Well, my port engine starter gave up the ghost Saturday and I am now faced with the challenge of changing the starter... 454 MAGS carb'ed with IMCO exhaust manifolds.

Looks like I need to remove the right side exhaust manifold of the port engine and maybe the left side manifold of the starboard one, along with the hatch actuator in order to get enough room to remove the bugger.... Am I missing anything here? Anything else need to be removed or is there a better approach?

I was thinking about laying some 2x10's transversely across the engine compartment to give me something a little more comfortable to lay on rather than trying to lay on the engine and have a carburetor jamming me in the gut.

Figured I would post here in the Formula forum rather than in the general forums since it is a Formula-specific task. Any other thoughts or additional insight would be appreciated...

I would suggest removing the motor instead of working upside down and twisted like a pretzel.

You can usually get to it just by pulling the risers and reaching around

Are you sure there is enough room between the exhaust manifolds? My hatch actuator barely fits between the two, and actually rubs both as it swings through an opening.

I would love to pull the engine as AllDodge suggested, but that is not really an option for me - I do not have a tree branch tall enough to hang a chainfall off nor do I have access to a forklift.

All boaters need one of these

Pull the manis , have a set of 4 spark plugs on hand for every manifold pulled ,if its even close to time for plugs. Its easy to slip and crack a plug. Or pull the plugs first then manifolds. I have a stash of old pillows and foam blocks for the close quarter stuff works well.
Find a starter with a stainless steel brush holder set for longevity .good luck , and its not as bad as it looks especially if you scrounge some foam blocks old pillows ect ect

Wait till ya have to do one an twin 540 tall decks with the 12qt cast pans lol

Oh yea. Once you break the 2 starter bolts loose i like to go in with 1/4 drive socket n ratchet pull the inner bolt first then outer , seems easier when your crammed in tight like that.

Try jumping across the starter solenoid to confirm that is not the problem. I have also found these to have corrosion on them etc.

The starter is pretty much behind the manifold, no need to go between them. Go behind it