Truck/Car to Mercruiser - How To Guide
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- In this video I discuss the features, pitfalls, and differences between truck/car engines and marine engines. I build marine engines from truck and car engines all the time. You can save some serious coin going this route.
NOTE: I’m only discussing the long block build process in this video. I typically move a customer’s marine accessories over to this long block. I’m not advocating using truck and car accessories in a marine application as they are not Coast Guard approved. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
I forgot to mention that another reason you want a roller block is it comes with a one piece rear main seal. Prior to year 1987, small block engines had a two piece rear main seal which were notorious for leaking. You don’t want one of these leaking oil into your boat bilge.
All sbc 1987 and newer are 1 piece rear main seal. Roller cam motors didn't come till 96 and some still were flat tappet. Roller cam motors have nothing to do with a 1 piece rear main seals
@@darronlemell224 I stand corrected. I could have sworn my 1994 TBI Suburban had a roller cam but RockAuto shows it didn’t.
Thank you so much for sharing and explaining this information! Im just getting started in this world and have a lot to learn. If you ever felt up to showing a 4.3 full marine build, I’m sure a bunch of us would be really interested in watching.
Thank you again!
I think I already did show a full marine build. Watch my playlists as they are arranged by builds. I did several 4.3 build series.
Hey man I designed and built a jetboat. Currently I have a Yamaha svho as the power plant (around 265 hp) but I keep having issues with it and so I’ve kinda gone down the rabbit hole of building a new power plant. This video has been super helpful.
I had to rebuild my 1995 bowtie in 2008 after running some low octane fuel on Lake Superior where they only had 87 octane and blew the lands off the pistons. I had the timing advanced quite a bit to run 93 octane on my home lake and didn't retard it before the trip (big mistake). The cylinders were just fine and no ridge, so only had to re-hone the cylinders at standard bore. When I rebuilt it, I did use Vortec heads, a CS XM 262H-12 cam, and a Performer Air Gap Vortec intake. I kept the same 9.4/1 compression ratio but did use hypereutectic replacements. One extra thing I did was to enlarge the wrist pin clearance to ensure it wouldn't seize from any sudden temperature change. This was recommended to me by a couple of engine builders in the Minneapolis area. Dyno was 353/397 with a Holley 600 and extra spacer plate. It's still running strong after 16 years.
Yes I pretty much stay in business due to people running 87 octane Ethanol gas. The combination of low octane and running 3-4% leaner due to Ethanol destroys engines.
I used a 93 s10 4.3, and put the marine headgaskets and brass freeze plugs, and my original intake and manifolds bolted right up to it perfectly.
Did you change the cam?
@Spoolmaster no I didn't, I sold this motor, but the people said the motor is doing great in the rinker they have it in.
Great Video! Thanks for the Information!
Excellent information. I just purchased a 1996 4.3 out of a S10. Putting it into a 17’ bow rider
Glad it helped
Did you manage to get your project working??
If you can’t find a cast iron marine intake, Edelbrock 2114 in aluminum will work.
Very informative!
I'm a regular gear head and I fell in love with the vortec heads from the day they came out. there are carbureted intake manifolds available for the vortec heads of both the v and 4.3 v6. at that point, you can get a carburetor and not have to worry about figuring out efi
If an engine already has EFI its way easier to just fix the EFI than swap to a carburetor. I’ll soon post videos on EFI system troubleshooting and timing.
@@moccasinmarine true. I've done both. However, as far as performance options go, it's much easier to find a high performance intake for a carb application...and much cheaper. I've priced out a Marine intake with efi for $700. Mild boost in performance for the intake, then you still have factory sized injectors that you would have to replace. With a carb and intake, you could be as cheap as $500 and you're off. Of course, I'm talking hotrodding, not just start and go. For that, efi is much more reliable and more efficient. A carb can't touch the cold start of efi, or the fuel mileage of efi. I still enjoyed the video and thank you for replying
As you probably seen yourself back in 99 we had a year old glastron come in with less than probably 40 hrs and a froze block I found a standard truck block from somewhere and reused crank rods pistons and bearings even rings and put in the block and dropped in my 90 chevy truck.cheep fixup. Back when I rebuilt lots 2stk pwc's I set them up on the loose side too knowing they were going to be hammered right out of the gate by kids. I built several small block 400's and dropped in my boats set up like car and crane rv cams but I took it easy on them first 5-6 hrs.
Thanks for the heads up on the heads and intake. I have a 91 mercruser 4.3 with a 2 barrel and would like to go with 4 barrel. Didn't know that the vortec was an option. If I'm changing intake might as well change the heads to.
14:55 Yes, with today's oil, you have to use ZDDP (zinc) additive or an oil with a high ZDDP content like Rotella t4 or t6 or even Supertech diesel oil To prevent your cam lobes from rounding off. Or even Travelers brand from tractor supply also has high ZDDP zinc content
I stated in the video that I go out of my way to not build flat tappet engines because I don’t want to deal with the ZDDP additives. But it some cases I can’t avoid it like the MARK V 454 I’m building soon. It’s old school flat tappet.
great video, good advice. My 4.3 mercruiser is dead. Crankshaft and block are damaged due to mixing of water and oil. But I found the same engine from Chevrolet Blazer in 1999 cheaply, much cheaper than repairing an old engine. Could I put whole chevrolet engine in a sea ray 175 boat just to switch the intake manifold with a carburetor. Or to use a block with a crankshaft and pistons and mount heads on it that are from an old engine? Without changing the camshaft? If there is room, I will put an exchanger (liquid cooler), to make a closed system with antifreeze. Regards, Milos
I just did this on a 1997 4.3 wellcraft excell 175ssx. Cracked block. Got a 4.3 vortex long block and swapped the oil pan, intake, distributed and manifold, of course everything else, right over. Took it out on the water for the first time 2 days ago.
Had a boat shop ensure me my vortec wouldn't last 4 hours on the water. I knew it had the grey mahle pistons and I put hastings maganeese phosphate rings in it the powder metal rods behive valve springs factory l31 truck cam but with 1.6 rockers .050 offset valve keepers. Little bit of pocket porting 3 angle valve job jegs champion intake. It pushes my 3600 pound boat to 50 mph for 2 seasons and i couldn't be happier with it. I don't hold it at 5500 rpm for 3 hours straight either to be fair. Thanks for the honesty.
I forgot to add the only thing I saw you missed is the not all of the 880 roller blocks have the mechanical fuel pump rod hole drilled. The tool to do such is very expensive and if someone is in an rural area like me it takes a 4 hour drive to get to a shop willing to take on that work. My answer was an electric pump but not all want that
Thanks for sharing
if it is not to much to ask that for a 4.3 v6 if I buy an engine rebuild kit for it and is listed as a vortec rebuild kit is that ok to use if I don't go with a vortec engine style heads or intake and just keep it stock and use a vortec rebuild kit for bearings and stock heads and intake and roller lifter and use my marine cam in the truck engine 4.3 I want to rebuild and again with the vortec rebuild kit?
On a 327 marine,are the crankshaft for right or left are the crankshaft the same it's a 64 Chevy engine
The 4.3L 140 casting number heads are better than the 742 head. The 140 heads have pressed in exhaust seats. The 742 heads have induction hardened exhaust seats and are more likely to crack around the exhaust valve seats. Both heads are very prone to cracks, especially around the head bolts & water jackets on the head gasket side. Just about every remanufactured head I've ever bought had multiple crack repairs on them. Usually, they are ok. I've installed a bunch of repaired 4.3L,5.0L, and 5.7L heads with stitch repairs, Never had any problems with em'. The 96 & newer 4.3L is different than the older ones. They are externally balanced,but not on the front of the engine, but at the rear. So the flywheel or the flex plate has an extra weight on it, similar to the 400 small block. The harmonic balancer on the other hand is a neutral balance. There's actually 2 different crankshaft for the 96 & newer 4.3L Vortec. Luckily the pin on the crankshaft is in different spots,so you can't mistakenly bolt on the wrong flex plate or flywheel, That would suck.😂
Thanks for the info. I have all my cylinder heads magnafluxed and repaired when needed.
This question is for moccasin Marine I am converting my 4.3 V6 truck motor as a donor because my boat motor froze. My question is I’m using the damper and the flywheel from the boat but the crankshaft from the truck engine. Will there be an issue with balancingor vibration with the crankshaft
It depends on the year of the boat engine vs the truck engine. Go to marineengine.com and find your engine serial number parts list. Then compare the part number to later model flywheels and dampers to see if the part numbers changed. If they did you may have balance problems
I have a 1990 4.3 mercruiser that’s blown and am getting a 92’ 4.3 out of an S-10 . Will I have to change the heads from the merc to the s10 motor ? Or will I be able to just bolt my carb intake onto that motor ?
Should just bolt on. Vortec heads didn’t start until 1996.
Thank you sir!! Great video. I have a 1998 5.0 roller-cam Vortec Mercruiser that has a freeze busted block. Thinking about upgrading to a 5.7 (350) Vortec. My only question is where to find the marine specifications for 5.7 mercs?
There are no differences other than what I just stated in the video.
Sweet. Thank you sir! @@moccasinmarine
@@jacobfriddle147 here is the service manual if you rebuild a 5.7. Use brass plugs for anything touching water and use the 5.0 marine cam in a car/truck 5.7 and you’ll be good.
marinepowerusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/5.0L-5.7L-MEFI-4-Service-Manual.pdf
I am going to use a 2001 4.3 vortec truck engine in my boat. I decided to try it with the truck cam. Do I need to pull the heads off and change that gasket to Marine?
If you don’t use the engine in saltwater I wouldn’t change them. There is so little metal exposed to water between the heads that it would take a long time to corrode through. However the bigger problem is the steel core plugs. Those could be eaten through in one season.
Wrong gm did use tbi intake on vortec in translation years. The 350 was 1995, and I'm not sure what year the 4.3 had its translation year, but I have one .
They might have used TBI intakes on Vortec heads around 1995 but the intake would have been aluminum so still not a usable part in a boat. Boat intakes are cast iron to last in saltwater.
Merc 4.3 bad block 12 bolt intake good cam and crank & 4 barrel carb low hours Chevy 4.3 good block good vortex heads good cam bad crank found 8 bolt intake the only thing I'm missing carb jets at sea level? Great videos what do you recommend
I don’t know what answer you are looking for. What I would recommend would depend on your engine building talent and how much money you have to spend. But at the least I recommend you watch all my videos pertaining to v6 engine building.
Ok I get it I have a boat motor 4.3 vortex same as your video cracked block non vortec heads even though they have vortec valve covers just like your video 12 bolt intake then I have a doner motor 4.3 true votec with bad cam shaft so I am doing the same thing you talked about doner block and heads. cam shaft from boat motor I have sourced a 8 bolt intake just like you talked about the question I have is the jet size for the 4 barrel carb that is from the boat motor with the cracked block
Coming from a complete noob. Are truck cores pretty interchangeable? Like if I buy a Chevy V8 core, convert all the plugs to brass, slap a vortex head on there, bore the cylinders .5 thousanths over, get different cams, and should be set?
Not necessarily. Vortec blocks (1996 and later) use a plastic timing cover with different bolt hole pattern and cam plate sizes. And the mechanical fuel pump on Vortec blocks is not drilled. Older blocks back to 1988 can be used but you’ll have to deal with work arounds. 1987 and later are no go’s. They have two piece rear seals and are guaranteed leaks.
Great info! Going to start a swap within the next 6 months to do a rebuild. Fortunately I do have an engine from a 95' Blazer 4.3 with the Vortec heads. Debating on fuel injected or keep carbureted. But the Cam from the 1990 block (cracked all to heck) if still good, can it go into the 95' block?
Yes cam should work. At some point they started using a balance shaft. I’ll find out and post back. Get a balance shaft engine if possible. I wouldn’t go fuel injection. Too much hassle for a boat.
Doing a search on Rockauto it appears the balance shaft engines started with the 1992 production year. So for V6 blocks you’ll want to use 1992 and later but for cylinder heads you’ll want 1996 or later. Actually for cylinder heads you’ll want 2000 or later because you’ll then get roller rockers which are the best to have. I discuss all these features in my V6 Rebuild series 1 and 2.
Thanks, I will take a look in the next couple of weeks when I start to disassemble both blocks and media blast the manifolds for potential cracks.
@@moccasinmarine hey man we spoke once before, I’m at the point of searching for new block and calling junkyards. Having a bit of confusion as far as how late of a block I can use. I plan to reuse my non vortec heads so I don’t have to buy another intake. My question is what year range 4.3 will be ok. I’ve just been asking for 92 and up.
Can you put that vortex head and run that with a manual fuel pump or does that need to be changed?
If you mate vortec heads on an older block with a mechanical fuel pump then yes you can run a mechanical pump. Newer blocks with vortec heads were not drilled for a mechanical pump.
My 1987 4.3lt engine is bad. I have a 2003 4.3lt vortec engine out of a truck. Im guessing the cam in the 87 is a flat tapped cam but not sure as i haven't taken it apart yet. If its flat tapped it can't be used in the 2003 block as those should be a roller cam
Look up the serial number of your 1987 4.3 on www.marine.engine.com. I believe you will find that all 4.3 engines since 1985 were roller cam engines. Then compare the camshaft part number to a 2003 camshaft part number to see if they are the same part. If it’s the same part then you can use it in the 2003.
87. Up 43 v6 engines out of a van has metal retainer plate for lifters
True and in 1994 engines they switched to a plastic lifter guide. Always use genuine GM plastic guides. There are Chinese knock offs that melt.
Great video. Can I use an 89 block and take all the guts out of my cracked up 2000 block? Or is the block different with an internally balanced shaft?
You can’t use a 1989 4.3 block in place of 2000. Balance shaft blocks are a very different casting. I think balance shafts came out in the 1992 MY.
Okay sir i have a question i have a 98 chaparall 1830 ss with the 4.3L v6 that is locked up. I just came up on a 4.3L v6 out of a 06 gmc sierra. How could i make this work. I know for sure intake and freeze plugs but honestly not sure about anything else
Thanks Azyyah
I do this to sbc engines. It's enjoyable to convert for less funds.
As long as you do it right.
Great info. Thank you!
I there a difference between an automotive crank as opposd to a marine crank? Thanks Tim
No
So i have a question i have a crusader 454xl it has a small crack in the block .. i was wondering if i could find a 454 from a chevy truck from around the same time 1992 and use the Block swaping the cam and heads from the marine 454
Yes but you also need to swap the core plugs to brass. Truck or cars will have steel core plugs which will rust out in a boat.
@@moccasinmarine thanks I knew that part I just replaced freeze plugs on another engine
What about the other way around. Putting boat motor in a truck. I'm in the process of tacking my 5.7 liter out of my boat and putting it in my truck. So far my truck flex plate won't fit on where the marine one was. I have all the original parts that came off of the original truck motor.
I rebuilt the motor when it was in the boat. Hoping I can find a flex plate that works so I don't have to change out the crank shaft.
What’s different about the flex plate? If a truck crankshaft will bolt to a boat flywheel then it should go the other way as well.
My origional motor is a 87 to 95 350 mercruiser. I believe it would be simpler and cheaper to buy a 87 to 95 350 from a suv. If i already have the old closed cooling system, intake, alternator, exhaust manifold, distributor and carburetor. What else should i swap into the suv motor besides a camshaft and freezeplugs
That’s about it you could upgrade the timing set to a heavy duty model.
@@moccasinmarine the part I'm confused about is most 87 to 95 Chevy motors are fuel injected and I'm unsure if they are flat tappet or if the crankshaft is compatible or if the heads are compatible.i read in a blog that converting from fuel injection i would need an electric fuel pump. Also will i have to do anything complicated such as reprogramming the thunderbolt ignition or timing or anything else
You mentioned rejetting the carburetor what size jets would I need ?
www.carburetor-blog.com/knowledge-base/mercarb-marine-jet-sizes/
so my boat has a 5.0 " vortec" engine but the block is junk, the boat is a fuel injected engine, i have a 5.7 vortec truck engine sitting in the shop, can i upgrade the valve train of that 5.7 change the freeze plugs and put all the accessories on it and run it? or are the fuel injected boat tuned? its a 02 fourwinns horizon 190
Is your 5.0 engine MPI fuel filter injected or throttle body fuel injected?
@@moccasinmarine looks like a throttle body to me, it has the two injectors right on top, its a 5.0 GI volvo penta
The valve trains are identical as both use the same roller cam part number. The problem is they also both use the same throttle body injectors which means the extra (5.7/5.0=1.14) 14% fuel needed for the bigger engine is all done in the MEFI ECM calibration. It costs $500 to get the ECM recalibrated. Or you can buy the programming tool to do it yourself. See this link:
obd2allinone.com/products/mefi.asp
Boats don’t have oxygen sensors so the system can’t automatically compensate like a car engine can.
What about gaskets? Do you need marine specific or can auto work?
Yes Marine head gaskets are needed.
I have a 2004 Mercruiser 5.0. It’s 260hp. Is there a way to get 40hp. more out of this engine without a complete swap out to a 350?
Where did you get the 260 Hp figure from. All my experience has shown that 5.0 makes about 220-230 Hp.
@@moccasinmarine I got it off the Sea Ray Spec Sheet for my 2004 Sea Ray 200 Select. It states that the Mercruiser 5.0 MPI is rated at 260 hp with either the Alpha One or Bravo III Drives. I have the Alpha One. It also shows the 350 Magnum MPI at 300 hp.
Okay so I have a 2008 Mariah sx20 with a 5.0 vortec carb engine that the block is cracked. Well I’m wanting a reman engine and it’s a 3 month wait. Or my engine guy can get me a reman 92 model 5.7 vortec engine in 3 days. Would that be okay to use in my boat. Ot should I see if he can find a 96 5.7 reman engine. Basically I guess What I’m asking is what’s the difference in the 92 5.7 vortec and a 96 5.7 vortec thanks
There is no such thing as a 92 vortec engine so that’s the first problem. Vortec engines didn’t come out until 1996.
Second, I’m in business because of reman engine companies screwing boat owners with shoddy junk so I don’t recommend that path. I would contact a reputable engine builder in your area and ask what they would charge to build an engine.
@@moccasinmarine thank you I appreciate that. He told me that it had the bolts down the Middle of the valve cover and 8 intake bolts
8 intake bolts is a true vortec cylinder head but they didn’t come out until 1996. Center bolt valve covers came out earlier but aren’t true vortec cylinder heads. Vortec heads alone are worth 30 horsepower on a 5.7 V8 due to the shape of the combustion chamber. I would not purchase an engine built before 1996. Also if you upgrade from a 305 to a 350 vortec you’ll need to re-jet your carburetor.
Do you happen to know if the cam from the 2008 mercruiser 5.0 and the 2008 mercruiser 5.7 are the same
@@davidscott4744 yes they are the same
Do you use the stock cam with vortex heads? Thank u.
Which stock cam are you referring to?
@@moccasinmarine I have a 4.3 trying to find out best up grades for it. I have buddy with vortex heads he will give me. Do u use stock cam or upgrade cam. Then on intake if I cant find a two barrel cast iron intake and use a Edelbrock 2114 would I need a two barrel spacer or just upgrade to a 4 barrel carb.
The video you posted on is about car/ truck vs marine differences. Are you converting a truck engine to a boat engine or is your application for a truck? If converting for a boat, Mercruiser 4.3 cam is slightly hotter than stock truck cam. It has the same specs as the HT383 cam less two cylinders. I wouldn’t go wilder than the Mercruiser cam for a boat. If your application is for a truck, I don’t have any recommendations for that. It’s up to you to decide how you want it to run.
You can use a 4 bbl carb on a 4.3. Probably have to change the jets.
The rings are different , Right
Good question but I addressed this in a previous video on parts needed for a rebuild. The 1996 and up pistons use Speed Pro H815DCP which have metric rings and cost $200 for a V8 set. The 1995 and earlier use H423DCP which have Imperial rings and cost $90 for a V8 set. I spoke to Felpro and the only difference between the piston models is the 1996 up pistons use metric rings. To save money I use the H423DCP for all builds with the 5/64”, 5/64”, 3/16” imperial rings. I discussed this in this video:
czcams.com/video/e4S-5qZXaaM/video.html
If you’ll watch all my videos you’ll learn tricks and tips to save money. I’m a very aggressive parts shopper and don’t shy away from using different parts than typically stated if I save significant amounts. I’m a former VAVE engineer and trained to seek less costly more efficient materials and processes to reduce costs.
What I want to know is how much to make me a motor for my jet boat
I am in the southeast so unless you live here also I can’t help you.
Should I use Chevy pistons with merc rods
This question tells me you haven’t watched enough of my videos to get the gist of my channel which is there are no Mercruiser engine parts. They are Chevrolet parts marked up about 10 times and sold as Mercruiser special marine parts. Start with these two videos:
czcams.com/video/FzCmCkBzGBI/video.html
czcams.com/video/vR-mao6ZZX4/video.html
@@moccasinmarine now that I have that figured out my doner had spun cam bearings that damaged piston rods the pistons and cylinders are fine in your video you talked about opening up cylinders if I use doner pistons on the boat motors piston rods then I won't need to have the cylinders bored I believe that I answered my ? That was there home anyway
Woops I meant rod bearings the cam shaft is good but per your video I am using the one from the boat motor /marine version
By chance do have the correct roller Cam identification number for a small block 305
Hi, how much you charge to build an marine engine for a boat? It's an 1986 Sea Ray
Where are you located?
Wichita, Kansas
I’m in Georgia. That’s a bit too far for me to build an engine for your boat. As to what I charge, it depends on what engine you have but most rebuilds run $3700-4000.
I’ve had customers from Virginia but I had them agree to waive the warranty because I can’t travel that far to fix a boat.
Can I change an car engine into a boat? If, so what would I need to get to do so
Here’s a link to a discussion on this video’s topic:
www.marineengine.com/boat-forum/showthread.php?191937-43L-Differences-between-Marine-and-Automotive
Just cut off the one cylinder from the heads and go with the vortec lol
I don’t do tricked up engines. I leave that to the Russians at 54Garage.