Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

[Navy Ensign]

Blows my mind, from what I have seen a boat engine is a car engine with brass freeze plugs, different water pump, and a torque cam...now maybe that is down playing it a bit, but really what is the big difference? I can rebuild a small block under normal conditions for a car for about 1500ish, but guys want 3+K for a rebuilt boat 350! Can someone clue me in?

Thanks!

 

[Navy Ensign]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

One more thing that popped into my brain..

Can a Volvo 350 be used in place of a Mercruiser 350 or an OMC 350? In other words are all of the blocks the same?

 

[JB]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Could it be that a Navy Ensign really thinks he is talking about outboards?

I will move this to I/Os and inboards.

 

[mkast]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Liability

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Blows my mind, from what I have seen a boat engine is a car engine with brass freeze plugs, different water pump, and a torque cam...now maybe that is down playing it a bit, but really what is the big difference? I can rebuild a small block under normal conditions for a car for about 1500ish, but guys want 3+K for a rebuilt boat 350! Can someone clue me in?

Thanks!

Hmm.....Brownbar maybe didn't do homework?

http://usengine.us/mercruiser.html US Engines also has a 350/5.7L longblock @ $1595 or so...

Even the 410hp 383 stroker longblock is less than $3000

Cheers,


Rick
(I was a brownbar many years ago!!)

 

[Expidia]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Ummm, shouldn't that be Sam Hill, not Sam Hell . . . ,

 

[coastalcruiser]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Blows my mind, from what I have seen a boat engine is a car engine

Boat engines start out as a truck engines

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

I can rebuild a small block under normal conditions for a car for about 1500ish

then you can rebuild a marine engine for 1500

You use the same rebuild kit.

If boat is pre-1988, I would get the GM 290HP long block and swap in some brass core plugs. No warranty, but brand new.

 

[ken_23434]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Gernerally speaking, the boat 350 motors ARE GM 350 blocks. They are the heavy duty castings. I don't think you will find an original marine engine with 2 bolt mains. I am pretty sure they always have the "heavy duty" components, such as forged crank and rods.

Where you really start adding up the $$ on an engine is the marine specific parts: carb, alternator, starter, distributor, exhaust manifolds, closed-cooling system, etc... The marine specific parts are not made in the same volume as the auto parts, so they are naturally more expensive. The marine grade electrical parts are for safety. Very similar to their auto cousins, but they have features to minimize spark.

Volvo and Mercruiser buy their "base engines" from GM. So, yes you can interchange one for the other. The "accessories" and "marine specific" parts are not necessarily the same between the different marine engine vendors. For example, the Mercruiser exhaust manifold is not the same part as the Volvo exhaust manifold. The exhuast manifolds are designed to match up with the exhaust ports on the sterndrive. If you mix match the sterndrive and exhaust manufacters, you will not have components aligning with each other.

If you have a complete marine engine, you should be able to rebuild it for about the same price as the automotive equivalent.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

I can rebuild a small block under normal conditions for a car for about 1500ish, but guys want 3+K for a rebuilt boat 350! Can someone clue me in?

Ayuh,... I'd say it's 1 of 2 things,....
Either you're comparing Fully Dressed motors to Long Block motors,...
Or,...
You're shopping in all the Wrong places....

 

[180shabah]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Gernerally speaking, the boat 350 motors ARE GM 350 blocks. They are the heavy duty castings. I don't think you will find an original marine engine with 2 bolt mains. I am pretty sure they always have the "heavy duty" components, such as forged crank and rods.

Myth.

The are just plain old GM blocks with brass core plugs and a little paint on them. Just 2bolts on the mains, cast cranks, no special bearings, etc......

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Myth.

The are just plain old GM blocks with brass core plugs and a little paint on them. Just 2bolts on the mains, cast cranks, no special bearings, etc......

What he said....

 

[Don S]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Boat engines start out as a truck engines

General Motors tools up and makes marine engines in a short amount of time. They are the same blocks as automotive, using 2 bolt mains.
GM assembles the engines using using marine specs. (core plugs, cams, on some engine marine certifed fuel parts, etc.) submitted to them by Volvo, Mercruiser, and any others that order marine engines.
With the EFI/MPI engines, a lot more of it is certified marine safe and comes from GM. But Merc, Volvo, and any of the others that order the engines new direct from GM add all the accessories.

Basically, if you don't like the price of a marine engine, get an automotive and do all the special stuff to it.
Just ranting on a forum isn't going to get the price lowered. Trust me, it's been tried before. Year after year after year.
Rants just don't help.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Basically, if you don't like the price of a marine engine, get an automotive and do all the special stuff to it.
Just ranting on a forum isn't going to get the price lowered. Trust me, it's been tried before. Year after year after year.
Rants just don't help.

Were you ranting Don?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Rants just don't help.

Ayuh,.... But it gives ya a 'ell of a Good feeling sometimes..Sometimes...

 

[Don S]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

Were you ranting Don?

I would NEVER do that

 

[KRH1326]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

When I started restoring my old 351w (1976 OMC 235HP) money was a little short, so I had to take my time, and do the rebuild as I could afford the parts. Once I had the block on the stand stripped, steamed and cleaned, I had enough time on my hands to play on the internet.

Going straight from the casting numbers on the block, heads, intake manifold and other various parts, I learned ALOT about my engine.

The block came up as an "INDUSTRIAL" block that was made in 1979. One head came up as 1979 and the other as 1980. The intake from 1978.

The other odd feature that I discovered was upon removing the oil pan, they actually stamped the numbers 1-8 with an arrow into every main, rod and rod cap. Also, I noticed that the forged aluminum pistons had a "040" stamped in them.

I know, big deal, so it had a heart transplant some time ago.
But the point is:

1) Unless you are the original owner, you never really KNOW what you got.
And
2) God I miss my teenage years. For all I know, this beasty could have come out of one of my own ole' Ford trucks. I could have done this years ago. Made me wax so nostalgic I went up in my attic and looked at an old aluminum Edelbrock Performer intake ( for a late 70's 351w coincidentally ) and a Monster Carter Carb. Both of which came off of one of my trucks.

I know not to use that carb, but maybe that intake hmmm.....

 

[bajaman123]

Re: Why in Sam Hell is a boat motor 3+K???

lol....I have always marveled at the prices for marine engines, especially high-performance engines. I recall 'upgrade' prices of $15K to go from a 454 to a 502 Mag, for example. I've built a lot of engines in my 49 years and have pretty good confidence I could make a 450 hp big block for...less than $10K.

To the o.p., there has been some good advice here. If you look in the boating mags you will see a lot of companies offering rebuilt engines at some very reasonable prices.