F14CRAZY
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- Joined
- Aug 12, 2008
- Messages
- 945
My best buddy has an '82 Wellcraft Nova 21' where someone swapped out the original 351 and put in a 302. Sterndrive is marked 233 and the holes where the 351 was attached to the engine mounts were not sealed and so they were rotten. We pulled out the 302, I cut out and glassed in new engine mounts. While it was out I installed a new gimbal bearing, bellows, and shift cable by GLM. This is my first time messing with a Mercruiser drive as my personal experience is with my OMC Series 400 but I get the general idea of what's going on. I have a Seloc manual at hand.
He found a 351 pulled from another Wellcraft and I'm installed it now. I have the rear mount of the engine bolted to the transom support, with the fiber washer and the special lock washed in between the two. I adjusted the side/front engine mounts as far up as possible. I have the front of the engine supported by a chainfall and I've been trying to align the gimbal bearing with the engine coupler (of which I also replaced). I've slowly adjusted the chainfall up and down trying to get the alignment tool (also by GLM, I think) to go into the coupler but I'm only able to get it to start. I reached down there with a marker and marked where the alignment tool is in but it isn't entering the splines.
I'm simply trying to get it aligned with the chainfall so I can adjust the mounts, mark the holes in the mounts, drill, and install the lag screws.
Being that this is a whole different engine being mated to the transom plate (hope that's the right term for it) are there any difficulties I should expect? I've greased the alignment tool, spun it, gently tapped it with a mallet, but it just isn't going in. Looking into the gimbal bearing and coupler it appears to be somewhat straight. I didn't use a gimbal puller and tapped the old one out with a 2'' or so socket while the engine was out and installed the new seal and gimbal bearing in the same fashion.
Any ideas guys? The 302 that was in there was sold so I don't have that to look at
He found a 351 pulled from another Wellcraft and I'm installed it now. I have the rear mount of the engine bolted to the transom support, with the fiber washer and the special lock washed in between the two. I adjusted the side/front engine mounts as far up as possible. I have the front of the engine supported by a chainfall and I've been trying to align the gimbal bearing with the engine coupler (of which I also replaced). I've slowly adjusted the chainfall up and down trying to get the alignment tool (also by GLM, I think) to go into the coupler but I'm only able to get it to start. I reached down there with a marker and marked where the alignment tool is in but it isn't entering the splines.
I'm simply trying to get it aligned with the chainfall so I can adjust the mounts, mark the holes in the mounts, drill, and install the lag screws.
Being that this is a whole different engine being mated to the transom plate (hope that's the right term for it) are there any difficulties I should expect? I've greased the alignment tool, spun it, gently tapped it with a mallet, but it just isn't going in. Looking into the gimbal bearing and coupler it appears to be somewhat straight. I didn't use a gimbal puller and tapped the old one out with a 2'' or so socket while the engine was out and installed the new seal and gimbal bearing in the same fashion.
Any ideas guys? The 302 that was in there was sold so I don't have that to look at
