Gimbal housing stamp ?

[newtoboat101]

1988 thompson 240 /5.0 lx alpha1 gen 1 ,bought from used boat dealer ,redid boat ,took boat out was getting leak back near transom ,so took motor out ,only to find out that y pipe was corroded near bolt holes ,obviously leaking from there ,but since i had motor out ,and have leak near transom ,i took transom (outdrive ,gimbal housing ) off only to discover my gimbal housing was totally corroded on both sides of gimbal housing , in between gimbal bearing and studs to hold gimbal housing on boat ,so i have to get new gimbal housing and y pipe ,took gimbal housing apart and the stamp on it is 42259-c ,,my question is the difference between 42259-c and 42259 , will 42259 work ,are they interchangeable ?besides getting ripped off can any one suggest what to do to make correct

 

[Rick Stephens]

eBay and Craigslist. Find a good used one. I don't know the difference between the two part numbers. Merc changes to a new number so often on parts it is hard to keep up without your own data base. I would bet most any Alpha 1 gimbal housing will work fine. Others on the forum are a lot more experiences, may have more to say about it.

If all you have to do is Y pipe and housing, you're pretty lucky. Double check the wood in the transom. Poke around and even take some drill samples to make sure it is solid while you have the motor out. You can fill any drill holes with 3M 5200 and never worry about them again. Nice knowing condition of the structure.

 

[AShipShow]

Side note... why does it look like the top half of the gimbal housing is cut off?

 

[newtoboat101]

i was taking it apart ,and who ever built it did shitty job and stripped top steerring,and no cotter pin on bottom ,i knew gimbal housing was shot ,just look at holes in it, so i hacked it to get to ring and to see what serial number it was ,i new i was gonna have to junk it ,then i found one on ebay but its 42259 ,thats why i had to pull in the experts ,you guys and gals ,also i got lucky that i didn't just keep boating with it like that and pulled it after 3 times out on water ,my transom is still very solid took samples ,tapped with mallet ,all seems very good with wood transom

 

[newtoboat101]

i guess ,my biggest concern is do not want to end up getting wrong parts to fit my application ,is this y pipe correct #44265-c,could not find # on my gimbal ring or bell housing aft #,,does anybody know if these are stamped any where on them 42259-c has 5 hole and 42259 has 4 hole what does this mean?

 

[Fun Times]

42259-c has 5 hole and 42259 has 4 hole what does this mean?

The 4 and 5 "bolt" hole differences has to do with exhaust Y-pipe mounting. The C stamp plays a slight roll in some of this depending on years and models you find..... The info below should help keep your purchase safely verified though you'll find some 4 holes with a C in it too but I believe you'll need/want the 5 hole C model....To help visual some of this the you-tube video is of the C stamp which has the 5 bolt hole exhaust flange...

As sort of noted below, Being you have an 1988, you ought to (< or may have) the 4 inch exhaust pipe... But you'll need to double check to know for sure being sort of close to a year change of 1986ish....Though your Y-pipe number 44265-C seems to match the later/newer model designs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVUbToPbUTw
https://www.nlamarine.com/products/m...en-i-1983-1990

MerCruiser 42260A6 42259 Gimbal Housing Transom Plate Alpha One 4-Bolt 1983-1987 MerCruiser 42260A6 42259 Gimbal Housing Transom Plate Alpha One 4-Bolt 1983-1987

Item Details

• MerCruiser Gimbal Housing Plate / 42259 (stamped) /

• 42260A6 is generally the part number indicated for online parts manuals, but there is a bit of confusion that gimbal plates stamped 42259 have 4-holes for the exhaust flange, and the 42259-C have 5-holes would be applicable to the late 80's and early 90's V-Engine boats that use the 4" Y-pipe.
• Any 4-cyl MerCruiser models (120 / 140 / 470) from 1983-1990 can safely used a housing stamped 42259 having only the 4-holes, but you do need the 42259-C for V-Engine Applications that require the 5-bolt style (Utilizing the top and bottom 2 bolting locations)

Part Numbers Included

• 42259 (Stamped) = 42260A6
  • Do not mistake for 42259-C

Compatibility

• Basically this would have been found on all alpha one models 1983-1990 with (square gimbal ring / square steering lever). This particular one is probably from the mid-80's based on the stickers, but will work for all engine configurations from that time period... Just a short list below...
  • 2.5L 120hp 4cyl
  • 3.0L 140hp 4cyl
  • 3.7L 170hp 470 488 4cyl
  • 4.3L V6 262 185hp / 205hp (Using 3" exhaust y-pipe - Usually on Pre-1987 models)
  • 5.0L V8 305 (Using 3" exhaust y-pipe)
  • 5.7L V8 350 260hp (Using 3" exhaust y-pipe)
  • 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
• 44265-c = https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...265-c&_sacat=0

 

[newtoboat101]

awesome thank you so much for clear explanation

 

[newtoboat101]

hello all ,fun times I have read your reply many times and looked at my parts ,and my is different ,why ,I have 42259-c but with 4 holes not 5 ,so could I set up with 42259 without c's,,plan on replacing gimbal housing ,inside plate ,and y pipe,will my bellhousing aft ,and ring work on models without C just 42259,also see pictues of y pipe serial numbers ,and back plate serial numbers ,a little confused ,thank you

 

[Bondo]

so could I set up with 42259 without c's

Yes,.....

 

[newtoboat101]

found a gimbal housing 42259 ,now how do I know if it will work with my gimbal gear ,square/square steering ,or are all 42259 work with square/square ,do not want to purchase gimbal housing that only works with square/ splined steering thanx