Ex girlfriend sunsetter sale

[Stitch]

I just bought my first inboard after years of owning i/o boats. I bought a 88 sunsetter from a lady who broke up with her ex and she claims it was vibrating so he pulled the prop shaft and strut out! everything was in the boat laying on a towel very nearly and nice and clean .  the shaft dosent look bent but im sending it in after the holidays to get it checked out. im suspecting the prop is where the vibration is coming from. its nicked and banged up pretty good! anything I should know about these boats? 5.7l 407 hours on the clock. someone put a hei car distributor in it.... smh.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Stitch
Typo

[Nitrousbird]

Wood stringers.  Check them very carefully.

[toddthelineman]

I have a '91. Also had an automotive HEI. It actually ran really well with it, lol. If you change it, make sure the new one will fit under the engine cover. I changed to a pertronix that is slightly too big... You've got a great boat. Simple and cheap compared to newer boats, but still capable. Congrats!

 

PS I have like four props if you need one, I'll give you a good deal

[Michigan boarder]

On 12/23/2016 at 2:37 PM, Stitch said:

I just bought my first inboard after years of owning i/o boats. I bought a 88 sunsetter from a lady who broke up with her ex and she claims it was vibrating so he pulled the prop shaft and strut out! everything was in the boat laying on a towel very nearly and nice and clean .  the shaft dosent look bent but im sending it in after the holidays to get it checked out. im suspecting the prop is where the vibration is coming from. its nicked and banged up pretty good! anything I should know about these boats? 5.7l 407 hours on the clock. someone put a hei car distributor in it.... smh.

Banged up prop is likely the issue.  You should get one off Todd, reassemble and test it out.  No point spending more $$ if there is something else going on...a "vibration" could also be a missfire, engine running rough.  Who knows.

So actually the more I think about it you should #1 test the wood, make sure the stringers and floor are good, then #2 run it on a hose and make sure all is well, including a compression check after it's warmed up.  If all that is good, then you are safe to spend some money on it.

[Bill_AirJunky]

Anyone know if there is any issue with running a car distributor in an enclosed boat engine compartment? I know the cap, rotor & wires are no different. But I think the venting holes on the bottom of the car distributor could be an issue.

Congrats on the boat purchase, Stitch.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Bill_AirJunky

[h2oratJR]

According to Vince @ Ski Dim he said he would not do it .  I always value his opinion 

[Fffrank]

Gas fumes are heavier than air and sit in the bottom of the bilge of the boat.  This is why marine electrical components need to be modified to protect from sparks escaping.  Cars have enough free flowing air that will carry and disperse the gas fumes.

It's really a venting issue -- the car dizzys and the boat dizzys are the same except that the marine version is "spark protected" in that it has screens over the vent holes in the bottom of the distributor body.  You can either add these yourself or live dangerously.

Starters and alternators sit much lower in the engine compartment and for my money absolutely HAVE to be marine.  Distributors aren't as critical to me and from my inspections MOST of the chinese clone distributors have screens in the vents anyway.  HEI is such an upgrade over points that it's one of the first things I do to any older engine, marine or auto.