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repower, reset- figured I'd open a thread for doc'n it...
212rowboat
Member Posts: 2,591 ✭✭✭✭✭
new engine complete... 260HP rated as she's delivered, but I'm expecting right at 290~295 by the time it hits water..
vortec heads
healthy cam
high rise square bore dual plane intake
600cfm Holley as delivered, but I may rejet or bump to a 700cfm if it can handle it
new HEI dizzy and ignition, more trustworthy than thunderbolt V by my reckoning, and base advancing 14*
full rolling rockers 1.6:1 (I went ahead and pulled the trigger on them instead of using non-self aligning 1.55's)
new outdrive- SEI
1.62:1 geared new upper and lower complete, drive shower
retaining Ron Hill 19p/14.125" 5 blade S/S prop
new electronics
stereo
amp
wired remote
speakers
VHF
new gauges
EFF Faria....
outfitting bilge
engine mounts
blowers (doubling them)
vent ducts
dual battery box w/built in charger/tender
new Y pipe and shutters
fresh wrapping wiring harnesses
paint
Lights
Trailer (going to go with a tandem axle torsion sprung aluminum bunk w/ LED's)
thinking real hard about installing a hybrid between ski boom and topper...
It's just a 'lil 212 Captiva, but it's perfect for my purposes trailering less than 1/4mile to the ICW and pulling it and thoroughly washing it after every use... I've looked around quite a bit lately, and there is nothing that I've seen that suits my purposes better- just more bells and whistles and a lot more cost I just can't justify... I have a hard time letting things go that are good to me, and this ought to freshen things up enough to justify saving the coin on a new floater.
vortec heads
healthy cam
high rise square bore dual plane intake
600cfm Holley as delivered, but I may rejet or bump to a 700cfm if it can handle it
new HEI dizzy and ignition, more trustworthy than thunderbolt V by my reckoning, and base advancing 14*
full rolling rockers 1.6:1 (I went ahead and pulled the trigger on them instead of using non-self aligning 1.55's)
new outdrive- SEI
1.62:1 geared new upper and lower complete, drive shower
retaining Ron Hill 19p/14.125" 5 blade S/S prop
new electronics
stereo
amp
wired remote
speakers
VHF
new gauges
EFF Faria....
outfitting bilge
engine mounts
blowers (doubling them)
vent ducts
dual battery box w/built in charger/tender
new Y pipe and shutters
fresh wrapping wiring harnesses
paint
Lights
Trailer (going to go with a tandem axle torsion sprung aluminum bunk w/ LED's)
thinking real hard about installing a hybrid between ski boom and topper...
It's just a 'lil 212 Captiva, but it's perfect for my purposes trailering less than 1/4mile to the ICW and pulling it and thoroughly washing it after every use... I've looked around quite a bit lately, and there is nothing that I've seen that suits my purposes better- just more bells and whistles and a lot more cost I just can't justify... I have a hard time letting things go that are good to me, and this ought to freshen things up enough to justify saving the coin on a new floater.
Comments
I don't know the compression ratio, but i guess I could figure it out... the static one, anyhow. I am interested to know what the dynamic compression ratio is- but I won't be able to do that until i see the cam card...
I don't know how many gear heads are in here- a few- and don't know how many will read this- but if there are and they do- do you advance at the timing chain? I'm being told by several sources to get the best out of the cam selection i'll need to mechanically advance the cam 4*..
I'm being told that most the cams advertise a built in advance, but it's not nearly as aggressive as advertised, and to basically line the dot and then advance using the 4* key.
thoughts?
the idea of advancing cam timing is to move the powerband of the engine. advancing it lowers the powerband.. it allows the intake valve to open sooner and exhaust to open later. by advancing the intake event is done sooner, and the dynamic compression is greater- more compression more power... couple with advancing SPARK timing, you can squeeze a lot out of a little...
retarding cam timing does opposite- raises the power band and delays intake opening/ exhaust closing- which means less dynamic compression but better expulsion of exhaust, usually meaning higher vacuum signal and an engines ability to reach higher RPMS.
I'm looking for efficiency at cruising speeds. this is between 3k and 4k.. almost always between those engine speeds. moving the TQ band down, by advancing the cam timing will lower the output to where I most use it- if the engine is producing all the power i need most efficiently where i most often use it, it isn't loaded up- if it's not loaded up then a touch of fuel can be added and spark timing advanced to further maximize it- which 'should' net greater economy and extend the life of the engine...
increasing the leverage of the rockers will almost necessitate an advance to take better advantage of them, unless I have excessive power and instead aim for engine speed... If I don't have the power I need/want to push the boat around, I can hedge the bet by lowering the TQ curve by advancing where it enters the powerband where I need it most- right where the hull is pushing to plane..
Messing with cams and timing on these old V8s is a waste of money. The power increases you get for the dollar are very poor return on money spent. Using a non oem big 8 rolling at idle cam to get reliability is not going to happen. In most cases it places extra strain on an already outdated head and valve train design. They are very low output to displacement engines.
Al- I'm not stuck on the ignition it's being shipped with. I'm not stuck on anything about it except that it is a fresh block and rotating assembly which I won't change (except for maybe the camshaft) and the vortec heads are brand spanking new w/ all needed for a solid reliable platform... Everything from there up is on the table... It'll never be easier to work on than it will be sitting in a stand. If it's going to happen to it it's going to happen now... Once it's planted and the bugs are worked out I'll move to another toy for tweaking and just do the PMCS on this one.
it was all I could do not to start pulling the existing motor last night... I had to, consciously and under great intent, walk away from the new engine. There are things that gotta happen to it first, no matter the temptation to stick it in there as is... and, even the mounts came with it...
I pulled the old drive and set it aside... new drive also arrived, it's still in the box(es)...
I'm going to have a good and long weekend... SO looking forward to it!!
a disc brake froze on the starboard side of the trailer- the lugs were frozen... I've never spent as much time on a wheel before in my life. Five lugs came off under some heavy cursing, but that fifth one... that fifth one must have been deaf...
I spent no less than five hours on the trailer before I even flipped the sun pad back and released it's ram's/struts...
Maybe an hour and a half to get that engine out of there.. it took more time to figure out how to attach the engine level because i couldn't find two shackles... I've charged them with unauthorized absence, so if you guys see them out goofing off somewhere let them know they're in big trouble, aye?
I snapped some pic's... they're on my phone... If i recall I'll post them... all they are of is an engine dangling on my gantry, but... at least they're pics, making good on my promise to include some!
So when I pulled the old engine and removed the rear mount bolts there was a pile of corroded metal where those little lock spring things should have been... So I opted to replace them... Duh.. a simple part, that should have been available anywhere as there are so many alpha one gen two drives around... Not so.. and the ones I found? Sorry, it's a principle thing.. I'm not paying $120 for two mounting bolt kits... It took two solid weeks to find and secure two bolt sets and pay the ridiculous $30 msrp for them... I just want to do it right, but I came close to engineering something that would work likely just as well.
But, alas... It gave the fill job of the prior mounting holes in the stringer blocks time to cure, which is something that was smart to wait on anyway..... Before next Saturday I plan on splashing her and going through the ten hours prescribed outdrive break in process...
the last time I pulled the engine it was perfectly aligned on reinstall, but I'll caveat that by saying the bar I had then was short... i ordered a two piece and got half of it, and it's fortunate it was the business end that I got... i had to reach up past the yoke to fully install and pull... so.. one of the many items i bought this time around is a full length alignment rod....
the holes left by the prior engine mounts were lagged w stainless wood thread type lag bolts, and were not removed last time i pulled the engine (the base of the mount). obviously these were this time... i recall seeing this last time but had forgot about it- the lags are put in at an angle conducive to mounting them without removing the engine.
i inspected those stringer blocks (i don't know what else to call them) carefully while I was cleaning the bilge- and there are no other holes in them- or evidence of them being patched... so.. my question is:
how did the factory do it? did they plant the engine and attach the rear mounts, and then do some sort of alignment w/ the mounts attached to the engines? and then just use a long extension and run in the lag bolts? like I said... all four bolts were planted at an angle that allowed them to be removed using an 18" straight extension from above... I'll not be convinced the engine was installed, aligned, removed, mounts attached, and engine reinstalled. not that it makes any difference, it's just a curiosity and against everything I've read about installing engine mounts...
I just did something I'd never recommend. I just dangled an engine complete with accessories manifolds and risers off a 5/32 7-19 strand stainless cable..
Pucker factor one hundred.
She's sitting on the stringer blocks and the rear bolts are through (but not tight). I have only about a two inch space between the front of the engine and the bulkhead... It's tight, but, the boat was optioned for a v8, so, I reckon it's fine.
And yes, I just had the nerve to use the word competent after using a 5/32 cable to suspend just shy of 950#'s... :-) the breaking strength was /is 2800#... Max working load 650#... the winch can handle 2k#... I figured it was close enough... And, turns out it was...
new mounts ordered... a week out... next friday they are supposed to land... another freakin' week...
Spent all afternoon aligning the engine... it's a pain, as it turns out, doing it by yourself... in the boat, out the boat, in the boat, out the boat.... drink beer.... in the boat... grrrrr... Whoever suggested to have both sides dead level at all times is stupid... the port side of the block is about a thread and a half higher than the starboard side, but the greased end of an alignment bar doesn't lie- it's aligned... equal depth and patterned spline marks in the grease all the way around the bar- and followed with a celebratory three beers...
I'm down to putting batteries and exhaust elbows on- and going through and making sure all clamps are tight... replacing bellows, slapping the outdrive on, checking fluids, hooking up the hose and turning the key...
question- maybe one for MT or Al: does the stern hose connection intended for flushing provide water to the cooling system too? it looks like it does, but I don't know that for certain... I'm asking because I'm considering hooking it up there before i slap the outdrive on and seeing if the engine fires... I'd hate to go through all this motion just to find the engine doesn't want to run... it would be much easier to work on in a stand than in the boat...
the thing got it's wakeboard tower and toneu... it looks really nice, but now it needs it's cleaning... there are greasy fingerprints all over it... I've got some wiring to do- making the neutral cut off permenant instead of pigtailed and taped- I just needed to make sure I did the right thing... I did.. I now need to clean up the harness.
I had to use a throttle cable bracket from Summit- one of those show pieces all polished aluminum.. it looks out of place on the engine, but hey- it was $12... works flawlessly, but has a slight angle from the mechanism to the cable hold... maybe I'll fix it, maybe not..
I've got to get a new battery box- I want to add some room in the hold to store beach chairs and such...
it runs super smooth, and when it's on plain that exhaust tube as opposed to exhaust bellow really sounds nice...
once she's clean I'll post up some pics...