I think it is the fact they are willing to experiment. Can you imagine just saying, let's just throw this cam or piston set in and see what happens? Oops, lets start over.

I finished off the bench with a 3/8" top. I wanted a heavier one, but man, steel is expensive now.

I have been working a while on my shop. The welding area also has an exhaust fan. I also put in a spray booth with a 5 hp fan. It is a lot of work to set up a shop.

Jim

 

I have been working a while on my shop. The welding area also has an exhaust fan. I also put in a spray booth with a 5 hp fan. It is a lot of work to set up a shop.


Agreed, been there, done that. The more you do the more you find to improve on.

Are your manifols iron or aluminum? And the Risers?

 

Cast Iron

 

I'm not familure with that type of exhaust as all of the H-M powered marine engines used a riser where the exhaust exited as well as the engine cooling water, except for Drag, SK and SS class race boats.
With todays environmental concerns you might want to look into a closed loop cooling system, space permitting. It wouldn't be too hard to do and you won't have to worry about the water pickup getting clogged with debris and overheating the engine.

 

I found the gaskets through Marineparts.com and OSCO. It turns out it was an Osco manifold.

I will look at the cooling system. The engine compartment is really tight on this one, though.

 

Good to hear that you found some gaskets. A word of caution here; Pressure test your manifolds. They are the cause of many an engine failure, especiall in oldet set ups. If water normally exits with your exhaust you just need to make a plate to cover the outley and seal it with one of your new gaskets, then put water to it at about 40 to 60 lbs. pressure. If there are no leaks you're good to go, if there are any leaks internally or externally they need to be welded or brazed before using.
Good luck with it.

 

Moto Mel

Do you recommend anything like Permatex in addition?

Thanks for that tip. I see where that could ruin your day.

Jim

 

I have one last question. If you take a look at the picture of the exhaust manifold you will see that there is an area where there is no coolant passages. It is between the cap at the end of the manifold and the flanged end where it attaches to the 90 degree elbow. I wonder if this could be drilled and tapped should I decide to do fuel injection.






This is the 90 degree elbow where the water is discharged through two holes on the inside.

As shown in the last picture, the manifold and the discharge elbow seem to be separated. I should be able to test the Manifold easily thanks to your suggestion.

Jim

 

Running the numbers.

I took the numbers off of the engine and heads and came up with these?

Head-- 369 WF 351

Engine D4DE 6015 AA 3C18

If these are 351 heads does that mean that the intake manifold and the distributor are as well?

Jim

 

I wonder if this could be drilled and tapped should I decide to do fuel injection.

What would F.I. have to do with it? If it is solid iron I can see no reason you couldn't.

I thought the engine being discussed was a NOS 302 Ford crate engine. The D4 number indicates 1974 production. I don't know about the heads but Ford did ID the small block heads with numbers like that near the valve springs or near the intake ports. If you have a 351 engine the spread between the heads will be wider than the 302.

 

Actually, I was just gathering a little data. The engine is in such good shape I might rebuild it later and put it in a project car. So, I thought I would write myself a few notes about it and grease it up really well before I put it away.

If you want to see something kind of interesting on fuel injection, take a look at this site and see what you think. I talked with these guys last week and they are going for Coast Guard approval. The oxygen sensor is what was their concern.

Anyway, check this out and see what you think. They have some pretty good ideas.

Professional Products Online

Jim

 

It is some very nice stuff but for $2,000 plus the time and/or cost of installation You can get a lot of performance out of the engine and still have some cash left over. For your boat it is far from needed and when you get ino the high powered, high rpm engines you quickly start having a lot of problems. For your boat you have a nearly ideal engine to power it for a nice cruise, going fishing or water skiing with great reliability and economy.

 

I would agree with you. Probably best to get a good carburetor, ignition and go from there. I have heard that over 70% of the new boats still come with carburetion. EFI is about a $3000 add and you would probably never get it back.

It looks like my task is set up now. Thanks so much for your input.

Jim

 

You are welcome, I hope you enjoy your boat this summer.