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Prochargers on Merc 7.4MPI

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Old 04-03-2008 | 01:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Tote-N-One
Hey Eddie,

I have the same motor in my boat, and was wondering. If I rebuilt the engine, used original crank, rods with 7/16 bolts, forged pistons and maybe a little biger cam, would i be able to prop the boat for 5k RPM max? Would my HP gain be worth the effort? I'm not looking to make this boat fast, just a couple more MPH on top with reliability. The engine has over 700 hrs on it and I know the end is near!

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Charlie
You could do that cheap. Rods are damn near free. It's a slippery slope though!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Old 04-04-2008 | 12:22 AM
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Originally Posted by Tote-N-One
Hey Eddie,

I have the same motor in my boat, and was wondering. If I rebuilt the engine, used original crank, rods with 7/16 bolts, forged pistons and maybe a little biger cam, would i be able to prop the boat for 5k RPM max? Would my HP gain be worth the effort? I'm not looking to make this boat fast, just a couple more MPH on top with reliability. The engine has over 700 hrs on it and I know the end is near!

Thanks
Charlie
Do I understand right that you have a 7.4 MPI.(310hp)? If you do, then I don't think you would want to put 7/16 rods and forged pistons on that crank. I haven't done it but would think it would be tough to balance with the added weight. Sure you could add Mallory, but the heavy metal would cost more than the crank. If you already have a steel crank and 7/16 rods, then go for it. You would probably need to turn it a little more than 5K rpms to take advantage of the larger cam. With a little added compression, slightly larger cam and roller rockers and a few other odds and ends, you could easily bump the hp by about 50. That would be worth about 4 mph on the average v-bottom. There is more hp to be had with a little more work and of course, a little more money. Let me know exactly what you have and we can come up with a plan of attack and a budget.
Eddie
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Old 04-04-2008 | 12:23 AM
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Originally Posted by kennyo
It's a slippery slope though!!!!!!!!!!!!
And you're sliding down it out of control!!!
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Old 04-04-2008 | 06:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Young Performance
And you're sliding down it out of control!!!
No sh*t! That was my point!
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Old 04-04-2008 | 07:30 AM
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Eddie

It is a 310 horse. Its a shame that this platform is such a weak starting point. I heard recently that this engine is a 2 bolt main. If that is correct, I might as well just look for a 454/502 MAG, and ride this one until it goes.

Thanks for the input Eddie

charlie
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Old 04-04-2008 | 07:38 AM
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As said above,,,, that is just a bad starting platform for mods,,,, thats before you even consider the heads and injection limitations.

The plus side,,,, left alone and maintaned they about run forever !!
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Old 04-04-2008 | 09:21 AM
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Anyone have pics of a procharger setup on an MPI? I have the task of putting a box of parts together back onto a rebuilt motor...would help to have a little reference
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Old 04-04-2008 | 09:33 AM
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Originally Posted by obnoxus
As said above,,,, that is just a bad starting platform for mods,,,, thats before you even consider the heads and injection limitations.

The plus side,,,, left alone and maintaned they about run forever !!
I guess we will see. Got a little over 750 hours on it now.

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Old 04-04-2008 | 10:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Tote-N-One
Eddie

It is a 310 horse. Its a shame that this platform is such a weak starting point. I heard recently that this engine is a 2 bolt main. If that is correct, I might as well just look for a 454/502 MAG, and ride this one until it goes.
There's no problem making big power with a two bolt block, it's just every other part of that motor that's a little weak..
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Old 04-04-2008 | 10:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Tote-N-One
Eddie

It is a 310 horse. Its a shame that this platform is such a weak starting point. I heard recently that this engine is a 2 bolt main. If that is correct, I might as well just look for a 454/502 MAG, and ride this one until it goes.

Thanks for the input Eddie

charlie
That's correct, it is a 2 bolt main block. Just another good reason not to modify it. You have to remember, that was built as an entry level engine to put in cruisers that needed torque and not a lot of rpm. Hell, they had small blocks making more power than the 7.4 mpi.Now the 454 Mag and 502 Mag are both good platforms to start with. They have the same parts, except the pistons. The 454 has a 4.250 bore and the 502 has 4.467 bore. It would be better to start with the 502 since it has almost 50 more inches to start with.It can go all the way to 565 inches with a 4.25 stroke crank. Let me know if I can help, Eddie.
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