True dat,,

then comes time to due water pumps on a twin BBC 272 :lolhit::lolhit::lolhit::lolhit::lolhit::lolhit::l olhit:

I agree... I would not look at BB as a disadvantage at all, plus a stronger more reliable driveline if comparing alpha's to bravo/trs.

I made the mistake of purchasing a cruiser with small block power thinking it would be a significant fuel savings... wrong!!
The torque just isn't there, it's harder to get on plane, and harder to keep on plane. Turning smaller props at a higher rpm does not save fuel. (however small blocks with a Bravo III package is a great setup,, well on a cruiser anyway)

Anyway, you could try disconnecting the fuel line from the fuel pump and sucking the old gas out with an oil transfer pump... put it in your lawn mower or something. Or at the very least, dump a pint or two of sea-foam additive in the tank, that stuff is amazing!
Pull a couple plugs and check for rusted electrodes.... they also make some nice fiber-optic bore scopes now.

I've watched a few episodes of 'Fast and Loud', and those boys have started up some old engines that have been sitting around forever... however, in your case,, seals, gaskets, belts hoses, all that stuff dries up sitting around. And it may not be obvious at first, just be prepared, hope for the best but plan on getting your hands dirty and turning some wrenches if you have to.

Can you really get a clear pic of the cylinder wall, piston and combustion chamber? You fish it in thru the plug hole, right?I've never used one.
I would have to hope for the best on the seals and gaskets etc.

Oh yea. A boroscope ? <--spelling cops used to be a very pricey item but now Snap-0n has then readily available at a fraction of the cost. Pull the plug and slip it in, very nice to use.

Last winter I purchased a 38 fountain that sat for 8 years unsold, computers showed 3.5 hr and 3.7 hrs. I was surprised on how well the internals held up, borescope showed clean walls, the oil was clean and smelled new. They started both on a gas can before delivery, engines ran great. Below is a list of what I had to replace.

Both starters
Both mechanical fuel pumps
Gas was drained from both tanks, it wasn't even gas anymore, get it out!
Went through countless fuel filters, as the gas resin in the tanks broke down and started clogging them
Both impeller housings cracked after use
All cockpit interior, was still intact but cracked
Above the rail had to be repainted and clear coated, stock clear was peeling.

Engine and drive internals performed flawless, they are all out now at 60 hrs. Engines are getting new head gaskets and top end fresh, drives are being inspected.

The one thing that you should know, everything appeared new on my boat when I picked it up. Drives, engines, however the stuff shows its age quickly after use. Drive and engine paint starting falling off quickly. There was hidden corrosion that shows after some use. Not the end of the world, just a note that sitting is sometimes worse than use. Be prepared to remove and polish every little piece of metal that you can see, once you get it in the sun you will know what I am talking about. The lack of cleaning, waxing, and protectants shows its face quickly, just be aware and buy it right.

Great info! So all of that and it was practically brand new with less than 4 hours on the whole rig? Wow!! Are you doing top end motor work because of a gasket or part failure due the lack of use or for piece of mind because of everything else that went south on you?

I'm doing the head gasket only because they did not use an mls gasket on this series of engines and they are known to fail. The heads and valve springs are being done at the same time just because. I had no internal problems. If the head gaskets were not an issue I would most likely just be doing valve springs.