bolt on performance upgrades for twin merc 888/Ford 302

[holorinhal]

What would be the best bolt on Performance Mods for twin Merc/ford 302's?
Can I upgrade the old points distributers to an HEI style?

Would a better intake and a four barel carb combo give Me better performance? Thanks...Hal

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: bolt on performance upgrades for twin merc 888/Ford 302

The best performance upgrades would be 351's.

Different manifolds and carbs probably wouldn't give you a noticeable difference.

 

[danond]

Re: bolt on performance upgrades for twin merc 888/Ford 302

Agreed. Boats don't see much benefit from bolt-on upgrades unless you spend incredible amounts of $$. A hull dragging in water pushes back alot harder than tires on pavement. Getting it to go faster requires a fair amount more HP.

A good tune-up or bigger engines is your best bet, as stated.

 

[MikDee]

Re: bolt on performance upgrades for twin merc 888/Ford 302

A 4bbl, & manifold will only give you about 220hp, about a 20hp increase on each engines, I don't think that will help much with the cash outlay for 2 sets.

 

[Bondo]

Re: bolt on performance upgrades for twin merc 888/Ford 302

The best performance upgrades would be 351's.

Ayuh,.... With 4bbl. Carbs,...

 

[coastalcruiser]

Re: bolt on performance upgrades for twin merc 888/Ford 302

if you want to go fast, Volvo Penta 5.7 duoprop
My boat 23' does 43mph with just one engine and it bolts right in

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: bolt on performance upgrades for twin merc 888/Ford 302

A 5.7L SBC wouldn't bolt right in as the rear engine mounts would likely be different, necessitating a different inner transom plate. Exhaust y-tube would also be different. Also, a complete engine swap isn't really "bolt-on" and 43mph isn't really "fast".

The only thing I can think of is bigger carbs and performance intake, but that's $400+ per engine for a total of *maybe* 40HP. You probably wouldn't notice much.

 

[coastalcruiser]

Re: bolt on performance upgrades for twin merc 888/Ford 302

haulnazz15 Also, a complete engine swap isn't really "bolt-on"

What I said was "it bolts right in" and it does. It's is a good alternative to old outdated 302/351 and prealpha drives

Look at the age of the package, 30+ years old hey some parts are discontinued.

here is a photo of my boat it has a head/hotwater/shower,full galley ac/dc fridge, TV, etc not a runabout its a cruiser hence the name coastal cruiser I would say 30mph cruiseing speed is plenty fast. and very fuel efficient.
I paid after selling the old engine much less than all the replacement parts added up on my old 302/pre alpha. in fact if I added up all the bills and came to MORE than what I paid for an up to date smooth running package.
Not to mention it runs are you on the water??

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: bolt on performance upgrades for twin merc 888/Ford 302

Actually I have one of those "30 year old packages" and aside from having to have the motor rebuilt due to my error, it works flawlessly. I haven't had a single issue finding parts for the engine or drive. I apologize for not knowing what your boat was, since your s/n doesn't necessarily mean anything to me. A cruiser is a generic term, for all I know you have a NAVY vessel, or you just like "cruising" the coasts. I don't really call something a cruiser until it's 26' or over. Don't take it personally.

You still fail to see that the OP wasn't looking to replace everything to gain some HP, just a few bolt-on performance mods. Should people not buy the 4.3L or 8.1L boats any more because GM is discontinuing them?

 

[coastalcruiser]

Re: bolt on performance upgrades for twin merc 888/Ford 302

well it took about a day to remove the entire package and I have spent more time doing this that and the other thing, if you only know how much time I spent/wasted on my old 888...its a shame not to share what I have learned the hard way. imho