1986 SeaSwirl Spirit OMC 302STHRCOM

[crash_221]

I'm new to boating, all around. Just picked up for cheap a 1986 SeaSwirl Spirit with OMC (what I believe to be) 800 Stringer (propulsion assembly #302STHRCOM)
[3.0L I4 - GM, I *think*]

The lower gear case had water in it, which froze over winter & cracked the case.
I've found a used, lower case on eBay, to bolt on as a replacement, to cruise around this summer.

Upon removal of my old lower case, though, I found some pretty FUBAR ball gears (on both the upper gear case & the intermediate housing)
They look *very* worn out (I can post some pics in the next day or so - I forgot to take them today; hands were covered in grease & dirt)

Couple of things I'm shopping ideas & opinions on, here...

1) [When pics are up] - will these ball gears get me through the summer, that I can R&R later this year? Or, if by running them, am I risking causing MAJOR damage? (I believe I've read that the drive should always be lowered completely before starting the engine or engaging the drive, correct?)

2) Are the ball gears easy to R&R, myself (I have an aviation maintenance, motorcycle, and car repair background, but I do not have a wide array of tools right now; pretty basic setup of wrenches & sockets, punches)

3) Is it worth the roughly $3,000 to have the www.sterndrive.info folks overhaul the whole thing, or is there another (Merc Alpha?) stern drive that could be installed in place of the OMC (I know linkages would have to replaced, and all that) - something with more available / current support?


Turning a $500 purchase into a $5,000 investment, quickly haha

Thank you, kindly (sorry if I happen to have re-posted from an old thread; I couldn't find anything specifically pertaining to this in the search, but I admittedly didn't look too long)

Cheers!

 

[Scott Danforth]

welcome aboard.

I hope you like learning to work on things, because most shops no longer work on OMC, especially the old stringers. your $500 purchase is a giant project. in addtion to the obsolete outdrive from a defunct company, you may want to check your stringers and bulkheads for rotten wood as well which is common on 30 year old boats

if the ball gears are 50% worn, you replace them. be prepaired to replace the bearings on the intermediate gear box as well.

get a factory service manual, not a seloc or clymers. you can buy a factory manual on ebay or direct from ken-cook company

on a scale of 1-10, they are a 6 to change. I put rebuilding an SBC as a 1 and rebuilding a cold-war era Russian rocket a 9

when you pull the lower dont screw up the lower shift cable. they are about $600

you have a full mechanical shift stringer 400. since your boat is listed as a 1986, its actually a left over 1985. your lower is 1982-1985 only. hope you picked up the same vintage lower.

this is a new to you boat, you need to do all the maintenance. water pump (get a complete assembly), ball gears, points, cap, rotor, wires, gear oil change (all 3 gear boxes) engine oil change. since the lower had water in that froze, most likely your water pump case had some in it as well.

when you have the outdrive apart, make sure you really inspect the two halves of the vertical drive shaft. the splines are a known failure point as well. there are companies that make new shafts. it will require re-shimming your geaboxes and new bearings.

For operation - it is recommended to always have your drive down. however I have been in skinny water often and had to tilt the drive up to keep it from sticking in the mud. never operate it over an idle. its hard on the ball gears.

 

[vasy]

You can also turn around and sell the $500 to the next poor sole who wants to play with it and take the $5000 and buy a newer boat with mercruser on it.

 

[southkogs]

... I put rebuilding an SBC as a 1 and rebuilding a cold-war era Russian rocket a 9 ...

Scott, there has to be a way to make that statement into a scale of difficulty we can post on the forums ... awesome

Welcome aboard Crash.

To be honest - If you can keep repairs under $1,000 and you really like the boat. Scott's advice on fixin' and you enjoying being the "fixer" might see you through having some fun with this boat.

If however, you have $3,000 to spend and want to spend more time on the water than in the garage - I suggest considering finding a different boat you like nearly as much with a Mercruiser or Volvo setup. I actually kinda' like the Stringer, but having to pour money into restoring one is only gonna' be worth it if you're doing it just 'cuz ya' like to. If you're out to have fun on the lake more than anything else, the Stringer will frustrate you. Basically - do a "gut check" now on it.

 

[crash_221]

Thanks for the welcomes, and the insight!

I'm working on that gut-check factor today... I've located some removed pieces that will fit the bill & get me going for the summer for $500. I've asked if I might can get the ball gears off that drive assembly, rather than buy new ones right off.

I enjoy wrenching on things. I haven't had the much opportunity to do so, since selling off my '89 Mustang, and Suzuki 500. I've slipped into letting Toyota do the work on my '16 Tacoma, and there's not much to be done around my condo haha

I do like the boat so far, in theory. The foot-in-the-door value was stellar, but I'm finding out how big that foyer really is LOL
I haven't yet had the chance for a float / ops check. Hoping to be able to do that the weekend of the 17th.

I totally see the validity in cutting loses (or recoup what I can) and put some bigger money into a more updated boat & drive.

I think, for the moment, I'm going to see what I can make of the $500 lower assembly I've got coming in...

I'll keep up in the thread here, and post some pics of the progress (for what they're worth; I'm sure everyone's seen these systems a billion and a half times)

Thanks again! (you really can't beat a forum for advice... it never ceases to amaze me the awesome, and helpful voices you can find on the interwebs haha)
Cheers!

 

[southkogs]

I had a '72 electric shift that I kinda' got into the same way. I'm not a great mechanic, but working on it was different than my day job so I kinda' had fun doing it. And, I liked the boat. Ultimately, I kept it going for 5 years and never spent more than about $400 per year in repairs/maintenance (if I average things out). I doubt owning it cost me more than about $7k between buying it, registering it and fixing it in the time I had it.

A buddy of mine who knew the boat has it now since I wound up with the Bayliner (family boat that my folks were done with). So, if you like playing with 'em go for it.

Honestly, the Stringer has a few positives about it that I really like. I've never had the shift system you do, but I'll bet you have the tru-course steering which is pretty cool.

 

[Scott Danforth]

ball gears are something you dont want to use used. the pain in the butt factor alone plus the expansion plug, nuts, etc. that you would need to purchase separately would make me want to spend the $150 to do it right. the seals and expansion caps separately will cost you half what the kit costs.

https://www.amazon.com/Stringer-Sterndrive-1973-1986-replaces-908063/dp/B004S6RL2W