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Marine power small block to vee drive hookup

partgypsy

New member
I have been asked to help with a friend's boat. The boat has been repowered with two new Marine Power small blocks and new vee drives. For some reason, one engine and vee drive were never hooked up. I have nothing to add to this story.
It looks like a pretty straight-forward affair. I can see a splined shaft and a plate that bolts the units together. HOWEVER... I am sure there is a lot more to it than that.
Where can I find detailed instructions on how to proceed? The engine is sitting aft of its motor mounts by about 9". What would be the best arrangment to rig up to lift and position the motor?
 
Assuming the V-drive is an integrated unit (with the reverse gear), it is pretty straight forward. The gear's splined input shaft actually slips into a mating splined hub on the vibration damper which is bolted to the engine's flywheel. The flywheel cover (bellhousing) provides the structural link between the block and the gear's housing. Getting the two together is usually the easy part.

The tough part - mostly due to access limitations, so it will consume a lot of time - is to get the power plant and the shaft aligned. The details should be in the installation manual that should have been sent with the engines. if that isn't available, find another marine engine maker's installation manual on the web and then adapt it's directions to what you have in the hull.

Don't try to flat-rate the alignment. If done wrong, the boat will be a major PITA to live with.

I'd renew the stuffing box components while things are apart if it hasn't been done already.

As far as moving the engine, most have lifting eyes bolted on the top of the engine. Where the hull sits will drive the lifting options. A good backhoe operator can be cost effective. So can some forklifts. Custom made wooden A-frames are another popular option. The biggest secret is to take your time because if anything drops/falls/slips, the results are normally pretty ugly.
 
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