#6 drives
 

I was curious on how expensive it really is to run #6 drives. I know it depends on how hard u run them, driving style, and how u maintain them. I've heard numbers like 3k for routine servicing.....

My father has #6's hooked to nxt trannies with merc 700's. He broke port last summer. $15K to fix. Out of my league. I'll stick to the XR's until I win the lotto!

He has 12K in props.

I think it depends on who you have repair them. For starters, not many shops service them, so you are at the mercy of a small elite crew that service the SSM drives. This is where things get fuzzy.

For example, a couple years back, oso Member Mike Tkach, sent both his #6 Dry Sumps to a big name offshore place. After waiting about a month or two, to even hear what the drives needed, he finally got a call. ''Uh yea, Mike, your drives need to be totally rebuilt. Its gonna run ya about 25k for the pair".

Mike almost fell off his chair. Keep in mind, these were working drives, not greneded, but did have a seal issue from what I recall. He more or less wanted the checked out from a maintainance standpoint. Long story short, I advised my buddy Mike, to go pick up his parts, and pay what he owed for the teardown. Which he did. He then shipped both drives to Collabella Performance, in St. Cloud, FL. I think his total cost, was somewhere around 10-12k, for both drives to be rebuilt and gone thru. That's almost 15k LESS than the previous shop wanted. Same shop did the same to another friend of mine on a pair of SSM 4 drives years back. Funny how 4 working drives sent in for maintainance were all of a sudden junk and needed everything new, every nut, bolt, bearing, spacer, collar, pin, gear, shaft, etc.

What I am getting at I think is, just like anything, you need to find a guy/shop you trust. The going labor rate to tear down and assemble a #6 is around 1000 dollars. That's labor only, but imo really not bad because they are a lot of work to properly set up. The six is a great drive, can take some power, and is relatively fast. But they have their limits too. 15-20 years ago, having a pair of #6's behind a pair of 800's in a Top Gun, you rarely hurt them. Nowadays, with the high x dimensions, 6 blade 18'' props, and mega power forced induction engines in very fast hulls turning high pitch props, their not as bullet proof as they once were considered to be. But, they are still pretty much at the top from a stern drive standpoint.

Some options for guys who service the #6's

Craig at Collabella Performance

Randy at Marine Drives

Brian Jackson at offshore outdrives

Matt at TNT marine

John at Dollar Offshore

Vern Gilbert at Weat Coast Drives in Havasu!! The best!! And also does TRUE DRY SUMP CONVERSIONS!!

Collabella has my vote. 3 weeks from the day they left my shop in il on a truck til i was back on the water. Around 3500 if i recall to have both drives tore down and reassembled with all the basic parts and fluid. Didn't include the gears i needed but everything else. Granted these were #5s, but i thought he was very reasonable. I think a 6 is like any other drive. Could last an hour, could last 15 years. Just depends how you treat it and who put it together.

He broke a # 6 with a 700??

+1 for Craig Colabella. He "went through" my #6's when they had 360 hours on them. It was waaaay more than fair and less money than I see any one else talking about. Might have been the 12 Bud Lights that I dropped off with the drives. :cool: :D I highly recommend him...

Yes. Motors have Whipple kits.

He bought the boat sight unseen from a big name dealer. The skeg had been welded on so I drained the oil.
It was full of metal. I changed the oil and it made it about 1 month before blowing up. I think it had contacted something in the water with the previous owner. Boat dealers bro.....

It's more common than you would think.

Collabella fixed mine!
He's my vote

Collabella just did mine A+++ service all the way

Vern Gilbert i ship mine from ohio it's worth every $

42' Fountain with twin 700's.
Last year ran into sandbar way out unexpected; had skeg repaired (yes, it's straight, NOT changing the whole thing for a small sharkbite out of a skeg).

Transmission (port) started slipping in Forward, so since I've built auto engines for 30 years (not a lot, but DONE it and with some success, one of my street cars was the fastest drag raced Mitsubishi 3000GT/Dodge Stealth for 10 years back in the day BEFORE people knew how to do those things, and Pontiac Trans AM with 400 Poncho spinning 8000 rpm on shifts on stock cast crank..."those were the Days!") I decided to dig that NXT trans out myself, get the repair manuals, and repair it myself in my basement.
Long story short, it's fixed, works GREAT, and isn't too complex but have to be meticulous as you would with anything you haven't done before.
A bearing next to a nesting spring broke part of its face off; changed BOTH of those on either side (even "good" one); the "clutch" and the "forward" and "reverse" gears...very expensive but go online for some discounts.
cleaned it all up, reinstall, and now I unfortunately know how to rebuild NXT transmissions :)

The NXT is the weak point, the SSM6 is stronger, run on 1100hp motors.
The trim piston got STRETCHED at the threads, when it dragged on the sandbar so changed that too. That was hard, getting the freaking PISTON off is an adventure; had to have the place we Dry Stack at buy the Slider Tool and "convince" the pivots to come out of the trim cylinder on either side, I could NOT get them out myself; and the outdrive has to come off so had them do that and set it on stand, while I...Learned How To Repair An SSM6 Trim Cylinder.
Changed a trim line without removing outdrive, need to have good small wrenches, but do-able.

Wish I didn't have to know these things, but a little proud of myself now that I DO, so between that, and changing all oil/supercharger oil/regular maintenance myself, the boat is "manageable" in cost.
Now when those engines eventually need freshening and valvesprings ... hmmm :) it's just a BB Chevy after all, parts available at your local Walgreen's ;) for free, almost...well, we'll see

+1 for West Coast Drives. I've never had a drive fail that he's rebuilt.

Randy at Marine Drive Service

any one that has been dealing with TNT , please share your experience ?

Matt at TNT has always been good to us!

The good thing about Craig Colabella is that he will allow you to supply your own parts. Most shops wont allow you to do that so you are at their mercy...