It's never the coil...ever
With only 40psi, your fuel pressure is low
With compression in the 115-120 range, the motor needs a rebuild
If your neutral safety switch is bad, motor won't rev when in gear
Time to start trouble shooting
Y'all own a boat with motors. If you want economy get oars or sails. My boat gets many smiles per gallon.
Fuel is usually the cheapest part of boat ownership
Just swap heads, cam and intake and you have easy 320hp.
Heads are $800 new, or $400 used
Cam kit is $600
Gaskets are $100
Intake and carb - $700 new, or $200 used
Time to look here
https://forums.iboats.com/threads/how-tos-and-other-great-information.283508/
Read links 14, 15, 17, 18, 2, 3, 4a and 4b
Remove the drive
Remove the motor
Remove the interior
Pull the cap
Start the restoration
They made millions of C10 pickemups. They made a few hundred Larson Cabrio 240s
Vinyl lasts maybe 10 years tops now days since they quit using arsenic in 2004
See your local marine upholstery shop. Upgrade to Sunbrella Horizon vinyl
Regarding your dash. Find a local fab shop to laser you...
If you want to jump to a V8, now is the time
However if you want to go 4.3, I would target a vortec motor
While your motor says vortec in the valve covers, it doesn't have vortec heads.
First, boats are designed with only a 15 year life in mind
You have the right attitude knowing it will need work
96 is a toss up between 1996 vortec motor (8 bolts on the intake) and left over 1995 motors (12 bolts on intake)
I would verify the motor, and swap to a 4-barrel. However if it's...
Compression numbers are run with plugs out and cranking
Fuel pressure is checked with engine off, key on, engine running at idle, and engine running at full out WOT
agreed, start at the battery and work your way to the helm cleaning every connection with 150 grit sand paper, making them shiny enough your mother would eat off them. then seal them with marine electrical varnish.
