GM Crate Motors as drop in's for boat
02-07-2006 | 10:27 AM
#31
Registered
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,491
Likes: 0
From: sint maarten
Re: GM Crate Motors as drop in's for boat
fair enough...but i think the point i am trying to make is this.
1) if we are talking warrantee issue then its apples and apples.... if gm builds it and builds it badly and it fails they will stand behind it. the same as your engine builder... maybe. it has been my experience having built more than a couple thousand motors and dynoed more than that that the likelyhood of error of all types is higher with the independent builder than it EVER was w/ gm.
2) the marine environment is certainly specific in its requirements.... but that is the environment we are talking about here.... so... how do you make your decisions ? you make them based on the specific application . i manitain that a crate motor of a specific specification from gm will be every bit as suitable for the EQUIVILENT marine application once those SPECIFIC marine changes have been done. if done competently then you put the motor in the boat and you never look back. if NOT done competently then a failure will occur... EXACTLY the same scenario if the motor is built by an independent motor builder.
i don't think gm is stupid. and having dealt w/ their engineers , know their engineering staff is really good. it is my experience that the vast majority of failures across the board are self inflicted. people making BAD decsions about materials, specifications, applications and modifications not to mention hooking the oil lines up backwards every once in a while... it is seldom bad hardware. sometimes... but not very often...
and the econmoics speak for themselves. a gm factory crate 502 with all NEW parts and factory assembled is about 1/2 what independant shops often charge for rebuilding your stuff...
ill stick w/ the factory. like i said earlier... if i hour out my merc 502's, ill be buying two crate 502's to replace them... that's cheaper by a fair bit then doing them myself.
1) if we are talking warrantee issue then its apples and apples.... if gm builds it and builds it badly and it fails they will stand behind it. the same as your engine builder... maybe. it has been my experience having built more than a couple thousand motors and dynoed more than that that the likelyhood of error of all types is higher with the independent builder than it EVER was w/ gm.
2) the marine environment is certainly specific in its requirements.... but that is the environment we are talking about here.... so... how do you make your decisions ? you make them based on the specific application . i manitain that a crate motor of a specific specification from gm will be every bit as suitable for the EQUIVILENT marine application once those SPECIFIC marine changes have been done. if done competently then you put the motor in the boat and you never look back. if NOT done competently then a failure will occur... EXACTLY the same scenario if the motor is built by an independent motor builder.
i don't think gm is stupid. and having dealt w/ their engineers , know their engineering staff is really good. it is my experience that the vast majority of failures across the board are self inflicted. people making BAD decsions about materials, specifications, applications and modifications not to mention hooking the oil lines up backwards every once in a while... it is seldom bad hardware. sometimes... but not very often...
and the econmoics speak for themselves. a gm factory crate 502 with all NEW parts and factory assembled is about 1/2 what independant shops often charge for rebuilding your stuff...
ill stick w/ the factory. like i said earlier... if i hour out my merc 502's, ill be buying two crate 502's to replace them... that's cheaper by a fair bit then doing them myself.
02-07-2006 | 11:26 AM
#32
Gold Member
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,155
Likes: 2
From: Kissimmee, Florida
Re: GM Crate Motors as drop in's for boat
Biggus has a friend that installed a pair of ZZ383 (425 hp) crate engines in a 28' Cig. These come with an excellent marine cam, brass core plugs, no carb or ignition. Last I heard they were running just fine.
