Repower Discussion

[Busia]

For two engines (left handed one was $1000 more than the standard one) with closed cooling,new transmissions and shipping it was $18,000. 7 years ago. But I needed everything and found that all the marine parts were hard to get, and would cost more for the 318. If you have pumps, manifolds,heat exchangers or can go with raw water cooling then you can get a rebuilt block for cheap. If I had it to do again I would look at getting two standard engines and different transmissions, one that can reverse the rotation with the transmission. With two 350's you will have more power than you need. I idle along on one to fish, and rarely have both running at more than a fast idle to cruise.So that helps with the gas milage.-Ed

[jtalberts]

For two engines (left handed one was $1000 more than the standard one) with closed cooling,new transmissions and shipping it was $18,000. 7 years ago. But I needed everything and found that all the marine parts were hard to get, and would cost more for the 318. If you have pumps, manifolds,heat exchangers or can go with raw water cooling then you can get a rebuilt block for cheap. If I had it to do again I would look at getting two standard engines and different transmissions, one that can reverse the rotation with the transmission. With two 350's you will have more power than you need. I idle along on one to fish, and rarely have both running at more than a fast idle to cruise.So that helps with the gas milage.-Ed

Where did you order those from? Did you install yourself or did you have someone else?

[Busia]

I got the engines through Pat's Marine Engines in Seattle.----206-285-0184
They were the cheapest and closest for me.I put them in myself.

[barefoot99]

This will always be a never ending topic. There are so many options .That being said , here is the info from the repower I did this spring .
I was fortunate to find 2 complete 360's from another big M locally ( $ 3000) . Everything came with them -Flame arrestor to oil pan and hoses.
I had the motors rebuilt , balanced and run on a dyno before installing them in the boat ($3000) . I could have done all of this (MINUS Dyno) myself and saved another 1500. But come on, it is a B.O.A.T.

As we all know these projects take on some extra's as we go .
Props reconditioned ($225)
Port alternator rebuild ( $ 90)
Rebuild both carbs ($325) - EDELBROCKS -5 years old
Some misc changes were made ,went with center rise exhaust manifolds ( came with motors)
Modified the 360 intakes to accept the carbs from my existing 318's.
New marine fuel pumps ($200)
Wrecker cos ,to pull engines and set again ($ 350)
Starboard tranny rebuild ($1000)
New oil coolers ($225)

I did all of replacement work myself with the help of a few friends on some weekends. I live in Cin. Oh .and the boat is in TN. , the distance added a few more weekends of work , as we always forget that 1 bolt etc.
I am not a mechanic ,but this was not my first boat engine replacement. It was a large task and a lot of planning went into it before I removed the first bolt. I gathered most of the info right here on the forum.
There was a lot of cleaning etc ,in the bilge that took a lot more time than anticipated.
Everything went back in new or rebuilt condition.

Knowing the boat , as I do now, is a comforting feeling while out on the lake .
There are a lot of side notes to this , but basically I have a refreshed engine bay for @ $8500. I did get a few quotes and they were about $6000 to R&R each motor. So by doing the work myself I saved @ $3500, and did a few more things along the way other than just the engines.

While the boat was out of the water I also did the bottom paint and a few other projects. Swim platform extension , rear seat etc .
At times it seemed like a pain , but overall was a great project . It took a few more hours planned , but being 235 miles away from the boat drove that .

I did a static alignment on the motors and will have a true marine mechanic double check this in the next few weeks.
I still have 2 complete (- carbs and distributors) 318's (1800hrs) in my barn . I will probably sell them over the winter . They ran good , just used a little oil and leaked at the gaskets . They were ready for rebuild in the next few years . Finding complete motors was nice , but long blocks are still available .
The timing was right , for me to do the rebuild , and I now have a Big M that should be good for years to come .( P.O. did the interior and repaint)
I am 52 and did not want to tackle this project at 60. Now that I am done , I could have ..

There is more to the rebuild story , but it is not relevant to the overall cost . Barkley Dave makes some good points in his post , I agree with him 100%. You will need to want to do this , because it takes time and causes some frustrations , but in the end - cruising down the lake , makes it all worthwhile ! - Scott

[barefoot99]

An update to my earlier post. At 23 hours the starboard motor lost oil pressure and got a loud knock. I shut it down and limped in . Sounded like a rod bearing. I went through the ordeal of pulling the boat and motor. We keep the boat at a dock , not a marina buy any stretch . Gravel and dirt ramp. The oil filter had a label on it that looked as if it had burned off from heat.
I had not run the engines at more than 2000 rpms before 20 hours , it seemed the starboard engine was always running lower oil pressure , but no overheating issue. I was 15 minutes into a 2600 rpm run when this happened.

The rebuilder pulled it apart and found they had put the oil pump pickup screen too close to the bottom of the pan. This caused reduced flow and overheated the oil while under load in the boat. Melted #1 and 2 rod bearings , and scored the crank pretty bad. Finding a ccw crank kit for a 360 is not an easy task anymore . The reverse knurl for the seal is the issue . Got a crank kit last week and hope to have the engine rebuilt and , again run on the dyno in the next 2 weeks . I will then , hopefully ,reinstall in the boat before winter. We normally need to be winterized , by early , mid November in this part of the country . ( TN. ) I will update as the project moves forward .
Bill , hate to hear all the dist. cap issues , but I would trade you in a minute on this one. The one good thing ,I can get motor in and out pretty quick , with the practice I am getting . Thank God for good friends ! -Scott

[barkleydave]

Was the repair covered by the rebuilders warranty?

safe harbors,

dave

[bill]

Scott,
You bet I will take my problem over yours.
Its defiantly good to have knowledgeable friends..(thanks Ron)
Well at least your still a young man.
Mine is coming out and on the hard tomorrow.
Good luck with your project.
Keep us informed
bill

[barefoot99]

The rebuilder is covering the cost of the rebuild . Will update after reinstalled.

[barkleydave]

We should all ask ourselves: "Do I want to go boating or do I want to work on a boat?"

Which ever way works best is the way one should go....

Rebuilding or Crate engines bottom line it is an enjoyment factor... neither will significantly increase the value of a boat.

For me.. when someone tells me that the boat for sale has " rebuilt engines" that tells me nothing. Actually I tend to stay clear of them since there are far more poor or incomplete rebuilds than good ones out there.

dave

[yooper]

I hired somone to repower my first Marinette with a long block and it didn't go well. First it was expensive because I needed a lot of bolt on new parts especially because he ordered and installed the wrong rotation engine.

The biggest mistake was rebuilding the engine in the hold. It should be built and tested on the hard in a shop. Check this youtube for inspiration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72QwwG5X4XU

Neptune Marine 1046 Island Ave, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689
(727) 934-2370

The video is 4 years old. I called the guy to discuss how he fixed the old prestolite distributors and set the timing. He did it the hard way because he didn't have a SUN machine. But it was easier for him than me because he didn't have to crawl down in the hold to make adjustments. He also told me he was going to take down the video because he was getting a lot of questions but no sales. I think he may still have the engines. Anyway he is worth talking to.

If I was going to repower I would look for a wrecked boat with a "Fresh" water cooled engine with EFI and fully electronic ignition.