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  1. Lou C

    Four Wins Volvo Penta stiff steering

    Good that the cable fixed it. The cooler isn’t a bad job if you have access to it….
  2. Lou C

    Starter Bolts 1985 Merc A1-G1 3.0 140hp

    Every ARCO Marine starter I have bought has come with the correct length bolts. If you’re shopping in Rock Auto you’re not getting a marine starter. ARCO isn’t the cheapest but they are good and AFAIK are made here….
  3. Lou C

    For those of us who tow our boat, do you inspect it ?

    even if I were in fresh water I would never ever have a painted trailer just as bad as old cars Galvanized is my preference, even here, they are just about a lifetime trailer... Mine's a 1994 Load Rite, the original frame is in great shape, I scoped it with my endoscope camera....
  4. Lou C

    For those of us who tow our boat, do you inspect it ?

    It’s just crazy because your whole investment in boating is riding on it!
  5. Lou C

    Proper positioning of U-joint bellow

    Since I have the OMC Cobra where you can't just go to the parts store to get things, I have a large stock of spares some of which I may never use lol! But it keeps me going and I don't miss boating season days due to a lack of parts.
  6. Lou C

    For those of us who tow our boat, do you inspect it ?

    I do inspect mine several times a year, anything questionable gets replaced.
  7. Lou C

    Proper positioning of U-joint bellow

    Bellows & and impellers should be OEM, because premature failure of either gets expensive!
  8. Lou C

    Proper positioning of U-joint bellow

    The OEM bellows I have used on my Cobra easily last 10 years in slipped salt water use. The one I installed 9 years ago looks like new.
  9. Lou C

    Bent push rods….calling engine builders

    If there were stuck valves from the overheat, that could have bent the original pushrods. How'd they look when you took em off? Some say to roll them on a piece of glass to see if any are bent. Also when doing the hydraulic lifter preload adjustment it is easy to make a mistake with the intakes...
  10. Lou C

    closed cooling

    If you are in freshwater it might not seem as important but here in the salt pond, there is no way I'd put in a reman or new engine without it. In fact in my mind that is the one of the few advantages of an inboard vs an outboard, here a closed cooled inboard could actually last longer than an...
  11. Lou C

    What is the all time record for lower shift cable life?

    It definitely makes sense that if the shift interrupt is working there will be less stress on the cable, so that and also keeping your engine idle speed where it should be are helpful. I'm not sure if this also applies to Alphas, but on OMC Cobras and Volvo SX drives if you keep the drive down...
  12. Lou C

    7.4 merc won't start after winter storage

    Agreed that's a crazy design. Would have been better with a crank mounted impeller and normal fuel pump!
  13. Lou C

    350 Magnum Tournament Ski spark plugs

    I've posted these pix a few times but in case you never saw them....from 8 years ago..... starboard head removal: cleaning up the old block: reman cylinder heads purchased from a local speed shop, $550 for the pair: reman heads installed: overall not a hard job, what took the longest was...
  14. Lou C

    350 Magnum Tournament Ski spark plugs

    When my head gaskets leaked I was able to do the top end overhaul with the engine in the boat, I caught it early so no fire slotting, just water starting to leak into cyls but not enough to hydro lock it…
  15. Lou C

    converted an early 4.3 from 2 to 4 barrel carb. getting issue at WOT

    While it may seem like it the Quadrajet is not too much carb for a 4.3 especially in marine use, a properly set up QJet is almost like a variable venturi carb. Post your concern up at Cliff's High Performance Quadrajets, they have a forum there and he does answer questions. My OMC 4.3 came from...
  16. Lou C

    converted an early 4.3 from 2 to 4 barrel carb. getting issue at WOT

    The Quadrajet was available with different size plungers for the accel pump and this could then very the amount of fuel the pump would dispense. Similar to how a marine carb is jetted more rich than an automotive carb…
  17. Lou C

    converted an early 4.3 from 2 to 4 barrel carb. getting issue at WOT

    The plus to them being set up right is the classic Quadrajet howl when they open, sounds just like classic GM musclecars most of which had Quadrajets, except the highest performance variants that had Holleys.
  18. Lou C

    converted an early 4.3 from 2 to 4 barrel carb. getting issue at WOT

    Has it been gone thru, cleaned and put back together with new gaskets, new marine style accelerator pump? A common problem on Quadrajets is the adjustment of the secondary air doors. The way the Quadrajet works for the secondary system, the secondary throttle plates are mechanically opened but...
  19. Lou C

    converted an early 4.3 from 2 to 4 barrel carb. getting issue at WOT

    Which carb did you install? Different issues for the 3 main types used, Merc/Weber/Edelbrock, Holley or Quadrajet. Is it a marine carb for sure?
  20. Lou C

    350 Magnum Tournament Ski spark plugs

    Yes pulling the exhaust can give you a clue as to what went wrong. I got an endoscope camera and started scoping the exhaust at the end of each season to check for water leaks. It sure saves time vs taking it all apart.
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