$11k for an engine sounds about right for a NEW, not rebuilt, engine and transmission setup, installed. There will be some work changing over from older carbureted Chryslers to new Crusaders (the best inboards, see David Pasco's articles). Different throttle linkage, wiring, motor mounts, possibly transmission linkage, raw water intake location, possibly gauges, etc. will have to be thought out and dealt with @ $100 per hour or whatever he's charging you. Not difficult, but time consuming. I've also rebuilt and hopped up my own Chrysler small block in my 27 Express Cruiser. It's cheaper, but it takes a lot of time and that has it's own cost. I had to deal with all of the above issues, among many other things, in my rebuild. I love the result, but a big part of my enjoyment was the process of figuring things out and handling them successfully on my own. Not everybody wants to do that. The difference in performance between a stock 350 and a stock 318 in a big cruiser is not by itself worth the cost. Big cruisers need torque, not horsepower. Difference in hassle between an older carbureted engine and a new fuel injected one might be worth it to you. If you are interested in performance, there are indeed a lot of outlets for perfrmance parts for Chevy marine engines. Chrysler marine engines have fewer outlets, but it is quite possible to get serious horsepower and torque out of one even though Chrysler Marine quit making new products around 1986. I'm getting 410 hp @ 5000 rpm and 500 lb-ft @2500 rpm out of a 360 block, according to my desktop dyno. For myself, if the compression on your engines is good, I'd fix the old one until you spin a bearing or throw a rod (maybe not for quite a while), THEN put in new ones. Spend the difference on gas.
John --- On Sun, 12/5/10, Suzy-Q <[email protected]> wrote: From: Suzy-Q <[email protected]> Subject: [UnifliteWorld] 318's vs 350's To: "UnifliteWorld" <[email protected]> Date: Sunday, December 5, 2010, 10:01 AM I have a 28' Sports Sedan with twin 318's. Engines were most likely overhauled in mid-90's. The boat sat for many years, ran rough for a while and it was not until late this summer that I got the engines working well and could cruise at 2800-3000 rpm. (19 - 22 mph speedver land at that rpm). After a few hours of cruising the starboard engine started smoking when I returned from a fishing trip. The compression was 120psi+ for all cylinders except #4 which was low at 60 psi. I pulled the heads and found that the head gasket had failed. No water in the oil just oil in cylinder #4. I was planning on replacing the exhaust manifolds/elbows and risers on both engines this winter which is not going to be cheap. Now I'm faced with the decision to repair/replace the stbd engine as well. My mechanic recommends repowering with new 350's and reusing the transmissions (approx $22k). To install a rebuilt 318 would cost $8k - $9k, including exhaust parts. Anyone with experience in this area? Will the 350's be more economical, provide more speed or be easier to maintain over the life of the boat. I'm trying to talk myself into spending the money to repower the boat and enjoy expensive but some hassle free fishing. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "UnifliteWorld" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/unifliteworld?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "UnifliteWorld" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/unifliteworld?hl=en.
