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Reliable BBCs - back to basics
Smart folks on this site with engines pushing the limits of BBC combustion engines so I thought I would ask a question only experienced boaters can answer:
What are your key factors that make your Big Block marine engines reliable? What Achilles heels have you fixed or tweaked to mitigate future reliability issues? I am looking to refresh my power in 2018 - something in the reliable 500HP range and thinking maybe I should think about tweaking things like fuel delivery, cooling, electrical, to make things more reliable or eaier to maintain. Ideas? |
Guess the smart guys are off boating ... or ... they dont want to share their wisdom 😏 |
Might have better luck in the technical section.
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Nothing wrong with a 502 mag mpi, hp500, 500efi, 525sc, bulldog, 575sci, 600sci or 700sci. All reliable motors, copying any of those isn’t a bad idea if you aren’t an engine guru. You can make more power with better heads than any of those had. Your head setup is critical, so hire a pro for that. You can also gain some valvetrain reliability with 55-60mm cam cores, bigger lifters and rocker stud girdles or shaft rockers. Tool steel valve springs, steel body rockers, bushed lifters and rollers, billet core cams.... But at 500hp a lot of that stuff isn’t needed, 500 is childs play. Stainless marine and thunder n lightning are probably the call for reliable exhaust. |
Originally Posted by Swamplizard
(Post 4623699)
Smart folks on this site with engines pushing the limits of BBC combustion engines so I thought I would ask a question only experienced boaters can answer:
What are your key factors that make your Big Block marine engines reliable? What Achilles heels have you fixed or tweaked to mitigate future reliability issues? I am looking to refresh my power in 2018 - something in the reliable 500HP range and thinking maybe I should think about tweaking things like fuel delivery, cooling, electrical, to make things more reliable or eaier to maintain. Ideas? |
I’ve always like a 502mag mpi motor, with a cam, and a tune and exhaust. Refresh the top end with HD valve springs and roller rockers, and bam you have a pretty much stock reliable 502 with 500hp also the hp500 carb motor is pretty cheap and reliable |
With possible exception of the headers, Mercury seems to have gotten it right with the 525 EFI.
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All the BBc's I owned were reliable. The drives on the other hand.............
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