242 LS Repower #1

Blue242 · 07-17-2008, 02:38 PM

Repower #1 completed to get the boat in the water.. The old motor blew, and I was going to put in the 588 CI motor, but opted to put in the Gen 5 454 first as a carbed engine to get me up and running around..

Very Mild cam 214/224 at .50 lift, dual pattern 110/117, beehive springs to keep it light, and able to spin to 6500rpm without having to use a roller setup.. 500hp with 550 Lb/ft was the goal for this motor, and it seems to be well on its way..

Intakes port matched to the heads, and connected to a TM2 Edelbrock intake.. 1050 Dominator connected to a 4 hole 4150 adapter, to another 4 hole adapter and a phenolic spacer... So it's a custom hi Rise single plane setup done to solve the 5/7 firing on the BBC's, and to clear the distributor cap, as it has a fuel log for the carb.. It also worked out to have decent torque.

Anyway, this is repower #1 as the EFI setup is not yet done. The boat runs much better now than with the 454 mag that was in it before..

Still testing and tuning, and more to be done over the weekend.. (just blew the oil cooler 2 days ago, and have to install a new Hardin marine unit on Saturday.. In addition, neeed to adjust the secondary transition point, and a few other fine things..)

I will post more pics when the EFI setup is done, and also when the rodded Gen 7 is ready.

Regards,

R

Blue242 · 07-17-2008, 02:39 PM

Short tests done in this bay next to my home..

masi242 · 07-18-2008, 08:42 PM

Sounds good Blue 500hp should make her run very nice

Hope everything goes well.

BlackJack58 · 07-18-2008, 11:17 PM

Good luck - that sounds sweet so far. 500hp should really wake that thing up...let us know how it goes.

Blue242 · 07-22-2008, 02:42 PM

Hi Guys

Minor report on over the weekend testing issues.. Well, took the boat to the lake to do some final testing after dialing in the Donimator carb and fuel pumps, cooling line leaks, and a bunch of knick knacks..

So, I launch, idle the boat to get the temp up to operating, check the thermostat is working, etc. etc.. All systems go, then i shove off, and head out into the lake..

Ease up on plane, which comes much faster now, and test primaries on carb to see max RPM, and trim the boat out, running very smoothly, nice going.. Go into secondaries, boat goes much better, no flat spot on the transition, fueling seems good, no backfires etc etc..

Then it starts... the smell of burning rubber... I think, this is my boat, not my car, why would there be a burning rubber smell.. Well, me idiot...! Look around, and sure enough, small amount of smoke coming from exhausts... Lo and behold...! burning rubber on boat..! Ok, slow down, open the hatch, and look... Oh... A whole lot of smoke comes pouring out...! AND There's now 1 foot of water in the bilge, and the bilge pumps are howling... F*&%$#G GREAT...!

Anyway, no flames, so what to do.. Water coming in waves at 2-3ft, and moron me in the middle of it.. Well, nursed it towards shore, blowers and bilge pump on full party mode, beach the boat, set an anchor line, pull the thing in closer, and call the rangers for help.. So, after 20 mins, they come, the smoke clears, and I am looking to perform the autopsy, and swearing to kingdom come about how pissed I am, but also thankful that I'm fine..

Well, get towed back to the launch ramp, and float on the trailer, get it out, and let that foot of water out of the bilge.. (Bilge pumps are not better than a bucket in a boat filling with water..!)

So, it drains, and I get to looking closer at the damage of the brand spanking new engine..

Rubber hoses connecting the Header tailpipes to the transom are torched, so in essence the bilge was flooded by the sea pump and circ pump.....! Also popped a freeze plug, so I'm hoping the motor is not torched........

The headers seem to carry more heat to the tips, and as a result, I need much more water flow through them...! I will be switching back to the stock thermostat housing from the aftermarket one, as I can plumb in extra lines to the headers to keep them cool this week.. It turned out, that the exhaust flappers were also toasted, so I had to order a new set of these as well..

When I go out alone in the boat, I usually get the phone number of the ranger station, and monitor the radio... My little safety conscious mind seems to have saved my butt this time...

Well, if the boat sinks next time, I will of course let you guys know..!

Anyway, hoping to get my new lines done in time for the weekend to test some more.. (New freeze plung already in as I had a spare..)

For the 3 minutes I had it going, it was very strong... The 500HP & 550+ Lb/Ft really wake the boat up...

I can only imagine what more HP/TQ will be like when the EFI system is done.. (Provided of course, I don't catch on fire, and sink the darned thing...!)

I'll post some pixx later of what the bilge looks like now (after the burnt hoses, before I install the new lines...)

By the way, the increased pressure in the cooling lines blew my oil cooler 10 days ago in the bay in 1 mile from of the house. So, good thing I went to the lake... If I was in the bay, I would have to call the coast guard, and deal with 4-6 foot waves on Sunday, as it was blowing around a bit... I also installed a new Hardin 1000HP mega size cooler... I'll post a pic later...

Thanks,

R

masi242 · 07-22-2008, 04:08 PM

Dam Blue, two weeks ago I smoked a coil and the junction box were all the lines connect under the drive for your trim. Then four days later fuel pump. I am learning a lot

Hope you don`t have any damage to the engine, it`s not easy staying positive when all this $hit happens.

mark

Blue242 · 07-22-2008, 04:52 PM

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the moral support.. I can relate to the pumps, just put in dual electric pumps, new cooling hoses for the sea pump, new big cooler, new engine, new coupler, new bell housing, new manifold, new carb, new problems to resolve as well....!

Believe me, the thought of scuttling the floaty toy and collecting the agreed insurance value did cross my mind.... Then I calmed down, and thought, nawwww, save the old girl, and have her purring like a kitten will be better... Well, maybe growling like a tiger with the new motor might be more like it, but you get the drift....

I will in essence now copy the setup Merc uses on their 1200 SCI motors for cooling the exhausts... I'll let you guy know if it helps..

Thx,

R

Blue242 · 07-28-2008, 01:22 PM

See the pixx...

New Oil Cooler and Additional cooling lines to the headers..

R

Airpacker · 07-28-2008, 02:47 PM

in pic 2, is that really a 50 cent PLASTIC fuel filter? WTF man. You want a fire?

Blue242 · 07-28-2008, 04:58 PM

Airpacker,

It's a $5.99 plastic filter. The 50 cent ones went up in price..! Actually, it's a test gizmo to confirm flow.. (It's supposed to be rated to at least 10 psi).

The metal ones are in boxes and will go on in a day or two..

Good catch...!

To others about the lines working to keep the headers cooler...

The additional cooling lines for the exhaust really do keep them cooler on the garden hose, and in the lake, one can touch the headers and tailpipes without getting burned..

R