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Another 'rebuild or replace' thread - 86' Crusader 305

S

steven_p

Member
I have twin 305's in my boat. They are 1986 (or maybe 1985 have to confirm) year of manufacture. 1,000 hrs, FWC run in freshwater.

I recently tested low compression in two cylinders which we determined was a bad head gasket. Pulled the head, found heads needed some work. Reworked heads, restored compression. Ran fine for a couple days then threw a piston rod.

The marina wants to send the motor to a local machine shop to have the rod replaced and have an overall inspection done on the engine. The cylinder walls still look very good. I'm thinking the engine is going to get there and they're going to find more that needs to be replaced so it seems to me that the most logical approach would be to replace the engine with a reman from 1800runsnew.

The marina won't even quote me a price to do the swap, they say the price will be determined by the amount of labor required which they really can't quote up front because they're not entirely sure what they're going to run into. This obviously concerns me as a $1k head job turned into a $2,800 head job because 10hrs of labor turned out to be 22hrs. I am (unfortunately) married to this marina as they are the only game in town for where the boat is located.

In the meantime I am using the boat on one engine and while it's not ideal, I am comfortable maneuvering it on one engine. So, if it takes a week or two I can live with that. I only plan on owning this boat for one more season before I sell it, and I put on about 50hrs per season.

Looking for advice/suggestions.
 
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If she truly blew a rod, there's no sense in rebuilding that motor. A re-man long block should be your only choice.

I feel for you being 'trapped' like that at your marina--the only game in town (so to speak). I assume they do not allow outside mechanical firms to work on peoples' boats as well? Finally, they over charged the hell out of you for that previous work--I had a motor removed, rebuilt at a local machine shop, and reinstalled for little more than that.

Jeff
 
I used "runsnew"for my repower and they were great people to deal with. The fact that you are going to sell after next season makes the purchase of a "new" engine I think a poor choice. It will add little to the resale value. I would shop for a used engine from a bad hull that could be dropped in. Call all the yards around you. The fact that you can move the boat will allow you to have the work done at a more $$ frendly location.
Good luck,lou
 
if you are expecting a shop to do an inboard engine swap in a week or two....I'd suggest resting your bar, in all seriousness.

Many shops won't quote you a figure unless they have a lot of experience with the brand in question...many variables = many unknowns = extra costs.

You can alway get a long block but you need to consider all your bolt on parts are a quarter of a century old...depending upon your wallet thickness and your tolerance for follow on issues, you may want to consider rebuilt complete packages, many come with OEM factory warranties.
 
Usually, when I over-charge, I offer a few complimentary amenities. The most popular is this.

5a7eff9bfcedbe7cc0da926b96fce498


Find a new shop, or hold their feet to the fire, and ask for a quote, rather than an estimate..... but I do agree with Mark...., It may not be as simple as that.

I'd not spend a dime on a 5.0L when a 5.7L can be purchased for dang near the same money.... and in some cases, for less.
One being a 5.0L and the other being a 5.7L is not a deal breaker. You'll be syncing RPM, not necessarily power.

You also have a choice between a pre-1986 and post-1986 engine, and the even later roller cam follower engine.
The post-1986 will be using the 1 pc rear main seal affair, and the center bolt valve covers.
On the merit of this alone, there is a value to it.

I see that you mentioned selling this boat.
I doubt that a future owner would have an issue with this, knowing full well that the other engine may require replacement in the not so distant future.

Food for thought, anyway!


If you were planning to keep this boat, I'd suggest an entirely different type of 5.7L SBC build.



.
 
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Thanks for the suggestions. Dropping in a used motor from a salvage is a good option that I hadn't considered. At this point I'm considering finishing the season on one engine. Ugh! Very frustrating!
 
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Long time lurker here. I have appreciated all the advice and learned a ton. Thanks in advance first. I just had to decide the same thing, long block, new enigine or rebuild. I have a 1978 Crusader 454. It had 2317 hours on it when it blew its head gasket. It had been well maintained over its life and I had all the records which made the decision a bit easier because I knew when most of the accessories had been replaced. The alternator, starter and heat exchanger were replaced with the last few years. I had replaced the risers and elbows two years ago. Attached to it is was an even older velvet drive that was leaking. The cost of a new engine and tranny were not doable for me I would have been out of boating if that was my course. We had the boat yard pull the motor and tranny out and set it in the back of the truck. Prior to blowing the head gasket the motor had always run perfectly. Well we took it back home and in the garage took off all the accessories and cooling system and took the motor to the machine shop. Block was in good shape, heads slightly warped. The motor did not require boring so he honed it, replaced the rings and pistons, cam shaft, lifters, timing chain etc, bearing, valve job and some machining of the head. Reassembled and painted for 1800 dollars out the door. I took the velvet drive to a transmission shop and he rebuilt it for 400 bucks. We then painted and reassembled the rest of the motor. New distributor. I switched to the mallory based on advice from here, namely Ricardo (thanks), new plugs, fuel filter, cleaned out the heat exchanger. Got everything back together. The whole thing was around 2800 dollars considering everything like new belts, fluids, and the marina boom truck time to take it out and put it back in. After they put it in we finished it up and aligned the shaft. She is running better than ever. Definitely a rebuild in my case. I would do as much of it as you can yourself. I have found that marinas are expensive and won't do half the job you would working on your own motor. Also at least with your own block and heads you know what you got.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO5rBWX0MJc&feature=plcp
 
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