Worth it ?

pilotman

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Mar 23, 2010
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I was just given a 1968 T-bird tri-hull with Mercruiser I/O featuring a GMC
160 straight six. Has not been run in about 10 years plus stored outside.
Would this possibly be worth fixing?[/ATTACH]
 

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Bondo

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Re: Worth it ?

Ayuh,... Anything is Possible, it depends on Your desire....

That Ain't a Ford btw,... It should be a 250cid Chevy...
 

JustJason

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Re: Worth it ?

check the boat for rot first. From the inside of the boat drill into the transom 1 inch with a small 1/4 inch drill bit. See if you get dry sawdust or mash potatoey woodpulp.
 

Don S

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Re: Worth it ?

The ONLY Fords Mercruiser ever used were V8's. 302 & 351, and that was in the 70's.

Would this possibly be worth fixing?

Without some serious dissassembly and inspection of the engine and drive, it's impossible to say.
I have never seen a free boat that has been worth accepting. The reason they are free is to get rid of them because they are way too expensive to fix.
 

180shabah

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Re: Worth it ?

Tri-hull or cathedral hull??? Dad had a 68 thunderbird when I was groing up, love to see a couple pics.
 

pilotman

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FORD 160 Mercruiser

FORD 160 Mercruiser

I have a 160 GMC straight 6 in my 1968 thunderbird tri-hull cuddy.
In doing some research, I find some economical 4cyl rebuilt long blocks but
no 6 cyl. Would a 4cyl 2.5L have enough HP to make a reasonable replacement?
 

Bondo

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Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Ayuh,... Did you check your Other thread,..??

As I said there,... You DON'T have a Ford,....
It's a Chevy 250cid...

Swapping in an I4 will be a major disappointment...
 

Don S

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Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

I merged the 2 threads together.
 

180shabah

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Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

That 160 on the valve cover is hp NOT cid.

It is a chevy engine.
 

Don S

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Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Pilotman,
You have now posted in 2 other threads that didn't even have what you have, and in all of them you have been told you DO NOT have a Ford, it's a Chevy.
I't obvious by looking at your pictures.

So stop and listen to what you are being told.

If you want manuals, then go to the adults only sticky and download Mercruiser Service manual #1. It has all the information you need. Unless you start looking for Ford again.

PS: and NO, you can't stick a Ford 2.3 engine in the Mercruiser.
 

pilotman

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Messages
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Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

That 160 on the valve cover is hp NOT cid.

It is a chevy engine.

Thank you for the heads up. I thought it was a 160CID not HP. So now I
need to figure out what to do next. I apologize for the confusion over my
multiple thread postings. Trying to get this forum business down pat. Not
my strongest point, but I will try.
 

pilotman

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Messages
18
Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Pilotman,
You have now posted in 2 other threads that didn't even have what you have, and in all of them you have been told you DO NOT have a Ford, it's a Chevy.
I't obvious by looking at your pictures.

So stop and listen to what you are being told.

If you want manuals, then go to the adults only sticky and download Mercruiser Service manual #1. It has all the information you need. Unless you start looking for Ford again.

PS: and NO, you can't stick a Ford 2.3 engine in the Mercruiser.

Thank you for the heads up and for merging the two threads. I am into very new territory on the forum issue. Never used one before. When I did not see any "replies" in the sign in box, I assumed that there were no answers and that is proving not to be the case. Please bear with me while I try to learn my way around this. Also thank you for the tip on the manual download.
 

pilotman

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Messages
18
Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Pilotman,
You have now posted in 2 other threads that didn't even have what you have, and in all of them you have been told you DO NOT have a Ford, it's a Chevy.
I't obvious by looking at your pictures.

So stop and listen to what you are being told.

If you want manuals, then go to the adults only sticky and download Mercruiser Service manual #1. It has all the information you need. Unless you start looking for Ford again.

PS: and NO, you can't stick a Ford 2.3 engine in the Mercruiser.

Where is the Adult Only Sticky ?
 

Don S

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Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Here's a hint.

attachment.php
 

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JustJason

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Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

Re: FORD 160 Mercruiser

click on the omc/merc/vp/sterndrive section off of the main page.... then look up
 

bomar76

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Jun 27, 2002
Messages
1,963
Re: Worth it ?

Free boats are always horribly over priced.
After dumping a ton of money into them the new owners discover why the free boat was free and what disaster led it to be left outside for ten years.
 

Fishermark

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Messages
5,617
Re: Worth it ?

Depends upon what you can do yourself versus what you need to hire out. If you enjoy projects, I say go for it! That's IF you enjoy it and can do it yourself.

If you have to take it somewhere for the transom work, engine work, etc... then there is no way it would make economic sense.

Even doing it yourself it going to take some time and money. But only you can make that decision.
 

pilotman

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Messages
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Re: Worth it ?

Thank you Fishermark. The only reason I am going to go with this project is for my 13 year old son. He has fallen in love with this "freebee" and wants us to do this as a father son summer project. I'll leave the engine and O.D. until last to minimize the $$ investment. The rest I am confident we can do ourselves.
 

180shabah

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Re: Worth it ?

If the teamwork thing works out well, I think that moves it into "priceless" territory.
 
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