What engine would you put in your boat?

[Michigan boarder]

I agree that there are the scams out there that actually try to conduct a transaction with you in the hope of getting you to send money without possession of the boat etc., but what I run into most are these ads that are too good to be true, or seems lately really good but withing the realm of reason, but when you send them an e-mail they never respond. I see the ads posted in several distant geographies as well. My theory on these as that there are people getting paid to create lists of real contact information to sell. My company gets solicited all the time by companies selling lists to be used for e-marketing, and most of them are nearly worthless, but one of the criteria for the legitimacy of these lists is bounce percentage. So, I'm guessing that these fake ads bring in e-mail, and maybe even phone numbers and names that they can sell.

Well, I haven't heard back, so I'm guessing they just "got a live one".

The 3.5" tips will work great, it is a very significant area increase over the 3" and yes, run 4" down to the last reducer to get to the 3.5" tips. You will like the look. For added bling, you could add a stainless drain plug (it ties it all together nicely).

The Marine Hardware catalog has listed stainless fins & rudder specifically for Malibu, they put them on the Corvette boats back in 97. That is nice looking bling...

That's what I need, to spend more money!!

Hey, how do these look for exhaust manifolds?

http://imcomarine.com/cal_store/exhaust-systems/thumper-power-exhaust/small-block-kits/thumper-power-small-block-manifold-riser-kit-black.html

[JB-FOOT]

MB

how about this one?

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1994-Malibu-Echelon-LX-368938

[Asmodeus2112]

MB

how about this one?

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1994-Malibu-Echelon-LX-368938

That's a nice boat.

[MalibuNation]

Another nice find JB

[JB-FOOT]

Damn, I KNOW....if I didnt already have two....I would buy that for sure....but wait, maybe I CAN justify a 3rd as a spare to the wife.....errr...uhhhh...maybe not......

[sgt1970-442]

On the piston, I guess that's an option too, now that the block has been deemed OK. I should still do bearings, hone the cylinders and do rings though, right? More money towards exhaust.

john, as we talked about on Saturday if you have any questions on rebuilding your engine call me.

a few things come to mind here and that is have your machine shop mic each piston and check each bore in several different spots. I've had many of collapsed piston skirts and bores that are a tad out of round. cheap insurance to buy new pistons rods and crank in a stroker kit when you consider cost of pulling the engine again because you only decided to replace what looked worn out. also not sure if you are doing the assembly or not but, clean clean and re-clean everything. wash the block with soap and water. brush out the oil galleys with long brushes and rinse and wash again. blue shop towels with brake clean for the bores and keep cleaning until the towels come out of the bores clean. then use trans fluid to coat the cylinders. it also works as an assembly lube.

you'll want to install the bearings in the mains and rods and torque to specs. use a bore gauge and check sizes and write them down. you will want to make sure what ever hole the pistons are going in that you keep those measurements numbered to the same journal on the crank. now check the crank journal sizes and compare to the installed bearing numbers. this will give you bear clearences and tell you if anything is out of spec. lots of other things to go over but enough for tonight and as I said its in the details, its also the difference between assembling an engine and blue printing one.

again hope this helps and call if ya need any help....

steve

Edited October 29, 2013 by sgt1970-442

[Michigan boarder]

MB

how about this one?

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1994-Malibu-Echelon-LX-368938

That IS a nice boat. But I like mine better, when it has an engine. If it were a steal that would be one thing, but that one isn't going cheap.

Edit: and one way or another, I still need to fix mine.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Michigan boarder

[Michigan boarder]

Steve - that's the kind of detail that I do not know about..which is why I was leaning towards the crate engine route. However, I'd rather put that money towards exhaust mods. I want to see if that other local guy gets back with me. I'll give you a ring once I know what's up. But my gut tells me I'll be taking the engine or boat to Ann Arbor!

[MalibuNation]

Yeah, a spare to the spare.

Seems like Pistol Pete and I always have a backup and a backup to the backup ............

[BlastRlxi]

Saw this on MC TeamTalk about a guy putting a new PCM engine in an older Prostar.

http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/showthread.php?t=57937

[Michigan boarder]

Saw this on MC TeamTalk about a guy putting a new PCM engine in an older Prostar.

http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/showthread.php?t=57937

I'm not sure how to interpret your post, good thing or bad thing? To me it looks like a bad thing with his tranny & alignment issues. Another reason for me to stick with my block & tranny. Sgt1970-442 suggested using what I have, since it is in repairable shape for that same reason. I know everything that bolts up to it will work.

But that would be really sweet to go with a new fuel injected engine. I'm sure his budget is waaayyyy larger than mine.

[JB-FOOT]

Levi.....errrrr....uhhhhh....I mean Michigan Boarder.....

Whatever happened to the engine builder guy I had mentioned to you out your way...was he the one that blew you off,,,,or the one that only did race stuff?

just curious....

JB

by the way, the Levi comment is for how long this thread may end up being,,,,

[BlastRlxi]

I'm not sure how to interpret your post, good thing or bad thing? To me it looks like a bad thing with his tranny & alignment issues. Another reason for me to stick with my block & tranny. Sgt1970-442 suggested using what I have, since it is in repairable shape for that same reason. I know everything that bolts up to it will work.

But that would be really sweet to go with a new fuel injected engine. I'm sure his budget is waaayyyy larger than mine.

My intent was neither to persuade or dissuade you on putting in a new engine in an older boat. Just thought you might like to see some of the issues that someone else has faced trying to do the same.

[Michigan boarder]

My intent was neither to persuade or dissuade you on putting in a new engine in an older boat. Just thought you might like to see some of the issues that someone else has faced trying to do the same.

Got it, thanks Blast.

[Michigan boarder]

Levi.....errrrr....uhhhhh....I mean Michigan Boarder.....

Whatever happened to the engine builder guy I had mentioned to you out your way...was he the one that blew you off,,,,or the one that only did race stuff?

just curious....

JB

by the way, the Levi comment is for how long this thread may end up being,,,,

He didn't seem very interested at all. He was kinda like "Yep, you can put in a crate engine" "Yep, you can rebuild it". "Whatever you want". It seemed that he would be good at executing a plan, but didn't feel like discussing options or explaining the engine differences (heads/cam/exhaust) to a noob like me.

No word from my local go-fast boat guy.

Sgt 1970-442 and I spoke again yesterday though. Our plan right now is for me to pull the engine and take it over to his place. He's got a wealth of knowledge/tools/machine shops there to work with and we'll get it fixed up.

[JB-FOOT]

too bad you were not closer,,,,I have some good folks down here that could help do the job;.....

[Bozboat]

Going to Sgt 1970-442 Shop sounds like a great fun.

Edited October 30, 2013 by Bozboat

[martinarcher]

too bad you were not closer,,,,I have some good folks down here that could help do the job;.....

JB....drop me a line with their info. I've got a 350 SB in the corner of the garage I'd like to have clearanced and put a 383 crank put in. I'd love to do it but I just don't have the time with the Teakgate craziness going on. Right now I'm kicking around the idea, but this thread is really tickling the itch!!

[Michigan boarder]

JB....drop me a line with their info. I've got a 350 SB in the corner of the garage I'd like to have clearanced and put a 383 crank put in. I'd love to do it but I just don't have the time with the Teakgate craziness going on. Right now I'm kicking around the idea, but this thread is really tickling the itch!!

For the boat?

[martinarcher]

For the boat?

[Michigan boarder]

What's the build plan man?!?

Edit: Here's my guess - you've already done all the top end air flow stuff on your current SBC, so you're going to build this short block and then swap it all over?

Double Edit: Sgt mentioned a 383 crank for mine, what does that do?

Edited October 30, 2013 by Michigan boarder

[martinarcher]

I wish I had my ducks in a row like that. I've got the exhaust all done and ready for a nasty little 383 but that's it. I'm still running the old cast heads and intake. This block would be a full build like what you're doing plus a 383 crank.

The 383 crank basically lengthens the stroke of the 350 to gain you 33 more cubes. It is a great crank for the low end grunt applications. Perfect for dummies like me who put a ton of weight in an old Sunsetter and try to throw a big wave.

[nuttyskier2002]

I wish I had my ducks in a row like that. I've got the exhaust all done and ready for a nasty little 383 but that's it. I'm still running the old cast heads and intake. This block would be a full build like what you're doing plus a 383 crank.

The 383 crank basically lengthens the stroke of the 350 to gain you 33 more cubes. It is a great crank for the low end grunt applications. Perfect for dummies like me who put a ton of weight in an old Sunsetter and try to throw a big wave.

Caution here! Seems like you are trying to over simplify building a 383 stroker. This requires more than just a crankshaft replacement. It also requires pistons and/or rods, balancing and in many cases clearancing between rotating parts.

[martinarcher]

Nope, no worries on me oversimplifying it. I know there is plenty to it including possibly clearancing the rods to the cam shafts which is why I was reaching out to have it possibly built since I know I don't have the time right now.

[Woodski]

@MB: Imco is a reputable company and their exhaust systems are used quite a bit. The outside picture is the least important aspect, you want to see what the insides look like. You want the system to incorporate a set of runners and not be an open chamber, you will want to get information on port sizes, riser sizes, and outlet sizes to do a quick area analysis and then compare to the other options out there. Sgt's post on engine assembly and detail checking the parts is spot on. Engine building is all about the details and careful measuring, logging and matching exactly as he points out. To add, there are easily several more of those detail level discussions for several more steps along the way.