wondering if anyone can help....
 

hello all, not sure if this is the right board for this but in my lurking aroundon this board it seems there are quite a number of people on here that know a lot about boats....anyway, to my question...i have an old 21' sea ray sorrento with a 350chevy motor in it alpha drive that i want to pull the chevy motor out and put in a 351 windsor ford into it...i am wondering where i can get the marine bellhouseing (if there is one and im guessing there is as i have seen 5.0 ford motors in boats before and the 302/351 is the same bellhousing) also where would i get the output shaft? im planning on keeping the alpha drive as budget dictates that at this time....also the exhaust stuff i would need? im guessing but the only parts i would need that wouldnt work from the chevy would be the manifolds right?? the other exhaust stuff would work no? anything else i would need to be concerned with??? any other advice/suggestions you can offer would be great...thx any other boating boards that i should take a look at???

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

I would think you could rebuild your SBC for less than all the parts/work needed to do this conversion. Whats wrong with your present motor?

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

Mercury briefly used a small block Ford with an Alfa Drive and called it the "888" (8 cyl. motor rated at 188 hp). I'm sure there are lots of pieces and parts of them around in old boat graveyards. Should be just what you be looking for. --- Jer

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

.......are you crazy ???????



sorry but very bad move

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

well, im a ford guy, im not a chevy guy so to drive a boat powered by chevy motor is not for me (unless it is the 27' fountain i plan on buying someday) :) just personal preference is all....the motor in the boat now is rather old and i have a relativly new 351w motor sitting unused in the garage....where would i find boat "graveyards" ???

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

What Area Are You In????

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

se minnesota

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

anyone know what years mercruiser used 351w motors in boats and what boat brands used them? wondering about finding an old donor boat to pull parts from.....also, boat junkyards that i should chk out??

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

Might want to think about how the motor is supported. Some of the SeaRays had fiberglass cradles that mounted between the stringers. Check to see if this will have to be relocated for the Ford power. Also the exhaust if it goes thru the transom may have to be relocated. Also need to think about resale if you want to step up to that Fountain. Is that 351 that you have built to marine specs? What is the lobe separation on the cam. Do you have a marine starter, alternator and distributor? If you had a complete marinized Ford 351, it would be a lot easier.

Good luck.

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

Up 'til 1977.

OMC/Volvo used them up in to the 90's

Tournament ski boats used them for quite a while.

You're opening yourself up to what could be
a major project, for something thats probably
not going to net you any performance gain.

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

1970-1977

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

I agree with the above statements, your opening a can of worms. Resale would be an issue, you really want to keep things mercruiser stock throughout if you plan on upgrading in the future. Retrofitting what might be a non marine engine is not the right thing to do. I also agree with above that working the current 350 would be the way to go. You can do a lot with that 350. Don't think of it as a Chevy... think of it as a Mercruiser!!!

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

be sure to spend a lot on some after market heads so that fine ford motor will make as much hp as a bone stock chevy. fords suck unless your really gonna put some cash in em. freshen up the chevy and paint ford on the valve covers most idiots won't know the diff, but to go against the grain at this point makes absolutly no sense at all. if your that big a ford guy why not sell it a get a ford powered vessel? it would probably be cheaper in the long run plus boats with ford power bring less money so you can probably get a deal on some thing with ford power as most smart folks would pass on it

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

Yeah what ratman said :D

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

LOL :D
I understand your brand loyalty, but what these guys are telling you makes sense, and saves many cents... You really should re-think this. You will run into more trouble than you imagined, not to mention you would be working on something that has already seen its better days. You do this, and you will be pushing back that Fountain purchase even further. Just run it the way it is, enjoy as is, and unload as is, when your time comes. My .01

Re: wondering if anyone can help....
 

The last few posts were the best advice you could ever hope for.