" If your friend thinks he is
" If your friend thinks he is going to greatly increase performance in his boat because it has a "Vette" motor in it, he should think again. If you are looking to install the engine complete you are looking for problems. As Kim mentioned, the components on the automobile engine are not spark supressed. Not only does this not meet every safety standard set by the government, it is also very dangerous. Not only is your friend endangering the lives of his family and friends, but the liability for this installation will remain his even after he sells this boat. In other words, if someone gets hurt in this boat due to this installation, it may come back on him. Even if it is 20 years from now.
Now, if he is only looking to use the longblock, that's a different story. If he is replacing his current 350 with this Corvette motor he could simply use his components from his old engine on this new one, this would include the wiring harness. Keep in mind that the Corvette engine was meant to run over the highway, with emmissions in mind. The camshaft in a marine 350 is a higher performance part than an automotive camshaft. The reason, emmissions. Many people install "souped up" car engines in their boats expecting to gain performance, only to find that they actually loose percormance. Keep in mind that if you do go ahead with this installation you will need to change the cylinder head gaskets and freeze plugs to those specified for marine service. This is due to the open cooling system which will now be pumping seawater throughout the engine block. Automotive steel gaskets will corrode through within weeks. Of course the marine manifolds are redily available for this engine since every major engine manufacturer uses the 5.7 GM block as their midrange power plant. I could go on and on, but if you want a good, free, professional opinion, use the right tool for the job. There are plenty of other options available for your friend. Good luck. "
