Alpha I ~ Alpha II
 

I am re-powering and have found a great deal on NEW Alpha II Transom Assemblies and Rams. Question...are there any compatibility/fitment issues with Alpha I bell Housings and Alpha II Transom plates?

Any other Alpha II fitment issues?

OK...ran down my old school guys here in South Florida and got the answers:

Alpha I to Alpha II bell housing to transom assembly...no problem.

Must use Alpha II drives...figured that.

Since I'm switching from pre Alpha I need to use Alpha steering ram.

What I save...no odd ball fly wheel/coupler to buy x 2...$750~$800.

What I gain...newer technology and availability of parts. The ability to change to counter rotation if desired with out a major hassle. Stronger internals, better cooling, better hydrodynamics....updated look.

Since the transom assemblies I am using are NEW I will not have to re work anything to get rid of steering slop and trim reliability.

I thought about moving to Bravo's but this isn't the boat for it. Even though 255 Liberators were available with twin 454's on TRS drives, I don't see the expense in going to big blocks on this one. I think 730 horsepower and 850 ft lbs in a 5700 lb boat from twin small blocks will get the job done nicely.

Stay tuned..:evilb:

Cool realistic project! Thanks for the info and good luck!

Sprink whats the update?? Pics? I want to do this

Got all of the pieces together...trying to set aside the time to do it.

I had a bit of a set back last week in moving the boat around...lost a wheel bearing on the old steel trailer. I'm tired of fooling with it so the 255 is at All American Trailer in Pompano Beach being fitted with a new aluminum 10000 lb trailer. I should get it back this week. Once I get it back we go back in the shop for engine removal, bilge paint, re-wiring and rigging. I am planning right now to install new Livorsi Controls as well as mechanical cable driven drive and trim tab indicators...I'm tired of 'effin around with these electrical sensors that aren't reliable or accurate. I figure now is the time to do it since I have a clean bilge to work with and I'm not in a rush.

Last Fall I bought a pair of McLeod Drop Out Bolsters from a Formula 292 that will be going in while I am re-fitting. I plan to strip the cockpit and re-design things a bit. I want to update the rear couch and engine hatch to a more user friendly system similar to what we see in the newer boats. This will incorporate the back rest of the couch into the hatch along with an electric actuator. I wand to extend the length of the cockpit floor aft to increase the cockpit space. This idea will have the seat of the couch over the front of the engines but I plan to hinge the forward part of the floor extension to allow full access to the bilge. I will probably use Star Board for this.

I bartered some work with a custom glass manufacturer in Pompano Beach to get all new tempered/tinted side panels, vent wings, windshield and a new plexiglass cabin door. I will most likely pull the windshield/side window frames and re-bed them as I replace the glass. This brings me into the instrument cluster ...I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do there.

I bought the 2: DUI distributors from Jiffy on the Swap Shop and am looking to get 2: sets of aluminum exhaust manifolds over the next couple of weeks. I will go ahead and finish dressing out the new engines and drop them in. I'm thinking about painting them in the Mercruiser "Electric Blue".

I really want to photograph/video this work as it's performed to chronicle what I am doing. Being able to have a historical record of this stuff and share it with others does a few things: it helps keep the process organized as well as solicits comments and ideas from others that have done this sort of thing or have constructive input or suggestion...plus it makes it fun.:evilb:

Stay tuned...

Holy epic refresh... I had no idea you where redoing her from top to bottom. I did see the thread on the new trailer though and it will definitely make a nice difference. What's the power going in? Just freshened 350's? 355's? 383's??? :drink:
Looking forward to the updates and I absolutely think you should photo document EVERYTHING as much video as you can too. I'm looking forward to vicariously living through your formula restore. I missed the boat on a 272 project this summer and have been kicking myself ever since... 87 too so it had the rounded windshield. Should've taken it.

Hey Mach, I lucked up on these from an engine builder in Pompano Beach around the corner from my office. The builder had taken a $3500 deposit on a $10000 tab from a lawyer that had these built and never came back....I got the pair for $4500 cash.:evilb:

Check around the web...it's hard to find a single $4500 365 horse Vortec...much less two!!

They are a pair of 355 Marine 4 bolt main bearing cap Vortecs . They were built with Comp Cams Extreme Marine Roller with Comp Needle Bearing rockers, forged pistons, Z/28~LT-1 forged rods, forged cranks, hardened pushrods, high volume oil pump with the entire rotating assemblies computer balanced. These engines were run in on the dyno and made 365 horse power at 5000 RPM...390 horsepower at 5600 RPM. Torque was 425 Lb ft at 3200 RPM. The torque curve stayed over 400 ft. lbs. from 1800 RPM to over 4000 RPM...that's big block territory. These numbers were attained running a Holley 750 CFM Marine Double Pumper on an Edelbrock Volvo/Penta High Rise/Dual Plane Marine aluminum intake with brass lined water passages. Ignition is Delco Voayger with 32 deg total advance. The heads are stock Vortec with Comp springs and retainers, port matching and mild cleaning of burrs in the intake passages. The valves are stainless with a 3: angle valve job...nothing exotic. The dyno operator said that when he loaded the pumps that these small blocks behaved like big blocks the way they pulled down....thats what you get with roller cams and Vortec heads.

For one, a pair of fresh 355 vortecs for 4500 is ridiculous and you single handedly made every budget boater on this forum madder than hell :lolhit:
In all honesty those are some seriously sweet numbers and I'm very happy for you. My experience with sbc's have always been good even with first gen vortecs and I love the long runners for the massive amounts of tq's they provide. You happen to have a really really nice intake on them and the rods will stand up to the RPM use better than 90% of GM's cast pieces. The rest of the parts are standard high quality stuff, that while it's not exotic, is the right combo! PLEASE document everything with as many pics as possible, I really want to see the build up on her! Do you think the Alpha's will survive?? That's a LOT of tq's through those little things and while twins takes some of the strain off, the weight of that formula, combined with a wicked fat torque curve and your tendency to run in the ocean might prove a bit much. Hopefully they do well. Think you'll touch the 70 mark??? :evilb:

Thanks for your words. Part of the reason I am moving to the top end of the Alpha generation is for the durability... understandably they are not Bravo I's but I'm not producing 600 horsepower through them either. Mach...502 MPI's will break Bravo I's if you beat on 'em...there are shops all over Florida, the North East and the Great Lakes that can show busted ones to us. Same go's for Alphas that get chewed up by 4.3 Vortec Chevy's. I think it all comes down to driving style and abuse as well as maintenance.
If I get out and impress my self with massive hole shots every time I get on plane...yeah...they won't make it very far. Same go's for wave and swell jumping at 4000+ RPM zinging the motors repeatedly...I better keep my Tow Boat account paid up and have an "busted Alpha account" set up at the bank to dip into regularly. You ever notice how busy the throttle man is in an offshore race?...there's a reason for that called "let's don't break something out here":evilb:

I plan to take it easy most of the time...I want this 'Bird to last a while so I can enjoy the fruits of my labor. Here are a few pics of the engines.

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/w...255vortec2.jpg
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/w...355vortec4.jpg
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/w...355vortec3.jpg
As far as 70 MPH go's...it probably will and beyond...depending on sea conditions. My old '86 272 w/ twin 320 EFI's would push 75 on a good day and 255's weigh within 150 lbs of what a 272 does so that's an easy call. In the real world out on the big water that long nose on a 255, 272 or even a 292 gets shorter and shorter once you get past 55~60 MPH in even 3'~4' seas. When your at 70 in the ocean any boat under 35 feet gets small real quick if you know what I mean. One of the greatest fears I have is coming off a wave and stuffing the next one in a set...and that can even happen in a big lake on the wrong day.

I guess at the end of the day what I want is a reliable long range 50~55 MPH cruising speed...I think I will have that.:evilb:

Definitely! I've never been much north of 70 in a boat (I know shame on me) but I can imagine how quickly a big boat feels small. I've heard rumors that the great lakes can compare to the ocean and I have a bit of stick time in medium water there (4-8's) and I understand the worry of stuffing. A broken alpha fund isn't the worst idea :angry-smiley-038: because those are some healthy very good looking sbc's! Seriously happy for you because that is the kind of score that will put a smile on your face for a long time! I really look forward to seeing this come together especially knowing how much you enjoy that boat. Those 255's and older formula's are just solid big water boats thanks to quality construction and tons of free board. I have my eye on a 272 but the owner is being lazy about selling. Do keep us updated. Are you doing a build thread?