Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

[piratedude]

need new engine- pulled the merc 350 and want to put in bb 454? 502? have bravo 2 drive. The more i look into it the more comfused i get...this is a 1996 rinker 266 i paid 15k for and now needs a new engine. i expect about $5k for a rebuilt 454 but someone told me the 330 hp motor will just suck gas and not really help performance much. should i get a mag 454? 502? any advice is apprieciated! Also what about a diesel conversion? will it be worth it and i just dont want to get upsidedown on boat value.

 

[Norm Malcosky]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

Too bad, engine swapping can be a big expense for sure !! I moved from carburated 350s to injected 350s and WOW what a difference !! No starting problems and much better cruising efficiencies. (no - it also included a boat change)<br /><br />You might check around and see what is offered by each engine supplier (i.e. HP ? and fuel system?) Multi port, throttle body, Carbs? The carbs would be less expensive, but injected engines would be a positve selling point. I beleve the 350s now are rated at about 280 HP - or was that 320 HP ???<br /><br />Anyway, I would stick with the old reliable 350s with a modern fuel induction system.<br /><br />Norm . . .

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

And I would go to a 502. No substitute for cubic inches.<br />If you search on trailer boats magazine's web site, there is a guy who went from a 350 to a 502 MPI in his Rinker. It was involved, but I think the motor mounts lined right up. I know there was an issue with the seawater pump and the fuel tank, but it was solved by moving the gas tank a little. But he went from an Alpha to a Bravo. So at least you won't have that much work to do. If you are in Central Florida, I know a guy that could help you do that conversion, at a reasonable price.

 

[mkast]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

I went from a 260hp 350 to a 330hp 454.<br />I would like to ask your "someone" when he did this swap, what did he do wrong? I picked up more performance than I expected.

 

[hudman]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

I have the same boat, same problem. I , after lots of research, have decided to put a 383 mag motor in. it has close to the horsepower as a 454 but not the weight, or hassles. im looking to spend $5800 for a new complete motor, ready to drop in. let me know if you need more info

 

[piratedude]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

hudman- i looked into the 383- but was informed that the 454 has more torque and would work better and last longer...

 

[hudman]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

For me , it was just a easier swap, small block to small block. changing over to big block requires a lot of shoe horning in, but the 266 did come with a 454 as an option. ill post performance gains after i get the swap done

 

[tommays]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

5K sounds very low with all the new bits and pieces you would need to change block sizes ?<br /><br /><br />tommays

 

[hudman]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

www.protecmarine.net they have the factory mercruiser 383, talk to these guys, they have replaced 454s with this engine and actually gained in performance.

 

[piratedude]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

thanks all for your input- just ordered a brand new 454 long block for $4100. going to convert to bb- the old 5.7 i can use a lot of the parts off it for the 454. this is a big boat to push around and dont know why they sell em w/ the small block...under powered.

 

[mkast]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

When I did this swap from SB to BB, I used the steering pump, alternator, starter, distributor, carb and pulleys. Everything else, except the steering pump/alt. brackets was picked up on EBAY.

 

[hudman]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

Let me know how it runs, and i'll do the same when i get mine going.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

Exhaust Manifolds will be your biggest cash expense. I checked with my guy in Central FL, he confirmed the motor mounts are in the same place on a BB chevy & SB chevy. You won't have to change the rear bellhousing either.<br />You will need about 4 inches more room in front of the engine, the BB is longer. Also, that may require a longer hose from your transom plate to your raw water pump.

 

[mkast]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

The BB weighs about 110 LBS. more than the SB.<br />Had to lengthen one hose, if I remember right, the starboard hose to the bottom of the exhaust manifold, used NAPA marine hose. Bellhousing fits, if you use the standard BB flywheel the starter from the SB will work. Make sure the balancer and flywheel are compatible. If you use the distributor from the SB, check the advance on the SB unit, might have to change to a different degree advance unit. If the hull had a 454 as optional, what shoehorning? I never ran a 383 engine, horsepower is horsepower, but something tells me it won't hold a candle to the torque of the BB. I changed from the stock Q-Jet to a Holley with an Offenhauser aluminum intake. First a 750 cfm, then a 600 cfm. I'm back to the 750. I'm using a blueprint marine cam from Crane, pretty much the same specs as the stock Chevy/Mercruiser cam. Added a two speed prop and a Land and Sea sternjack.

 

[hudman]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

The 383 that protec sells is a mercruiser smartcraft motor, complete, with exhaust, and y pipe and everything else, its fuel injected. and they claim more torque than a 330 hp 454.... time will tell

 

[mkast]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

Maybe the website you're using is different than the one in your previous post. On the link you provided, no torque value is listed, I have yet to see a torque value for a marine engine. The horsepower is a tad less than the 330/454. I'm not trying to talk anyone into anything, run what you feel comfortable with. I have noticed, as boats start getting larger, engines get larger, with larger engines, torque (which moves larger boats)is easier to get with less fuel.

 

[mkast]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

I ran into this, <br />For Example: A 350cid with 345hp has 390 lbs-ft of torque for a Power Index of 735 while a 454cid engine has 305hp and 430 lbs-ft of torque for a power index of 735. The 454cid engine has less horsepower but will accelerate a given car to the same or slightly quicker ET.

 

[QC]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

The reason that marine manufacturers do not publish torque numbers is that torque is almost meaningless in a marine application. I said almost, so don't throw anything. If you are satisfied with how quickly your boat gets on plane and dissatisfied with top speed then increased torque will not be important to you. If you are satisfied with your top speed, but not the time it takes to plane, then you want more torque and don't need more horsepower, and you may be able to solve that issue with trim tabs if you don't have them already. It is that simple. Marine manufacturers do publish prop load curves which are actually pretty close to linear with RPM (not curved) and illustrate the point I am making. Everything I said above assumes that it is propped correctly for either example.<br /><br />Torque and horsepower are two different things, related, but different, and adding them together only makes the situation mushier. It totally misses the RPM part of the equation: bhp=torquexRPM/5252. What mkast says is correct as he states it, for a car. However, that same car would have a higher top speed with the 350 if it was geared correctly.<br /><br />The big block will plane a little faster, and may last longer due to lower cylinder pressures for the same horsepower output. Life to overhaul also means very little unless this is a commercial application, you simply won't get there if it is maintained properly. It will probably get slightly poorer fuel efficiency (another common misconception) as the reciprocating mass is heavier and the frictional losses are higher. Meaning that slightly more fuel goes to turning the engine than what it should be doing . . . turning the propeller

 

[sailsmanship]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

I just sold a 94 Rinker 265 with a 454 in it and loved it. Just moved up in size. Recently rode in someone elses 94 265 with a 350 in it. What a dog.... You made a good choice....

 

[QC]

Re: Need advice on new engine for rinker 266...

Sandpaperman1,<br /><br />Carbuereted, those years, absolutley no question, I agree 100%. Those were, what, 300 and 235 bhp at the propshaft respectively?