Logo
FULL SITE MENU

new boat lots of questions

B

buick430

Regular Contributor
Hey guys finally got a new boat after getting rid of my 1954 matthews. I picked up a 1973 32' Luhrs fly-bridge. Its got twin FWC 318's with what I believe are paragon v-drive transmissions. I am the second owner and got it from the family that knows nothing about it as the original owner died. I have a few questions and would like to know if you guys and gals could help me out.

1. After firing up both engines, I checked for discharge ovbd and all was good. within about 5 minutes the STBD engine was at almost 170* i revved it a few times and it continued to go up so I secured it. Coolant was full before and after. I am going to double check the temps with my laser temp gun, and if it is in fact running hot I will pull the thermostat to see if that is the culprit. What do you think of this? did i miss anything?

2. Both motors sat for a while and the carbs are at a minimum in need of a good cleaning and possibly accelerator pumps as they are not working. It has the original cater units and I will utilize these until I have enough money burning a hole in my pocket to buy Edelbrocks. I was wondering if there is an interchange for carburetor kits available from say NAPA or kragen?

3. What is the best way to identify the make and model of the transmission and v drives so I can buy a service manual?

This should do for at least a week. After I get all these figured out Im sure I will have another list. I appreciate any help I get from the members here. The First big project I have lined up i to replace the exhaust manifolds, risers, and elbows $$$$.

Thanks, will
 
On the overheating, yes--test it with a gun and, if truly hot, change the t-stat. If that doesn't do it, take a good look at tne raw water circuit: bad impeller (you should change both of them anyhow), air leaks before the pump, etc.

On the backfiring: That came free with Carter AFBs--a no charge option. Was never able to totally eliminate it, even though I rebuilt them several times and played with the squirters. I suggest a rebuild--normal auto rebuild kit will fit--and saving your money to buy Edelbrock 1409s.

Jeff
 
Jeff, Thanks for the reply. I will go back to the boat tomorrow and see what I can figure out. I dont get any backfiring yet. but I sure I would I I put a load on quickly.

Do you have a MOPAR # for the carb kit or know what vehicle to order it for through napa?

thanks, will
 
Most kits for Carter AFBs will work.

Look for a metal tab uder one of the screws holkd the top of the carb in place. It will have part numbers on it--IF it wasn't tossed out decades ago

Jeff
 
Thanks I will take a look at it tomorrow morning. Any ideas on how to identify the model of v drive and transmission? I will take some pics and see if I can load them.

I was searching around here, it looks like hurrkain.com is the cheapest place to get exhaust manifolds, Is this right? I will be needing those also as they look pretty aged.

thanks, will
 
Buick,

If this boat has been sitting in the slip, check the through hulls to be sure they are not covered with growth, strainers too if you have them.
 
It has been sitting for a while, but it has been cleaned regularly. The OVBD discharge is also identical to the other side which is running cool.

thanks for the ideas, will
 
@ Tahoerover, thanks for the tip! Any words of wisdom on these units? The seem to operate fine. I havent made any prgress on anything else as the seller has yet to finalize the sale with a title in his name!.

will
 
Update,
I have been playing on the boat and have both engines running really well. I The starboard ended up just being low on coolant via a loose hose at the heat exchanger. After rebuilding one of the carbs twice I finally diagnosed a poor running condition as a bad ballast resistor, so I replaced that and the coil. Thanks for all the help.
 
buick430 said:
Jeff, Thanks for the reply. I will go back to the boat tomorrow and see what I can figure out. I dont get any backfiring yet. but I sure I would I I put a load on quickly.

Do you have a MOPAR # for the carb kit or know what vehicle to order it for through napa?

thanks, will
Click to expand...

I recently rebuilt the carters on two 360's, There are a number of items that make a carb a "marine carb". One thing you may want to know is marine carbs should have use "non-wicking" gaskets, not sure if anyone actually bothers with these and each to your own, I do know I dont want to risk a fire.......I am not sure what gasket was supplied in the kit I bought. I plan to call tommorow, but who knows, they may just tell me what I want to hear........... I also found a variety of info regarding float settings, some of the numbers were drastic IMO, one scource said 15/16" float drop +/- 1/4" , that range seems excessive to me, from 3/4 to 1-1/4 is alot......I finally setteled on a smaller number and cant lay my hands on it at the moment, It would be nice to have specific info for a marine app.........
 
I dont remember the exact number for mine either. I know mine wasnt marine specific. When you find out the details on your kit I would like to know for future reference. I am not terribly worried for now.

will
 
I finally got a chance to call "Carb Junkies" today, they are in Atlanta at 866.961.2272

I was told that all the gaskets are marine, And I dont know if this is a big deal. Sometimes regs can be a little over the top, however fires are a bad deal and usually regs and standards are determined as a result of something going wrong more than once.

They can no longer use asbestos for gaskets and the gaskets usually will absorb some of what they are exposed too, it actually will make them swell and seal better. So what does "non-wicking" really mean? It could be a whole discussion on gasketing.........but thought I would pass on what I learned from a phone call....FYI, the folks at carb junkies were knowledgebale, helpful, shipped quick and had fair prices.....J
 
Back
Top