Edgewaterservices
New member
Hello all- New to the forum here. I have a 1970 27 Uniflite Express with twin 318/225hp, closed cooled. The boat has been used on fresh water; Lake Erie, all its life. About 1800 hours. Ran into an overheating problem on the starboard engine this summer. After about an hour or so, the engine would use up the coolant in the system and overheat. Pressure tested the cooling system and it tested....ok(?). Still I was pretty sure it was some type of void on a head gasket and ....I was wrong. Pulled the heads, head gaskets looked good.
Long story longer, We pulled the engine, and then decided, it's 45 years old, pull 'em both. We found 3 pinholes on one of the cylinder head walls--and I mean pin holes. But they are large enough to create a hole thru to the surrounding water jacket. This appears to be the culprit..... My mechanic (who is 83 years old and commissioned the boat when it was brand new in 1970!!) said he thinks its rust from a very slight imperfection in the block casting almost 50 years ago. I've called to see if there's any warranty available.....Hmmm, that line's disconnected
So-long story even longer. Because I'm not all that smart, I've decided to rebuild/overhaul/re-manufacturer/etc. both engines over the coming winter months. Right now, I haven't made any commitments yet, but long blocks are they way I'm leaning towards. So here are my questions:
Long block recommendations: Right now I'm looking at Jasper, ATK and First Mate. Anyone else out there I should consider? Anyone have a a good/bad story about these or others ? Other ideas?
Next question: 318 vs. 360. I can get 360 long blocks for about the same or, in one case, even cheaper than the 318. How hard of a conversion is this, or can it be done at all?
And any other ideas and suggestions are more than welcome. In any case, I'm planning on replacing the exhaust manifolds and the heat exchangers with new and replacing or rebuilding all the other accessories and pereferrals as well. These engines are shoe-horned into this boat, so while they are out, we're going to do as much as possible.
This is not a total "open checkbook" deal here--but I want it done right. It's a Uniflite, so the hull will outlive all of us, so, what the hell!
Long story longer, We pulled the engine, and then decided, it's 45 years old, pull 'em both. We found 3 pinholes on one of the cylinder head walls--and I mean pin holes. But they are large enough to create a hole thru to the surrounding water jacket. This appears to be the culprit..... My mechanic (who is 83 years old and commissioned the boat when it was brand new in 1970!!) said he thinks its rust from a very slight imperfection in the block casting almost 50 years ago. I've called to see if there's any warranty available.....Hmmm, that line's disconnected
So-long story even longer. Because I'm not all that smart, I've decided to rebuild/overhaul/re-manufacturer/etc. both engines over the coming winter months. Right now, I haven't made any commitments yet, but long blocks are they way I'm leaning towards. So here are my questions:
Long block recommendations: Right now I'm looking at Jasper, ATK and First Mate. Anyone else out there I should consider? Anyone have a a good/bad story about these or others ? Other ideas?
Next question: 318 vs. 360. I can get 360 long blocks for about the same or, in one case, even cheaper than the 318. How hard of a conversion is this, or can it be done at all?
And any other ideas and suggestions are more than welcome. In any case, I'm planning on replacing the exhaust manifolds and the heat exchangers with new and replacing or rebuilding all the other accessories and pereferrals as well. These engines are shoe-horned into this boat, so while they are out, we're going to do as much as possible.
This is not a total "open checkbook" deal here--but I want it done right. It's a Uniflite, so the hull will outlive all of us, so, what the hell!
