Rebuilding a 57 Merc

"Can I use regular 350 Chevrol

"Can I use regular 350 Chevrolet parts or do I have to locate and use Mercruiser part, such as bearings, rings ect.? Can I build the motor with a little bigger cam and do a litle head work? Maybe change the intake? I guess I'm asking if I can build this engine like I would in a truck or car? I have experience in building engines but none in marine applications. Thanks"

"Ayuh,......

It's all p

"Ayuh,......

It's all pretty much the Same.....

just don't go Crazy with the Cam,.....

Keep the LSA between 109°,+ 112°....."

"ok, thanks, what speed should

"ok, thanks, what speed should I expect for this boat to run? 1988 Chaparral 200XLC 5.7 Mercruiser. What would it take to make it run WOT around 60mph and cruise around 40mph? Probably way to much motor and money."

"I bought a 1988 Chaparral 200

"I bought a 1988 Chaparral 200XLC for $2,900. It looks very good, but needs the motor built. No problem since my dad has been a GM mechanic and master tech for like 30 years. I want the boat to be pretty quick but can't afford a real gas hogg. I'm sure it'd take a pretty strong motor to make the boat run at least 60 or 65mph. I'd probably be doing good to get into the 50's with a stock 5.7. I guess I just need to build it and go from there. Maybe a decent little towing cam for torque and some head work to let it flow. The boat already has the thru hull exhaust and sounds mean. I just wanna go ahead and get it ready for summer."

"Yo Jason,
I did th

"Yo Jason,
I did the same thing to a donzie we used to have. I took our old race car motor, and converted it over. 355 4 bolt, eldelbrok marine carb., eldelbrok performer intake, 492 worked heads, competition cams marine cam for i/o(like Bondo said, don't go crazy with cam)Make sure to put brass freeze plugs in block. And make sure to clean everything so you can eat off it. I made the mistake of not prepping the block right, and the paint started to peel. And you know what happens when salt water and air gets on steel. Good luck with it."

"Jason, I'm in the same bo

"Jason, I'm in the same boat as you. (pun intended!)I just bought an 87 Four Winns Horizon with a 5.7(260). I will be rebuilding my engine in a month or 2.The Horizon shares the same Deep-V hull as the Liberator of that year. Once you get all the MARINE stuff off the engine, you basically have your regular Chevy 350 engine with brass freeze plugs. I would think that most of your performance race parts are beefy and should hold up under marine environment. Important thing here is your choice of parts! I've just started doing research on the subject of getting "GO-FAST" parts for my boat. It seems mercruiser made a 350 Magnum motor. I have seen a used Magnum intake manifold for sale on Ebay w/ carb. The runners looked way larger than the stock one I have. Certain parts will get you different run characteristics, some of which will be good, some bad for a boat. Plenty of articles for adding power to a SMC on the Internet. Due to budget restraints and the fact that I have an Alpha drive means a mild rebuild for me.You should do 50 on the water now. 60 with some performance parts and still haveing a tame engine is a realistic goal! Good luck
Chris"

Chris:

Excellent rebuild su

Chris:

Excellent rebuild summation.

"the fact that I have an Alpha drive means a mild rebuild"

Very important comment for those contemplating building a hopped up engine. You need a drive to handle an increase above 300 HP unless you take it easy.