Cost to replace Bellows and gimball bearing-?

[JoLin]

Hey JoLin, How did the jack/drive stand turn out? I was thinking of doing the same thing with my harbor freight motorcycle jack (no more motorcycle).

Finished it this morning. It looks good, though I haven't removed the drive with it yet. A lot of measuring and taking time with the cuts to keep it all 'square.' In my case, the outdrive cav plates sit 2 feet above the driveway, and the jack only rises a max. of 14 inches. I basically built a sorta box-like extension to raise the saddle to the height of the cav. plate. Glued and screwed it together, keeping everything square. Cut a form-fitting saddle for the outdrive and glued and screwed it to the top of the box. As for the jack itself, all I had to do was unbolt the old saddle and replace it with mine. I used the same bolt holes and hardware as the original. I can turn it back into a motorcycle jack in about 10 minutes.

Materials were a 2'x4' sheet of 3/4" ply, couple of furring strips, nylon bushings to line the bolt holes in the plywood, a box of deckmate screws and a tube of construction adhesive. I have to remove the prop (takes 5 minutes) to slide the jack under the drive, but that'll just force me to lube the prop shaft every year, which I should do anyway. I also have to remember to drain the lube from the drive before I pull it, so I can do the pressure test. The sidewall of the box blocks access to the lower drain plug. Little detail I missed. If I forget I can muscle the drive on the jack forward a few inches to uncover it.

 

[SDSeville]

Finished it this morning.

​Sounds great. Any pics?

 

[bspeth]

Mianejohn,I would get at it while you are in there,but if it feels butter smooth then its the same thing as a new one. I would swap it but its not my boat,only my opinion.

 

[thumpar]

Since you have it you might as well change it.

 

[mainejohn]

Yes I think I will swap it out

 

[fishrdan]

Use an OEM MErcruiser/Quicksilver lower shift cable, well worth the extra expense. I'll use aftermarket bellows and other things, but it's OEM for me on the lower shift cable...

 

[stonyloam]

Yeah that water hose can be a pain. If it is in good shape, no cracks or bulges you may consider not changing it. If you change it is a lot easier if you unbolt the transom side fitting, slip the hose on and re bolt. Make sure there are no kinks. Take a look at the exhaust bellows, and if they are in good shape you can leave them too. Go OEM for the driveshaft bellows and shift cable. Check the gimbal bearing for smoothness. If it is perfectly smooth there is no need to change it at this time, it can be changed at a later date with the bellows in place, should it start to fail. Same goes for the trim limit and sender, if they are working and the wires are in great shape ( no signs of wear or cracking) they may not need to be changed. If you do change the switches, double check to make sure the wires are clear of the gimbal ring when the outdrive is turned all the way to either side. Use small cable ties to hold them in place, ydo not want to get them pinched when you turn.

 

[JoLin]

No Title

​Sounds great. Any pics?

I have more on my phone, but it's a pita to transfer them. My laptop doesn't have bluetooth, so I have to e-mail them to myself. Then they're way too big to post, so I have to resize them.

 

[JoLin]

No Title

And it works! Had to coax it just a little bit with a big screwdriver to break it free, but then it popped right off.

Then I hauled out the snowblower to make sure that'd start, 'cause we might get some this weekend :facepalm:

 

[FreeBeeTony]

Nice job John........saw you're in the Babylon area.......so am I.
​Do you dock in a Village slip?

 

[JoLin]

No, I'm in West Babylon, not the village. Actually looking for a slip for the season right now. Had a private one in a nice spot last year, but the owner is planning to put his own boat in this year.

 

[FreeBeeTony]

Check w/ the Village........might have to pay a little extra not being a Village resident but still might be a good deal!

 

[poconojoe]

Get yourself a 1/4" drive flexible extension for your socket set. It will make it much easier to get to those bellows clamp screws.

 

[FreeBeeTony]

Get yourself a 1/4" drive flexible extension for your socket set. It will make it much easier to get to those bellows clamp screws.

Gotta agree w/ that 100%........my wife bought me a cheap one years ago and it's worth $$$$$ than that for this job!!

 

[JoLin]

Check w/ the Village........might have to pay a little extra not being a Village resident but still might be a good deal!

I can get on the waiting list, but there's been a fair amount of vandalism at the village marina the last few years. My buddy had his stern lines cut last summer.

I hope the OP is still reading this thread. Everybody swears by the 1/4" flex extension, so I bought one too.