Chrysler 440 moving forward options

All - looking for some wisdom on the best way to move forward. I have been working on a 1975 Century Arabian with a Chrysler m440 reverse rotation and a paragon pv41 transmission and v drive.



The boat partially sank and was never winterized properly. Got the engine running today (you should be able to click on the below pic)
To see the video



here is what I got

-the engine runs and starts up immediately
-there is white smoke coming out the left side riser (this maybe due to a bad seal on the riser cap plate)
-both oil coolers have freeze damage
-the engine backfired twice while I ran it
- the exhaust elbows most likely need to be replaced
- oil is clean and shows no signs of water after running
-compression tests showed the following:

left side front to back
100 / 120 / 100 / 120

right side front to back
120 / 110 / 105 / 105

- the case for the vdrive is severely cracked on the outer water jacket, can't see any cracks on the inner cavity but there was water in there so I am assuming there is.
- transmission appears ok, but not 100 % sure
- I have a spare reverse rotation cam

looking for your thoughts to move forward. Should I have the engine rebuilt, look for a used engine vdrive setup, do something else?

i did speak to one shop and they said they would send it out to be rebuilt and all in I was looking at about $3,500 - not including transmission v drive work. Or I could do new for 9-16k. I'm not afraid to spend money, but 9k is way out of my budget. Thanks for your thoughts.

The motor might be okay, but that V-drive needs replacement. Surely you can find a decent used one out there?

Jeff

I have a salvage yard not to far away and have reached out to them. They are searching the yard and letting me know. Think I will have to buy the whole unit instead of just the case though...

That's the ONLY way to do it!

Jeff

Still on the hunt, but struck out at 3 different salvage yards and nothing on craigslist or EBay. Not that I'm ready to give up the search yet - but what other transmission/v-drives will bolt on to the chrysler motor?

The documentation lists a 1 to 1 ratio.

I'm an experienced boat bone-yard picker and I'd be glad to visit a few good yards during my travels and see what I can find for you. But, what exactly am I looking for?

Many boats around here that I've seen have the engine bolted to a transmission (BW Velvet Drive 71C or 72C) with no reduction gears (1:1). The transmission bolts to a V-Drive (Walter, Borg Warner, Paragon, etc.) that provides some gear reduction.

Am I looking for just the v-drive unit? If so, what gear reduction and what v-drive angle?

My V-drive is a Walter unit and is a 26 degree angle.

All early Silverton sedans (77-80) and early 31C and 34Cs (80-82) used Walter V-drives and there are a lot of older Silvertons here in Southern New England.

When I Google "Used marine V-Drives" I see lots of stuff on Ebay. Perhaps it is worth simply contacting some of these sellers and see what they say?

The Vdrive case I have has a substantial crack in it, so I am hoping to just replace the case as the internals, cover plates etc are in good shape. Here are some pics:

My Case:





The whole v drive with the transmission attached looks like:



I believe the model I have (although difficult to tell from the transmission plate) is a PV 41. In searching through the internet/craigslist/ebay I have found several Paragon units but no PV 41's. The closest unit I can find is a pv 31 and I don't think that is beefy enough for the engine.

If I can't replace the cracked case what are my options - Do I have to use a Paragon V Drive or will another manufacture bolt on to the Paragon Transmission? If the v drive has to match the transmission what other brands will mate to the Chrysler 440. In looking at the Paragon documentation, it looks like they used the same v drive no matter the model of transmission?

The transmission is a 1 to 1 and the v drive has a 12 degree angle

On another note the transmission is a reverse rotation. Thanks for your help!!!

The case for the drive has freeze damage and a crack on the case. The transmission is a Paragon PV41-R with the vdrive attached. Here is a couple of pics of the case for the vdrive:





The transmission and the whole vdrive looks like this:



In searching the internet/craigslist & ebay I haven't found any PV-41R or just a Vdrive unit. Found plenty of different Paragon units but not sure they are beefy enough for the Chrysler 440. What are the options if I can't find a paragon vdrive? Can I hook a different manufacture's vdrive to the Paragon transmission or does the vdrive have to match the transmission? If I need a matched vdrive what other transmissions/vdrives will bolt up to the Chrysler?

The reduction is a 1 to 1 and I believe the vdrive angle is 12 degrees. Thanks for your help!!!

Tried to post a response, but it got flagged for moderator review - not sure why. hopefully, the mods will approve it and post.

pictures help. What we're looking for is a Paragon V-drive with a 12 degree angle. The length of your boat explains the narrow (12 degree) angle.

Is your transmission a Paragon or a Borg Warner Velvet drive? That might make a difference as to what we're looking for. My guess is that your transmission is also Paragon.

We are much more likely to find a Velvet Drive 1:1 transmission bolted to a Walter V-drive that has been taken out of a boat. With that in mind, take a minute and call Walter in Jersey City, NJ ( 201-656-5654) and ask them if the ever made a 12 degree V-drive. If they didn't, finding an old Paragon unit is going to be very difficult.

One more thought. The Century Arabian is a pretty famous boat and they have been restored by many people. Have you checked out any websites for help on your restoration such as Antique Boat Shop? Often, these sites can provide a lot of help.

I will call Walter tomorrow and see what I can find out. As for Century sites. I have been poking around but will do so some more. Thanks for your advice!