Pre-Alpha bellhousing

[gspig]

I am trying to replace the bellows on my pre-alpha outdrive. The book I have and all diagrams on the net I have found, do not look like my transom ring. All diagrams show a screw in pin, mine looks like it is pressed in and held by a phillips screw from the outlet end of the bellhousing. Do I remove the screws and use a slide hammer mounted screw to pull the pins?<br /><br />Also interesting in that my trim limit switch is mounted on top of the bellhousing at the side to side pivot and not on the up/down pivot.

 

[74Silverline]

Re: Pre-Alpha bellhousing

Well, on my pre-alpha 888 drive, there were no screw out pins either. The pins were in fact pressed in. There was a small SS nail on each side that held the pins in. I removed the nails, turned a proper threaded bolt into the pin, held the bolt with a plier and tapped on the plier with a hammer to drive the pins out. Mine came out with no problems...

 

[Don S]

Re: Pre-Alpha bellhousing

The words "Pre-Alpha" covers a lot of different drives and years.<br />Could you narrow it down with a year, type, and engine it on?

 

[gspig]

Re: Pre-Alpha bellhousing

It's a 1972 Mercruser with a 165 straight 6 engine.

 

[Don S]

Re: Pre-Alpha bellhousing

You should have an aluminum nail (that's what it looks like) that goes into the gimbal ring to hold the pivot pin in. You need to remove the nail, then pull the pin with a slide hammer.<br />Not sure about those phillips screws holding the pin. Never seen that before. Perhaps something a previous owner did on his own???

 

[gspig]

Re: Pre-Alpha bellhousing

I don't recall seeing any nail looking pins. The phillips screws are on the lower unit mount flange and look like the follow the gallery from the grease zerk to the up/down pivot. The pivot pins are tapped for a bolt, any guess as to what thread?<br /><br />Am I supposed to remove the up/down pivot pins or the left/right pivot pins?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Pre-Alpha bellhousing

Am I supposed to remove the up/down pivot pins or the left/right pivot pins? <br />

Up/ Down......

 

[gspig]

Re: Pre-Alpha bellhousing

Thanks for the help. Upon closer inspection, I found the aluminum nail pins. I replaced driveshaft and exhaust bellows and gimble bearing. I would have replaced the shift cable bellow also, but corrosion held the block on the cable and the bellows looked good. The engineer who thought that worm clamps in the recessed areas was a good idea, should be forced to replace the bellows on every outdrive made. Side note, my gimble bearing was in a plastic pillow block and the whole thing was shimmed with 2 brass metal shims; how old is that?