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  1. tpenfield

    Private Messaging Not Working?

    I tried sending a PM a few days ago, but it did not seem to go through. There was a message that the PM was sent, but it did not show up in my sent items. I tried several times throughout the day to re-send, etc. I thought it might have been that my mailbox was full or something like that...
  2. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    Good discussion on cams and valve timing . . . I am thinking to stay with OEM on the cam. I do have a question about the upper end of connecting rods . . . I see that some engine have a bushing/bearing for the wrist pin, while others do not. Here is the diagram for my engines . . . it looks...
  3. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    FWIW - I did some checking of Formula and Sea Ray boats for sale in the 1995 - 1998 model year range as to what the engine hours were. A few boats did not list the engine hours, so I assume they were on the high side. Most listings did indicate the hours and some had photos of the hour...
  4. tpenfield

    Tips for making a custom fiberglass swim platform?

    Interesting endeavor, which I can relate to. :) I would not use wood, because it will absorb moisture and tend to crack the fiberglass. You will be re-doing it after about 5 years. I'd also give the stern edge a bit of a curve, keeping it 24" from the current stern edge. It will look better...
  5. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    Here is a high performance street cam . . . it has about 75 Degrees of overlap. . . I'm not sure if there is a 'magic number' for valve overlap on a marine engine. :noidea: The High Performance Marine cam (above) has 49 degrees of overlap, whereas it looks like the stock Mercruiser cam has...
  6. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    Now if Scott can contain himself :) , here is one of the Comp Cam's(P/N 01-445-8) profile . . . Looks OK, minimal overlap.
  7. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    If I could get a slightly more aggressive camshaft as part of the rebuild, that might be OK. Here is what the cam profile looks like for the standard cam . . . No real possibility for reversion based on this cam . . .
  8. tpenfield

    Do I need a battery selector switch?

    Perko switch . . . get it here on iBoats. :thumb:
  9. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    Yes, we have a ramp, but it needs to be attached to a ladder. When we use it, we continually have to attach and remove it, for people vs. dogs with our single ladder. Having 2 ladders on the ESP, we can dedicate one for the dog ramp.
  10. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    I am planning on having 2 swim ladders. ( 1 for the people and 1 for the dog ladder :) ) I bought 2 fold-out swim ladders and will be making matching hatches to conceal them. Here they are below, laid out for sizing, etc. I will cut out hatches and then make a recessed mounting base for the...
  11. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    Progress Update: It has been a few weeks (maybe more) since I have updated my thread. I have been working on & off (mostly off) on the swim platform 'plug'. I am using joint compound to fill in gaps and smooth out the surfaces. Here are a few pictures: . . Next steps are to do a final...
  12. tpenfield

    Heat Exchanger Inspection at Winterization Time . . .

    AllDodge I checked the operator's manual that I have in the document set that came with the boat. You're right - 330 HP :) I think the full inboard model is rated at 310HP (prop shaft) I am so excited to have the extra 20 HP !!! Still not sure why they call certain models "LX" though . . ...
  13. tpenfield

    Heat Exchanger Inspection at Winterization Time . . .

    Today was winterization day for my twin Mercruiser 7.4 LX MPI with Full Closed Cooling (never understood what the 'LX' was for . . .) Anyhow . . . I pumped out the gasoline (44 gallons) and mixed up about 7 gallons of 'fogging cocktail' and added it back to the tank. The rest of the gas goes to...
  14. tpenfield

    Bravo 3 transom kit question

    Here is a pretty severe case of Bravoitis . . . This is looking at the transom assembly from inside the engine compartment. The angle/barb fitting has been removed to expose the end of the inlet hose. As you can see the corrosion around the hose has crushed the hose and the insert sleeve to a...
  15. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    Thanks, everyone for the additional comments. I think I would pull the heads for a top-end rebuild, but only do the bottom-end if there appeared to be excessive wear. Probably won't start this until next year. I still have an extended swim platform (ESP) to add to the boat. At the same time...
  16. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    Thanks, AD :thumb: After my previous post, I did the math and realized that a 0.030 over bore is not going change things much . . . I guess you need to stroke the engines to really increase Cubic Inches . . . :) I found a web site that does the calculations for the over bore . . . Standard...
  17. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    Scott, Here is the history of compression tests, including the one done during the pre-purchase survey. . . The second one done in 2014 ( '2014C' ) was done same year after a decarb process. IIRC, I used water for the decarb in 2014.
  18. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    I have 980 hours on my twin Mercruiser 7.4 LX MPI engines. They are going to lap 1,000 next season, as I average 40 hours per year, since buying the boat in 2012. . . 2013 being our first season with it on the water. I have not done a compression test in a couple of years, so I wanted to do...
  19. tpenfield

    Moving axles; inches vs % need help

    Here are my calculations . . . EDIT . . . Fixed the arrows on the tongue and axle weights . . .
  20. tpenfield

    Smelly head

    Here is the system diagram from the Chaparral Owner's Manual (available online)
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