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| Know anything about Chris Craft WBR e... |
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Bill Rush
Member
Username: billrush
Post Number: 20
Registered: 04-2007
| | Posted on Monday, February 23, 2009 - 10:36 am: | 
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I am looking at a late 50's Chris Craft Constellation. It has twin WBR engines. I know they are 200hp and 403ci and I believe made by hercules. The engines were rebuilt about 200 hours ago. How were these engines. If properly rebuilt, should they be good for a long time? Thanks |
Mark Weller
Member
Username: mhweller
Post Number: 20
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, March 08, 2009 - 12:14 am: |
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If properly rebuilt yes they will last a long time the old hercules motors had a lot of iron in them they were very stout motors. |
bluecometk
New member
Username: bluecometk
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2009
| | Posted on Saturday, October 10, 2009 - 11:42 pm: |
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The WB-200 Hercules was a very good engine. They weigh in at 1,700 lbs with trans, manifolds, and reduction gears. They are sometimes hard to start with the low compression number 6.9 to 1. They also need to be leaned on as in worked hard or they tend to load up the rings with carbon and then will burn oil. Set the valves to the loose side of the spec, as the idle quality is very sensitive to this adjustment. Note the early models had some issues with the valves. The valve faces would chip and the stems would also break just below the poppet radius. This usually happened within the first hours of running and break in. The exhaust manifolds are now quite hard to find as they tend to rot out around the exhaust ports internally and then you get a cylinder misfire and water in the oil. They also run best with AC Delco non-resister plugs and solid core wires. The original coils were also true 12-volt coils with no ballast resistors. Setting the points Dwell to 40 degrees also helps them run better. They also will get better fuel economy if you set the timing slightly advanced 2 degrees before Top dead center in stead of 0.
The engines sound like they are turning a million RPM when you actually run them over 2,500 RPM. And when they are shut down they sound like they are taking their last breath.
I have twin WB-200’s with many, many hours on them. When they were put in my fathers 40’ Wheeler in 1957, as a kid I named them. The starboard engine was Mary-ella-laweeze. And the port was Gwendolyn. These names stuck with them and still to this day people ask about the boat and engines and say I remember the engines in that boat had names what were they?
Sorry for the Rant
These are just my opinions
Bluecometk |
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