
That way you'll have all of the bits, 'n pieces necessary,...
I've done several OMC transplants,...
Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,...... Unless you found chunks if metal on the drain plug, I believe yer probably lookin' in the wrong place for yer problem,....
Have you pulled the whole drive off yet,..??
When you do, try shifting it by hand, before you go any deeper, as sloppy shift linkages...
Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,..... That motor has been in production for better than 50 years, so you'll have to narrow down just what vintage yer's is,...
A serial number is best, or at least the vintage of the boat it's in,.....
Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,...... Ya, there are a few differences, but so long as you have the ole MC-1 parts, it should be a straight forward swap,.....
Very doable,....
I'm not sure just how the down-pipe swap goes,.....
Shifter plate shouldn't matter, where ever it fits best,....
