Lil' Rhody
Seaman
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2009
- Messages
- 65
I have slowly been replacing my tin 66 Starcraft Sunchiefs original 2.5 liter with and "R" drive with a 89' GM 3.0 liter and Alpha 1 drive from a donor glass boat.
Engine pretty much fell into the original foot print with only slight tweaking being needed. Gimbel and thrust plate also mated up almost perfectly as well. This was mostly all acomplished last season with help from a local repair outfit as I lack hoists, tools and am not so mechanically inclined.
We lined everything up and at the time and then winterized without the leg on. Fast forward to this week where i am attempting to throw the leg on with alignment tool and the splined drive shaft bottoms out 3" from the gimbal housing- checked and rechecked with chalk on alignment tool as well as measuring with alignment tool and the shaft is 3" to long???
Several questions...
1)- Is this entire problem due to the donor coming from a glass boat trying to go into a tin one due to transom thickness?
2)- Or is it in fact due to placement of the engine and/or mounts?
3)- Is there any economical and obvious solutions?
I am having nightmares thinking about this and have arrived at only 2 solutions- 1 entails moving the engine forward the needed 3 inches however this seeming might create other issues between the engine and the thrust plate. I really do not want to go this route at all.
Number 2 ( the idea I favor most) is to have the splined shaft machined down the 3 inches and re-splined. I am however wondering if this could be done to hardened steel without a great deal of expense. I don't really know where to begin, (gear shop, machine shop) inquiring locally about this so all thoughts and ideas are very much welcomed. As I stated putting the leg on is about the extent of my abilities and understanding.
Please bear with me as this is my first mercruiser and I am learning at a slow rate...
Thanks,
Steve
Engine pretty much fell into the original foot print with only slight tweaking being needed. Gimbel and thrust plate also mated up almost perfectly as well. This was mostly all acomplished last season with help from a local repair outfit as I lack hoists, tools and am not so mechanically inclined.
We lined everything up and at the time and then winterized without the leg on. Fast forward to this week where i am attempting to throw the leg on with alignment tool and the splined drive shaft bottoms out 3" from the gimbal housing- checked and rechecked with chalk on alignment tool as well as measuring with alignment tool and the shaft is 3" to long???
Several questions...
1)- Is this entire problem due to the donor coming from a glass boat trying to go into a tin one due to transom thickness?
2)- Or is it in fact due to placement of the engine and/or mounts?
3)- Is there any economical and obvious solutions?
I am having nightmares thinking about this and have arrived at only 2 solutions- 1 entails moving the engine forward the needed 3 inches however this seeming might create other issues between the engine and the thrust plate. I really do not want to go this route at all.
Number 2 ( the idea I favor most) is to have the splined shaft machined down the 3 inches and re-splined. I am however wondering if this could be done to hardened steel without a great deal of expense. I don't really know where to begin, (gear shop, machine shop) inquiring locally about this so all thoughts and ideas are very much welcomed. As I stated putting the leg on is about the extent of my abilities and understanding.
Please bear with me as this is my first mercruiser and I am learning at a slow rate...
Thanks,
Steve
