Swapping entire outdrive -- shortcut?

[mvd2bze]

Since I haven't worked closely on marines before, I am unfamiliar with bolt-lengths and clearances involved in the transom plate removal. This and next weekend, I plan to swap out an OMC Cobra outdrive in favor of an Alpha One. The OMC 2.3 was already replaced (by the previous owner) with a Mercruiser 3.0L, so this is the final stage in this project.

Since removing the motor isn't practical or necessary from a replacement standpoint, should I be able to simply loosen the front mount / remove the rear mounts and temporarily raise the motor high enough to remove the transom plate?

I have been worrying about how to get the motor out of the boat without proper boat-height equipment when I pictured putting the hoist in the boat with seats removed. While I was making that seem less awful in my head, it occurred to me that I might be able to simply lift the motor high enough from the ground (read: safe) and also safe lots of time not shuffling a stupid-heavy cast iron motor.

 

[HT32BSX115]

I did a similar job when I replaced my 460/King Cobra with the 454/Bravo. I did of course replace the engine so the old one had to come out.

You might be able to get away with just pulling the engine up and/or forward enough to get the transom plate out......... but you're also going to have to replace the flywheel housing, and possibly the coupler and flywheel unless the OMC stuff is exactly identical to the Mercruiser "stuff"

So the engine will have to come at least far enough forward for that which should provide more than enough room to swap the transom plate.

Once the drive is removed, it's fairly easy to pick up the engine and hoist to wherever you want it to go.


Regards,


Rick

 

[FreeBeeTony]

I would think removing the engine would make the job a lot easier.

 

[HT32BSX115]

I would think removing the engine would make the job a lot easier.

Yeah. it would also make it a lot easier to clean up and maybe do a little fiberglass repair in the transom area.

 

[Bondo]

Since removing the motor isn't practical or necessary from a replacement standpoint, should I be able to simply loosen the front mount / remove the rear mounts and temporarily raise the motor high enough to remove the transom plate?

Ayuh,.... in a word,.... Nope,...

The transom assembly is the basis for mountin' the motor, 'n the drive, it goes into the hull 1st, then everything else is hung off it,....

'n We don't know where the Merc motor ends, nor how it was marries to the OMC transom assembly,....