can you switch from gen II to bravo one without a lot of hassel on a 2300 sx chaparral. i have 454 now and gen II im wanting to bump up to the bravo and was told i would change something called x dimension if i just installed a bravo in place of the gen II.

does anyone know anything like this, is this true i suppose it is, i guess it come from a reputable source but id like to know if it can be done, and if so what am i looking at sacraficing doing it just swaping over to bravo one from gen II

the guy was talking about removing engine filling up drive transom hole cutting out hole again raising engine and then installing a bravo one, heck i dont even have a bravo yet cause how much they are, and then this.

oh of course there is the 4, 000 dollar imco shorty. is this something that has to be done, if not what would happen otherwise what could i exspect by installing a b1 drive inplace of the gen II

By Gen II do you mean you have a Bravo II, with the giant lower unit for a wide diameter prop?

NOPE I HAVE A GEN II MEANIN ALPHA ONE GEN TWO DRIVE AND I WANT A B1 DRIVE AND I WAS TOLD SOMETHING ABOUT X DIMENSIONS AND THIS AND THAT, WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF DOING THIS AN DO I NEED TO WORRY ABOUT SOME X DIMENSION

IM WANTING TO UPGRADE TO B1 CAUSE I PUT A BIT MORE HP IN BOAT AND IM SLINGING GEARS IN OLD DRIVE, THEY JUST REPLACED THE DRIVE ITS BRAND NEW AGAIN AND I DONT WANT TO ANIALATE IT I MEAN IM NOT GOT SOME BIG GIANGANTIC BOAT MOTOR ITS A MILDLY BUILT 454 40 NOTHING BIG ITS GOT PEANUT HEADS ON IT, I GOT RAPED AT BUILDERS

The advice is correct....you just don't fully understand it all yet.

To replace the drive, the transom assembly has to be replaced. To replace that you must take the engine out of the boat. The new transom assembly doesn't fit the holes in the transom the same but I belive you can "make it work" by drilling a few new holes and proceeding. The Bravo drive is longer than an Alpha, so the prop would be deeper in the water, you need to account for this by raising the engine, or using a "shorty" IMCO drive.


Lots of people want to do this conversion. Unless you buy a bunch of used junk it's going to cost $7-10K in parts plus labor. (labor could easily be $3-5K if your not doing it yourself).....now you see why not many actually do the conversion. Quite honestly, it's cheaper to sell the boat and buy another one.

First off, capitals implies you are yelling
To make your current drive last, go easy on the takeoff- dont floor it- try to keep it about 2/3 to 3/4 thottle at most.

If you search the 'net, you should be able to find some articles on swapping out a Alpha drive and replacing with a Bravo. I cannot comment on the x-dimension- others more knowledgable than I indicate that its different.

You could also search around and try to find a Alpha SS outdrive, which would be a complete bolt-on affair to the bell housing. They can take about 100 more hp and 100 more ft lbs torque (my estimate) than a standard Alpha. Finding one would be a significant challenge as they didnt make many of them (1985 to 1987 I believe). This was the drive to use if you needed more power than a regular Alpha but could not use a TRS or other Speedmaster drive. The X-dimension is also higher on a Alpha SS which is probably not what you really want.

I did this conversion on my formula. Its quite easy but you need to pull the engine. You can buy a nice transom assembly w/ rams for around $1000 and a used bravo for maybe $1500 if you look. you will need a new bellhousing and inner transom plate and cooupler as well. So your looking at around $3300 in parts. As for the X dimension I'm sure its the same as an Alpha which is propshaft to u-joint center line 21 13/16"

Personally I wouldn't dump a ton of money in your boat. No matter what you do it isn't going to be that fast or handle big waves. Use it as it is and have fun with it.

Guys - not trying to step on toes, just getting the facts straight for you. Alpha and Bravo have exactly the same crank to prop distance, 21 13/16. The Bravo does put the prop 1" farther back. The transom cutout is identical on a Bravo & a Gen 2.

Oh - I as I am writing this I see Endeavour has posted it already, so just confirming.