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  1. Lou C

    Building a '93 Caravelle 1750 Classic Bowrider

    Yes it is very pristine compared to my salt water harbor
  2. Lou C

    Favorite motor flushers?

    What I noticed about the Merc/Quicksilver ones vs the aftermarket rectangular muffs is that the rubber on the Merc ones is thinner & much more flexible to confirm to the shape of the lower unit….
  3. Lou C

    Favorite motor flushers?

    I use the same ones they are the size not ones that really fit right and allow the impeller to prime quickly
  4. Lou C

    Broken gear lube fitting

    Why oh why Mercruiser do you make these things out of plastic!
  5. Lou C

    I/O (Sterndrive) Conversion to Outboards

    Some years back I considered buying a Shamrock direct drive inboard, these have the Keel Drive system where the prop is protected by a beefy keel, didn't buy because engine access was actually quite bad (probably could have been improved with some reworking of the opening in the deck) and the...
  6. Lou C

    Engine over heats

    I still have the hoses in my spares bin on the boat from when I did that test. Not only will it spot intake leaks in the cooling system, it can also show leaky head gaskets because the exhaust gas gets into the cooling water flow...
  7. Lou C

    Building a '93 Caravelle 1750 Classic Bowrider

    Here are the OMC Cobra drive gear ratios from my 1988 Factory Shop Manual: 2.3 liter Ford 4 cyl: 2:1 3.0 liter GM 4 cyl: 1.71:1 4.3 liter GM V6: 1.68:1 5.0 liter GM V8: 1.50:1 5.7 liter GM V8: 1.41:1 7.5 liter Ford V8: 1.43:1 Not sure if they changed between 1988-1993 might have to find a later...
  8. Lou C

    I/O (Sterndrive) Conversion to Outboards

    On some of the conversions I have seen with pods, the engines are so far back I can’t imagine that the balance of the boat isn’t affected. An I/O actually has better balance with the engines being forward and low….
  9. Lou C

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Salt away will (or is supposed to) dissolve salt and calcium deposits, that may loosen some rust flakes, but once cast iron starts rusting, it is going to keep doing that which is why that stuck open thermostat is more or less a chronic problem we all have in salt water. I though of other safer...
  10. Lou C

    Engine over heats

    Those can crack esp if water was not drained out in winter. The other thing that can cause trouble is the water tube grommets in the lower unit
  11. Lou C

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    As far as flushing I might use salt-away available here in the USA, then rinse with water…
  12. Lou C

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    As far as using AF the first thing is to use propylene glycol instead of ethylene glycol which is quite toxic and will wind up in your yard, driveway when you start up in spring. The way I have always done it is actually simple, I manually drain everything, poke the drains in the block manifolds...
  13. Lou C

    I/O (Sterndrive) Conversion to Outboards

    The one thing I did years ago to my 20' Four Winns was make the rear access better. That helps, but I am still going to install a remote oil filter and extend the block drains with hoses to make it easier to winterize. If I don't have to pull the seats out every time, I can tolerate it. excuse...
  14. Lou C

    I/O (Sterndrive) Conversion to Outboards

    Yes they are! As for me if this boat stays in reasonably good shape, I may just keep it and repower it when necessary, I figure if I'm lucky I got about maybe 5 more years of boating that I can do. So, not really worth spending $45-$50 K on a new or newer outboard boat. Repower = 1/10th the...
  15. Lou C

    Add cleat to trailer?

    My local ramp was redone so it’s not falling apart but it’s still shallow. So I use the full roller trailer and I got the boat as low as I can get it by getting different crossmember brackets from Load Rite. That and a 4x4 Jeep with limited slips front & rear & V8 power. To use a nice steep ramp...
  16. Lou C

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    I have to say your mechanical skills far exceed mine! I do mostly maintenance and have done some bigger repairs: on the boat the deck about 17 years ago; top engine overhaul about 7 years ago (new cyl heads & exhaust) this spring rebuilt the trim cylinders. Jeeps I’ve done all the maintenance &...
  17. Lou C

    My 84 4winns horizon 195 project.

    All the rot started under the helm seat pedestals & rear bench seats where the carpet kept it wet. I had no idea how long this job would last but I have to say this boat has never been in inside storage; in the season it’s in the water with bow & cockpit covers and in winter it has a custom fit...
  18. Lou C

    My 84 4winns horizon 195 project.

    You want the longest lasting deck? In the chronically damp Northeast? Well when we redid ours 17 years ago carpet was not an option (that’s what caused the rot in the first place by holding in moisture), sea deck might not have been on the market yet. So I had the ‘glass shop gel coat it in non...
  19. Lou C

    I/O (Sterndrive) Conversion to Outboards

    Well other than routine maintenance, very few people are doing major repairs on them. Partly due to extremely high parts cost, and also complexity. It's not like pulling the heads off a small block Chevy, that's for sure. Also, when they start to corrode on the block deck surface, or same place...
  20. Lou C

    Engine over heats

    Also don’t forget to also replace a scored wear plate in the impeller housing….
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