1968 sea ray w/ 1978 chevy 305 stringer electric shift

hello gentleman , well here we are again. im gearin up to get this ole barge out fishing by memorial day weekend if it friggin kills me. thanx for welcoming me back chief ..i appreciated that.
well at this point i left off with the intermediate shaft issue last summer. ive decided to have a machine shop put a relief cut just behind the splines despite the concerns expressed by someone with much more knowledge than i but on this subject im going to pretend that ignorance is bliss and hope to god it works for at least a season . then i gotta put tires on the trailer, registration,engine tune up ,fuel pump .fluid changes, and my new fishfinder/chartplotter .
i plan to take it to a lake thats close to my house for the maiden voyage and have a friend tag along with his boat in case of breakdown .
any advice or suggestions that might help me achieve a succesfull trip? thanx in advance....dimitri

Re: 68 sea ray w/78 chevy 305 stringer electric shift

fuel pump ? 6 psi maybe 7 no more.

Ac plugs, i believe ac mr 43 t i never ever had a problem with ac plugs.

Lower unit of your drive uses specail oil. upper and intermediate 80- 90 gear oil brand don't matter.

Still got points i run sand paper on the points unless your going with new.

Check the contacts under the cap and the rotor, a drop of grease on the shaft.

Your welcome ! keep us posted.

Re: 68 sea ray w/78 chevy 305 stringer electric shift

correct chief , lower uses type c ...already bought it . fuel pump tested bad last summer before i covered it for winter..ordering new today. thanx for the heads up on the points i forgot about that one . how often do engine water pumps go bad? dont want to replace if i dont really need to. thanx ...dimitri

Re: 68 sea ray w/78 chevy 305 stringer electric shift

if it doesn't leak it's good. If it squeals real bad then the bearings went. Mines a 86' still good and used only in salt water.

Without the belt on it does it spin free ?

Just make sure you go with the right psi on the pump. If you have a dc electric pump no more then 7psi you could bypass the manual pump just for testing, put a switch at the helm, flip the switch before starting. Leave the manual pump in place. Or you could wire it to the keyswitch. Just for testing of course. ( wink ). Maybe mount it to a side wall or something, i used a wire tie with a dc pump once i keep the electric pump onboard, my pump went 20 miles out in the bay.

Usually if you want to switch over to a dc pump then you hook a switch motor not turning, or really no oil pressure then the switch cuts the fuel pump for safety. You don't want the pump pumping if the motor is not running or at least cranking.

Then you can use a block off plate for the manual pump boss.

Re: 68 sea ray w/78 chevy 305 stringer electric shift

Good luck with your boat. But I did suggest you try marine salvage yards on your intermediate shaft issue. I also had the same problem with the shaft splines ending before the intermediate housing fit flush to the bellhousing. I considered cutting a relief on the shaft behind the splines. I went to a local OMC salvage yard and took my shaft and bearing assembly to a shop. Also called Mels marine in Eugene Oregon and explained my situation. The end result was I found a shaft 3/4" shorter with the same spline count and it fit right in the coupler and the intermediate fit dead flush to the bellhousing. Having worked as a machinist I was reluctant to loose surface area at the shaft spline and coupler. You could have found the right shaft if you had been patient grasshopper. If you ever need salvage parts there are many salvage yards in the US that have tons of OMC parts new and used. Use your computer as your best guide for parts. Good luck with your boat. I am about ready to get my Skipjack back in the water and catch some of those monster sturgeon that I have missed since my boat was down. Love to watch those big boys jump like marlin to throw the hook. And I practice catch and release. Its a shame to kill such a magnificant fish just for something to eat. I take my camera and get the memory forever. Last fish I caught was 165# and took about 1.5 hours to land. A female packed with roe. Heart stopping jumps and powerful runs that can spool you in a matter of minutes. Nothing beats a sturgeon for the fight of a lifetime.

Re: 1968 sea ray w/78 chevy 305 stringer electric shift

island boy, believe me , i took your advice last summer and called mels marine in oregon, spoke with their mechanic , i told them my problem and told him how you reffered me tyo them ... after discussion he suggested the relief cut.i agree on the catch and release with large sturgeon however when a halibut it online its gettin gaffed and hucked in the coolwer for dinner...happy fishin to you and thanx for all advice...chief you too...
heres todays stupid question...my engine has a mallory dist. does mallory make a marine dist? and if so when it comes to points ,cap and rotor, and plug wires doo they all have to be marine grade or is auto store crap safe? thanx in advance...dimitri