To Force More Air or Not
 

I have a 2001 Nordic Heat. It has a 502 Mag with about 425 hours. We have been thinking about adding a ATI Procharger to get a bit more power/speed. I am unsure if this would be a smart idea or not. I am worried about the engine not being able to handle the procharger without being refreshed.

If I refresh, I would DEFINATELY like to make more power. What are some options that won't cause a second mortgage on the house.

I am also a bit concerned about the drive. It has a Bravo 1. Will it last? What if any upgrades can be done?

The boat also did not come with hydraulic steering. Is the hydraulic steering that is not helm back adequate? Does anyone have a steering system that they think is best?

Looking for some suggestions. I used to work on hot rod cars and know that the maring environment is different. HELP?

Brad

425 hours is not "fresh" but a formal leakdown test will give you what you need to know. If the rings are still sealing well, then it's your call. You'll need to do the heads, regardless, and make sure you have a wide exhaust seat sealing surface to pull heat out of the valve, and inconel ex valves are money well spent.

A Bravo 1 is at a disadvantage over 450 ft lbs of torque. Definitely plan on billet caps and frequent lube changes, but my guess is your drive will eat itself pretty quickly.

You steering issue is that you want to get away from using the TILLER arm inside the transom assembly. That is a weak link. There are some steering systems that use the stock steering cable from the helm, and if they connect to external rams then they are a massive improvement in eliminating the weak link, but are still inferior to full hydraulic systems tht incorporate a hydr helm.

The thought of that 5 or 10 mph more makes us all giddy. The question is really "what is it worth to you?" You can always run the supercharger and go faster, but you will definitely break more parts and go nuts looking for the perfect prop. In your situation, the "refresh" does not seem like an imminent proplem. Actually, a stock 502 should go twice your time with no problem. If your engine is running fine, then leave it alone. If you want the supercharger, then go for it and accept the risk of accelerated wear in the engine. How bad do you want to go faster? Oh.. The drive isn't a problem until you break it. There is no real way of knowing how far you can go. Mercruiser only went up to the 502 behind a bravo 1 and you take risks beyond that. You drive a pretty big boat on a single drive and I believe that your risks outweigh the rewards for a supercharger.

Just me,

Rene

I thought about a SC also, before I decided to up the hp on my 502. Add up the cost of a SC, head work, cam change, etc., it gets pricey. Then, what shape is your lower end in ?

Have you thought about simply rebuilding your 502 to make more hp/tq NA ? A NA 502 can make 625hp and still be reliable. Or maybe stroke it and go 540 :)

I'd add up the cost both ways, list the pro's and con's both ways. Then order more checks ;)

It never really ends :rolleyes:

I'm adding Whipples to my 454MPI's. Is it worth it? I dunno? Seems like fun so far. Aluminum heads, superchargers, drives, propellers, cams, engine parts, gaskets....they are tax deductible, right?

How much faster do you want to go?
Adding 100HP should gain you 5+mph.
I would suggest rebuilding your engine to make 500-525HP. There are lots of builders/tuners that have packages to do just that to your engine; Tyler Crockett comes to mind.
Your Bravo drive should live at this power level if you add a drive shower and change the oil often.

Reading between the lines I think I know what your asking,your refresh with good valves and misc parts will quickly hit 3-4 grand,the blower kit 6 grand and by the time you break a drive and upgrade it plus put the full hyd steering to the helm,props,ignition,bigger oil cooler and lines etc you will easily spend 20,000$. If thats not in your budget you will really be setting yourself up for dissapointment,these projects quickly spiral out of control and if your not fully committed up front you'll end up dissaponted when you start missing boating due to broken parts or a broken budget.There are a lot of things that go along with supercharging your motor that you need to budget into the equation to be realistic, I say this because I have done exactly what your thinking of doing and then some,Smitty

Stoutman,
There are several over on the Nordic section that have lived thru exactly with what your considering. (including myself)
Consider posting this question over there. The hull is not very rewarding to minimal added power.
You can make it fly but as Smitty mentioned you must budget up front if you want it to live.
Dave

This sounds like wise advice.

Stoutman,
As Dave mentions above, several of us have been down this road, and you can read about it on the Nordic forum. Since you have a 2001 (same model as mine), I can tell you from experience that it will take you an additional 17HP to gain 1 MPH. There are several proven mods for your motor that will get you into the 500 HP range with minimal expense. With this horsepwer level, your boat will still be driveable with stock steering, although I would recommend at least partial hydraulic. Remaining naturally aspirated will also ease the burden on your drive.
I would still freshen your motor (rings, bearings, gaskets, heads) and drive before doing any mods. AZSM has a nice modification for your motor consisting of modifying the intake manifold (cut down and extrusion honed), a new cam and ECU modification. Combined with some CMIs or other quality headers, you should see an easy 100+ HP from these mods.
If you are still considering supercharging, I would steer towards the Whipple. It is more expensive than the Procharger, but it is a more complete kit including ECU recalibration. This will also require freshening up your motor, and seriously beefing up your drive to at least XR standards to handle the additional torque, and hydraulic steering for safety and handling.
Here's pic of a Whipple setup (on a 565 TC motor) in a Heat. If you get into this project BobL on the Nordic forum (Nordic Dealer/Heat owner/engine builder) would be a good guy to talk to. We have some great engine men here, but unfortunately, you're on the other side of the country. Bob's in Texas, so he's a little closer to you. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
Regards,
Steve