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  1. natemoore

    shift cable wows 470

    I've got a single shift/throttle lever. I'm going through the procedures to adjust the shift cable (engine to drive unit) and the remote shift cable (throttle lever to engine) and I'm stumped. I pushed in the shift cable while my son rotated the prop CCW. It stopped, I measured 6" from hole...
  2. natemoore

    470 cylinder head re-torque SCREW-UP?

    I was re-torquing the bolts on my cylinder head last weekend. I turned the first bolt about 1/16th of a turn before I realized that I was going the wrong way (too much sun, I guess):( I immediately corrected and re-torqued to 130 lbs-ft and proceeded with the rest of the bolts in the proper...
  3. natemoore

    Shade-tree mechanic horror story 5.7L

    My next-door neighbor used a laid-off boat mechanic to do some work on his boat. I originally hired him to replace a couple of seals in my lower unit since he had access to all those expensive tools. Not sure if he's "certified" or whatever, but he did work at a real boat repair shop. Well, on...
  4. natemoore

    Pertronix ignition conversion on a 470

    Has anyone recently completed this conversion? I remember reading a post (here or on some other website) regarding this, but I can't find it again. There was some debate over the ballast wire with the Flamethrower coil. Wish I could find it again. Anyway expert opinions out there? Okay...
  5. natemoore

    How 'bout some good news for a change!

    Finally! After almost a year spent on this 470 engine rebuild (as well as bell housing and outdrive rebuilt), and after dealing with the frustration of the machine shop doing less than a perfect job on the head (sticky valve/bent pushrods), I got everything reassembled and even fixed the carb...
  6. natemoore

    470 graphite exhaust gasket w/ perfect seal?

    Quick question. I decided to reinstall my cylinder head with OEM intake and exhaust gaskets. I see that the exhaust gasket is graphite, just like the one in between the manifold and the riser. The last exhaust gasket was a fiber/cardboard aftermarket type, so I used the perfect seal on both...
  7. natemoore

    470 2b carb flooding/starvation problems

    Uh...is it normal to see gas dripping down from the venturi into the intake manifold just after the engine is shut off? I'm thinking not. I double-checked the float level and float drop settings, then blew into the fuel inlet side of the float chamber to verify that the valve would shut off...
  8. natemoore

    470 push rod length questions

    First of all, I'd like everyone to know that I've successfully recovered from hip resurfacing surgery and that I am "born again hard" (I'm only 47). I'd like to give a special "shout out" to BZtugger1960 for coming all the way down from Minnesota to cut my grass while I was recovering from...
  9. natemoore

    470 bent pushrod

    Tomorrow I'm going under the knife to get hip resurfacing (the Birmingham Hip) on my left hip. One of the things I wanted to do before being laid up for a few weeks was get my boat motor running after a summer/fall-long complete rebuild. Well......a few minutes after startup--after verifying...
  10. natemoore

    lubing shift cable core wire?

    Should I oil or grease the core wire before I re-insert it into the shift cable outer casing? Manual is silent on it, but it seems like a good idea to me. Nevermind. Found the answer: do not lube (according to sterndrives website).
  11. natemoore

    Merc manual wrong on 2bbl Mercarb float drop?

    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Just killing some time before I start the turkey on my new Charbroil Big Easy "oil-less" fryer, so I'm piddling on my Mercarb 2bbl for my 3.7L. I'm checking the float drop before reassembling it. The Merc #8 page 5C-6 shows how to measure the float drop: from...
  12. natemoore

    Converting Mercarb 2bbl (5.7L) to Mercarb (3.7L)

    My existing Mercarb 2 bbl on my 3.7l needs a choke plate and an electric choke, but otherwise works 4.0. I saw a Quicksilver factory remanufactured Mercarb for a 5.7l on ebay for $100 starting bid. Saw that many parts were the same, particularly the gasket set. I put in a "what the heck" $100...
  13. natemoore

    470/Alpha One shift cable routing

    Didn't take enough notes before pulling the cable. Can't find anything in either of my manuals (sterndrive or engine). My only clues are a diagram that shows a shift cable attaching clamp (part no. 54-61001) on the right lower part of the flywheel cover and the shift bracket on the left side...
  14. natemoore

    Mint Julep

    Having grown up in the south, I'm appalled that I didn't discover the Mint Julep until recently. I knew of the drink from the movies, but never knew what it was, exactly. Here's how I make mine. Make a syrup with about a cup of hot water and about two or three tablespoons of sugar. You want...
  15. natemoore

    Help interpreting instructions #6 manual (Alpha One)

    Look at page 3A-19 if you don't mind and read the section titled "U-JOINT ASSEMBLY-SETTING PINION BEARING PRELOAD." My drive HAS the small spacer "h". It certainly looks to me that all you have to do the set the preload WITH spacer is just torque down the pinion nut to 70-80 lbs-ft, in other...
  16. natemoore

    reinstalling bell housing after bellow replacement

    My problem is not getting the drive bellows to slip onto the gimbal housing or the bell housing. I was able to do dry runs both by starting with the drive bellows on the gimbal housing and pushing onto the bell housing, and starting with the bellows on the bell housing and pushing onto the...
  17. natemoore

    470 engine alignment

    It looks like the Mercruiser engineers wanted us to do micro-adjustments to the engine alignment by shoving, shaking, and kicking the engine. I finally got the alignment tool to go all the way in and rotate. Since there is no specification for maximum pounds of force it should take to fully...
  18. natemoore

    Got my first tattoo last night

    At the age of 46, I got my first tattoo. Figured by the time I lived to regret it, I'll be dead. Rush fans will immediately recognize their "starman" logo. This logo, and the first half of the 2112 album was inspired by Ayn Rand's classic novel Anthem. It is about a world in which the state...
  19. natemoore

    Short shaft Alpha One question

    The groove in the short shaft looks so clean and sharp that I wonder if it is machined into the shaft. Up close it looks like a perfect v-groove of consistent width and depth around the entire circumference. No rust or pitting in the groove either. So, would a new short shaft have a smooth...
  20. natemoore

    Improvised 470 engine tools

    Rear oil seal installer made from 4" PVC cleanout, some plywood, and a piece of a wooden closet rod.
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