because you don't have to relocate your motors forward to switch to another trans that is a little better and a little less extinct...especially cuz they are probably gonna get relocated aft anyway to switch to a setup that is not as good but a LOT less extinct, and a little faster to boot...

I get your point and actually have two freshly rebuilt bW's however these trans only have 300 hours on them and we're working fine when I pulled the boat last however I would like to get the boat back in the water this year after a project that got set aside for some time do to surgeries etc. with another surgery in the near future will undoubtably leave me with a prosthetic left foot and ankle. (Motor cross days). When healed and able I plan to move the engines forward and rig the bW's. I've got everything and then some to get it done however it just more of a time issue now.

These merctrans that were in the boat are the originals and I've known their whereabouts since the boat was new. I pulled them off the old engines today and cleaned up etc. they look new with the original paint and the oil looked great. Gonna put the larger capacity coolers in place of the old ones and call it good for now.

Any reason not to run aluminum flywheels with this application. I have a couple that I just need to put the starter rings on the other side. I'd like to use if possible.
Tks for the help on this. If I recsll the weight of the aluminum ones are 13.5 pds

Boy those pressure plates look like something for a remote control boat compared to the hd ones I had purchased for the bW's.

i assume there is room between the pulleys and the back seat for the move forward? cuz if you have everything it isn't that much of a job if engines are out anyway. since you are already talking running the shift cables and converting the mercs to man shift.

Might consider. Just depends what doc says this week. I am pretty certain I have enough room in the front to move them 8" or so. Doing the work myself. I might give it a shot otherwise like you said maybe just use the set up as was before wit the electric shift. Everything worked very well before restoration so maybe just use existing throttles.

A little better? You know all the hubers and most of bams line are modified Borg 72's right? Sorry the merc trans was weak at best. And it's not much work to do the swap. Just not worth it to me in a performance application. And swapping to a bravo I won't get into that one

The only thing about the aluminum flywheels that I can think of is it may want to kill the engine when you put it in gear. With these being hydraulic transmissions which go into gear softer than say a Alpha or Bravo then there may not be a problem. Just something I had heard or read on here in the past that you may consider.

That is a good point. I could see where their could be some variables regarding that.
Don't really wanna bring my ores to bump start before I throw them in gear. Lol.

Regarding moving the engines forward. I would assume I'd just pull the mounts that's from the current position on the stringers and lower the engines with the bW's and once I drop the bolts in the ears off the tranny I'd continue to lower engine to the same height as where they were before although just forward. I would assume the engines be installed at same height right.
Hmmm. Sounds like not much more than a day's work actually considering the engines are already out.
Tks for the replies.

Any other info on flywheels please inform.
Appreciate it.
John