Looking for bare engine block with pistons

[Lou C]

West Marine while it is great to have one of their stores local to me, is always one of the more expensive retailers. We are not allowed to post competing vendors here but iBoats does sell parts; go to the main site and start looking for either the OMC or Volvo version (they are actually identical) of the exhaust system; then see if they ship internationally. Of the 2 brands sold I prefer Sierra to GLM. My top choice is Barr Marine. Id go onto their site and email them to see if they have distributors or dealers in Europe.
About the corrosion on the Y pipe and outer transom shield...keep in mind there are some minor variations in the production run of the Cobra so if you start looking for parts look up the OE part numbers and search by those #s; you can find them on eBay. And this brings up another big choice:
you can replace the Cobra stuff with Volvo Penta parts which might be a lot easier to find used in Europe. You can sell off the Cobra stuff and make it all VP. This will cost a lot initially more but makes the boat worth more and you won’t have to be trolling eBay etc for parts. This makes sense especially if the Cobra drive is not in excellent shape. My old Cobra drive is in great shape still but when it needs an overhaul I’m switching it over to a Volvo SX. This is possible because OMC and Volvo entered into a joint venture where VP used much of OMCs transom design with a redesigned cone clutch shifted outdrive. Some parts were the same actually.
BTW your English is great! Native language French?

 

[Westieman]

The Y-pipe is lost but I have another one. Unfortunately is has the same problem. See picture.
Maybe I could eliminate it and make an open system with twin exhausts in stainless steel?

 

[Scott Danforth]

find a competent aluminum welder and have it fixed.

 

[Lou C]

The Y-pipe is lost but I have another one. Unfortunately is has the same problem. See picture.
Maybe I could eliminate it and make an open system with twin exhausts in stainless steel?

You'd have to make a block off plate for the outer transom plate, to keep water out of course but a through the hull exhaust probably wont sound great with the V6 throbbing away...Even with a V8 it can give you a headache but does sound great in small doses.

http://www.barrmarine.net/find-a-distributor.html

Scroll all the way down Barr Marine does have distributors in Europe...

 

[Lou C]

If you want to stick with the OMC Cobra set up:

looks like the OE Y pipe is still available brand new!
https://www.crowleymarine.com/johnson-evinrude/parts/56281.cfm?mdl=ITALGD​

https://www.crowleymarine.com/johnso...cfm?mdl=ITALGD
gimble housing is NLA but this gives you the # to search for one...

On the other hand you can shop around for a complete Volvo Penta trans mount and Y pipe, + a drive if you can get a take out from a fresh water boat...that would really be the best plan...now you have a boat that has more value and you can get most parts easily...

 

[Westieman]

Thank you very much Lou! I will look in to this.
Been busy on the engine ...
Found a Y-pipe in good condition but it is, once more, in Southern France
Picture?

 

[Lou C]

Looking great. I love your shop. I do everything on my back in the driveway. My garage is tiny, 1940s era house, about the size of a Model A Ford lol. Only car I ever put in there was my '89 Toyota Corolla GTS. After doing this for oh 45+ years its getting old!
When I did the top end overhaul I didn't pull out the engine gambling that the lower end (crank, bearings, cam etc) was still good. Got lucky on that. I based my decision on the condition of the cam lobes, I pulled out the roller lifters and the lifters and cam lobes looked like new. But the engine had salt water in the oil for about a week before I figured out what was wrong (blown head gaskets on both sides, due to previous overheat). When I fired it up after replacing the cyl heads and new exhaust it sounded great and a nice 50 psi oil pressure. I love Chevrolet small blocks. When I was growing up they were as common as VW Beetles were in Europe at the same time. Very simple solid engineering here at least parts are plentiful and inexpensive. Now my favorite is the Chrysler Hemi, got one in my '07 Jeep that is fast n fun.

 

[Westieman]

Nice ride Lou!!! What's that black bar on the roof? Where was the picture taken? Looks like a nice beach....
Is your boat on a trailer, because you got the ideal weapon to get it in and out of the water!
Just wondering, is your house a tiny 1940's era or the garage. I do love old things, be it cars, boats or houses! Pic?
Checked the transom plate or gimbal bearing housing on the spare one I got with the engine. Looks OK but there is a problem. It came complete with a part of the boat still attached to it. So inner and outer are still connected. All the screws are removed ( nuts and bolts ) but separating it is, a pain in the ****. Something is, I do not know what, still attached. ( pic )
Over here, chevy's or other american cars were popular in the 1950-1960,1970 I think. I remember when I was about 7 years old, my neighbor had a new Pontiac Firebird. Must have been 1968 I think. I remember it had a 6 inline engine and on the hood ( power bulge) there was " overhead cam". Later, 1970's and later, american cars became to expensive to drive over here because of fuel cost and extra taxes. We pay every year " circulation tax" and in those days, the base of calculation was cubic inches. The bigger the engine, the more tax and, it was not linear! That's why we in Europe drive cars with tiny engines and big turbo chargers but mostly diesel engines

 

[Lou C]

Bar on the roof is a ski rack. Not for skis (too old too many aches & pains) but for fishing poles and passkes for the dingy to paddle out to the mooring. Jeep has 330 hp, 375 ft lbs torque & electronic locking front and rear differentials. Great on any boat ramp. Beach is on Jones beach island just south of Long Island NY. We got there, and also to Robert Moses state park on Fire Island which is right next to Jones beach island....
House is 1942 Cape Cod style up on a hill overlooking a local beach/harbor. That’s where we keep the boat on a salt water mooring.
the era when this area was settled was right before ww2. At one time the sky above was populated by local products:
Grumman Wildcats and Hellcats built in Bethpage Long Island
Republic P47 Thunderbolts built in East Farmingdale Long Island
The Grummans you would not have seen much in Europe because they were Navy carrier based aircraft (Pacific theatre) but the Thunderbolts (9500 lbs unladen, 2,000 hp P&W R2800 power, top speed 435 mph) were used for ground support all over Continental Europe and were feared by both the Luftwaffe and ground troops. They were fast and nearly indestructible. 9,500 were built here...5,500 more in the mid west. We also built the Lunar Module in Bethpage 1962-1972. A long history of engineering.
One of my best local memories was seeing a Grumman F14 Tomcat go to full afterburner. It was there...and just GONE!

Republics A10 is still flying long live the Thunderbolt 2 aka the Warthog, the grand child of the P47...the A-10 with its awesome cannon was the last plane built here by Republic....

 

[Lou C]

 

[Lou C]

Some more Long Island aerospace history.....

 

[southkogs]

That P47 was a great airplane. She was a brick, but just like her later namesake it'd take a TON of damage and still fly home.

 

[Westieman]

Wow Lou, are you on the last picture? All this knowledge you have makes me suggest you were active in this business?
The F-14 too me is an icon, however I have never seen one in real. But I guess all of us saw Top-Gun? The Warthog is something else though. I do not think of this as a great airplane, the shape I mean, but the firepower is unbelievable. I do watch those airplanes on Youtube. I remember Wildcats and Hellcats. Not that I have seen any but as a boy I used to build model airplanes. The first airplane that I remember seeing passing by was the " starfighter". Loud, fast and sleek. Today I only see F16's, but these are on there way out by now. To me, the most beatifull airplane is the F4 Phantom. Would love to see and, even more, hear one. It is a dream of mine to one day fly along in one, but that will never happen I am afraid. For now I will settle for old boats, old cars and old age?
Long Island is NICE. Just took a look on Google maps. JFK is not so far away. But a walk on the beach could be a very long walk. What a great country you live in!
I thought the Cape Cod style houses could only be found in Florida or rather the more Southern states. Love this style of houses, a bit like the "colonial" style. But I imagine those houses need a lot of maintenance?

 

[Lou C]

The pic with all the people was taken in 1969-1970and is Grumman engineers watching the touch down of the lunar module. I was about 14 years old then. We had a family friend who was an aircraft mechanic in ww2 and after the war he sold aircraft parts. If you worked at Grumman or Republic and needed certain parts he was your guy! He and another family friend sparked my interest in mechanical things. The Starfighter you mentioned (F-104) was built by Lockheed and was extremely fast but difficult to fly; the German Air Force pilots called it the Widowmaker. The F-14 Tomcat was built at Grumman’s Calverton plant in Eastern Long Island, along with the A6 Intruder and other famous planes. The A10 Warthog I have a special attachment to because it is still flying and beloved by its crews and the ground troops it supports. It is the last product of the former Republic Aviation. The other jet fighter in the pic above was the F105 Thunderchief, this was designed as a high speed nuclear capable bomber and was used with convention weapons in the Vietnam war. My uncle worked at Republic during the Korean War working on the F84 Thunderjet. The East Farmingdale factory was actually called the Thunder Factory....
actually cape cod houses are common here in LI and in New England.small and inexpensive to build. Google Levittown to learn about the first manufactured suburb in the US. They had 3 styles of homes built after ww2 in assembly line fashion on former potatoe fields in Nassau County. A house cost about 7 grand in 1949..

 

[Lou C]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNrck2VLai4

for a treat, fast forward to 1:14, turn the volume all the way UP!

On a cold December day in 1977 I was picking my younger brother up at SUNY Stony Brook for winter recess. Not far from Grumman's Calverton facility. We heard an F-14 flying up in the sky above us...then...the back end of it lit up and it was GONE...accompanied by the most wonderful noise....The planes were just beyond awesome. It all started with Lee Roy Grumman in a garage in Baldwin NY, then moved to East Farmingdale (near the Seversky Works that later became Republic Aviation) and then in the early 30s they moved to Bethpage NY smack dab in the middle of Nassau County. It was semi-rural at the time. After the war it got so built up it was becoming too dangerous to operate high performance jets out of Bethpage due to the encroaching development. So they built a huge facility in Calverton where most of the post Korean War aircraft were built. The Lunar Module was built right in Bethpage.

the F-14....forever a thing of beauty.....

 

[Westieman]

Thank you Lou, it is a real treat! Never seen one in the air or on the ground. It is a bit hard trying to imagine the size and of course, the sound. Would love to witness the take of......as a passenger! However, I do not think I would survive the G-forces. Wishful thinking I guess. Maybe if we were 30 years younger.
I have been reading an article by "The Guardian" on Levittown and it is most interesting. Even took a walk in the streets, helped by "streetview" of course. Most houses in Flanders are traditionally build with bricks. Some are, to use modern terminologie, hybrid. Wooden skeleton surrounded by a brick wall. Maintenance is reduced, less painting. Better insulation / protection against the elements is possible.
Today I made some progress on the engine. One question though. I will be using the older carburetor ( Rochester ) because the original Holley is completely destroyed by corrosion. On starboard side there is a metal tube which goes into the exhaust channel of the intake manifold; The tube, which is connected to the choke capsule, is broken and I wonder what its function is or rather, how does it work? ( picture )
Still in doubt about using the electric or the mechanical fuel pump.
As I am writing I am watching the evening news. It is now 8.00 in the evening or 20.00 h ( 8.00 PM ? ) wondering what time it is in NY. Anyway, enjoy the weekend!

 

[Westieman]

Look what I found on a french add site https://www.leboncoin.fr/equipement_nautisme/702221262.htm/
BARR ?
Btw, my native language is dutch, but because we live nearly on the french border, speaking french is imperative.
Like the sound of engines? here's one for you all. Enjoy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyqJxXolico

 

[Lou C]

 

[Lou C]

https://www.crowleymarine.com/johnson-evinrude/parts/55607.cfm
this shows the tube that comes off the choke housing

https://www.crowleymarine.com/johnson-evinrude/parts/55613.cfm
this shows the tube that goes inside the exhaust crossover

 

[Westieman]

OMG Lou! You are not dead are you Lou? Because you seem to live in heaven !!
Yeah, those were the days I imagine, those engines do sound great. Never seen those before.
Formula 1, last time I went to see a GP was some 40 years ago. The Belgian GP at Zolder. It was on that track that Gilles Villeneuve lost his life. In tribute, my son's first name is Gilles. In fact, since they started the turbo era, sound is different indeed. Turbo chargers tend to reduce the noise. My interest in F1 is long gone. Back in those days, every GP was broadcasted on TV. and I watched most of them. Even 24 hours events were transmitted ( 24 H Francorchamps ).
Then, commercial TV arrived and gone were the nice races on TV.
Back to boats, so if I understand it correctly, the small iron tube that goes into the cross over channel in the intake manifold, is only a pick-up pipe of warm air. It is not like an alcohol filled pipe like you could find in old instruments like a temp. gauge?
If that is the case, a simple copper tube that replaces the iron tube will bring a solution. Easy fix!
The electric fuel pump will first be tested of course. The mechanical one seems to work but I do not want to have leaks after installation. Another concern of mine is the installation of the rochester carb instead of the holley. Hope the cables and stuff will fix up. The fuel line is different, but that can be fixed. Mounting on the manifold is no problem either since intake manifold is the same.
The exhaust manifold kit has no make indicated, will send them an e-mail.
Very disappointed by Lighthouse Marine though! No answer, no mail, nothing....
Thank you for the # Lou! If you want a hand with your boating projects, I will come over this afternoon :laugh: !