Boat Project, need advice..

[hblair]

Hi guys,

Brand new here, Here's my situation...

Bought a boat recently, got it for almost nothing needing work of course.
It's a 1988 Glasstream Seaquest, an apparently rare boat, because there is almost no info on it on the web. The boat is 26 ft. in length. I do not know the weight. The boat has a 898 drive in it. I bought the boat minus the engine. The guy threw in a 302 needing building. I've got the 302 at a mechanics right now being built. He is building it to put out 250+ hp.

After doing a little research, am I correct in the 898 drive goes with a chevy 350?

If this is so, will it work with my engine?

Gearing and all? or do I need to get a 888? or a newer drive?

I've got all the main components, except for the carb (2 or 4 barrel) and a few other things (distributor, will get marine version) My engine builder has experience with marine engines and will be putting in brass freeze plugs etc.

We've already replaced the transom on this boat and will be painting the whole thing as well as reworking the trailer, and having the upholstery redone. Too far into this thing to turn back. Any advice is much appreciated. I would post some pics but my ISP is down for some reason.
Thanks..

 

[achris]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

The drive with '898' on it is a 'MC-I' drive. That could be anything from 1977 to 1984. The '898' is an engine designator decal on the drive. The 898 was a GM 305 with a 2bbl carb.

You may have a bit of trouble getting the parts to marry up the Ford engine to the drive. That would include a flywheel housing and engine coupler at the very least. Best person to tell you what exactly is needed is Bond-o. He's a bit of a 'FrankenMerc' fan....

Chris.....

 

[hblair]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

Ahh, so I guess I should just find an "888" that would bolt up to my housing?

 

[achris]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

Ahh, so I guess I should just find an "888" that would bolt up to my housing?

The drives are identical, apart from the decal that says '898' or 888' and the ratios. The difference is the back end of the engines. The ratios are 1.65:1 for the '898' and 1.5:1 for the '888'. That's close enough not to worry about.



Chris......

 

[Bondo]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

got it for almost nothing needing work of course.

Ayuh,... As Don says,.. A Free boat is the Most Expensive boat you'll ever own...

Too far into this thing to turn back.

I can appreciate that,...
But,....
You Really Really should pull the plug on the 302 motor....
Fords haven't been used by Merc since the late 70s,...
And,..
Volvo, the last to use 'em, dropped the Fords close to 10 years ago...
They're Extremely Expensive to use in a boat...
Just finding the flywheel cover is gonna be a Problem,...
Exhaust manifolds will be even Worse...

You'd be Miles ahead of the game by using a SBC instead... They're literally a dime a dozen...
A 350 would be my 1st choice...

 

[hblair]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

Sorry for not being clear. The 302 that came with the boat is actually a mercruiser 302. It was a complete mercruiser engine. It came with the flywheel cover and the exhaust manifolds as well as all the other hardware as far as I can tell. (except for the carb)

Would you still go with a 350 with this in mind?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[achris]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

A 302 putting out 250+ may be a little 'peaky'... In a boat you need a nice flat torque curve. The engine's working right from the get-go, unlike a car that you can change gears in. If you have all the Mercruiser gear and it's not costing you a fortune, try it out, it may be ok... Just one thing... DON'T put a Holley carb on... Them's no good in da boot... Try a Quadrajunk 4MV or 4MY or even a Edlebrook 1409...

Chris.........

 

[Bondo]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

Would you still go with a 350 with this in mind?

Ayuh,... If you plan to keep it longer than Just this season,...
Yes, I'd go Chevy...

 

[180shabah]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

Merc never used the chevy 302. Is it a 305?

Is the distributor in the front or back?

 

[hblair]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

bondo, is it the cost or availability of parts for the 302, or the power difference that you're talking about? Gonna be hard to pull the plug on the 302 at this point. I think the guys just about got it built.

180shabah, we're talking about a ford 302.

achris, I heard that about the holley, thanks for the pointers.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

bondo, is it the cost or availability of parts for the 302, or the power difference that you're talking about? Gonna be hard to pull the plug on the 302 at this point. I think the guys just about got it built.

Well,... I guess if you're in deep, you gotta go with it...

Chevy beats the heck outa the Fords for All 3 reasons you mention...

 

[hblair]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

Hi guys, here's an update.
I've since gotten my engine back from the machine shop. I'm real happy with the job the guy did on it. The cams supposed to be "more torquey". He had to bore the block .030 over. The crank was in real nice shape, hardly any wear. He replaced the intake valves, exhaust were okay. I looked around locally for some parts for my mercruiser 302. There were three mercruiser 302 engines on craigslist within 100 miles from my home.
I bought this old searay for a few hundred bucks...
http://www.blairautobody.com/Heaths stuff/seaquest/HPIM4361.JPG
It's got good hardware in it. It had the 302 888 drive in it. I borrowed the manifolds and risers from it as well as other misc. stuff. The 302 in it had gotten water in it and led to the boats being put out to pasture. The gauges in the boat all seem to be good. I'll prolly use them over my 1980's vintage techno goofy lookin stuff. Turns out my engine wasn't a mercruiser engine after all. It had automotive timing cover (rotten aluminum), distributor, etc.
the engine in the searay had a good mercruiser distributor. This boat was well worth what I paid for it and now I have two of just about everything, which works out well.


I sat my engine inside the old searary to crank it and to test all the hardware in the searay seeings how I didn't have an engine stand with gauges and all.
here's the motor running, it has a nice lope to it.
http://www.blairautobody.com/Heaths stuff/seaquest/HPIM4365.AVI

EDIT:
Oh yeah, I also found an iron four barrel intake and installed an edlebrock 1409.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Boat Project, need advice..

This boat was well worth what I paid for it and now I have two of just about everything, which works out well.

Ayuh,.... Glad it's workin' out for ya,....