Is engine a car engine??
 

My friend bought a 89 Scarab with one destroyed engine. We found an engine in a magazine and he bought it, but I´m not sure whether this one is not a car engine. If you compare the two engines the new one is much higher, the distributor was different, the water pump was missing. Although, the transom fitted well. Is this possible? If it was a car engine, which components should have benn changed inside?

Thank´s for information,

Michael

I am not sure exactly what you were trying to say is different on the 2 engines. But, there are several differences in marine and automotive engines. Some are easy to spot by looking, others are more subtle. For instance, the circulating pumps on the motor for marine applications have stainless impellers. Starter motors, distributors, alternaters are sealed units to prevent the possibility of fuel vapors getting to any sparks. Marine motors have brass freeze out plugs. The internal clearances in the engine are different. Cam shafts for marine run different profiles than automotive. Carbs. are different. No emmissions on marine engines ( like e.g.r. valves )

Post again, try to be more specific in what you mean about the height of the motors.

Checkmate454mag, Thank you for answering!

The thing is, that the intake manifold is higher and has a different style to the one of the original engine. It seems that the total engine is higher, but the distributor for example is at the same position than the other. Also the thermostat looks different. And although the engine mountings are higher the transom fitted well into the engine. Any idea?

That could just be a High Rise Alluminum intake manifold. Is there a tag in the back of the motor with a serial number on it that says Mercruiser? Sometimes they fall off but if that is there it will set the record straite immediatly. Lots of builders in this area use Brass freeze plugs on all motors so recomending that you break out a freeze plug to see what it is made of is not really a option. Maybe a casting number will let you know?????

Jon

You may have a 377 Cu.In. truck engine which has the high deck block.

Sounds like a tall-deck truck block. Look at the flange where the water pump bolts to the block. On a passenger car block (and most marine blocks) the top edge of this flange will be almost even with the deck surface (the surface where the cylinder head attaches). If there is approximately a 1/2 inch space, it is a tall-deck motor. You can easily tell the difference when the two engines are sitting side-by-side. If you have a truck block, it probably won't work. Sell it to someone who wants to build a large-displacement drag or truck-pull motor. You will probably have trouble getting the exhaust to line up if you try to use this engine in your boat. And, as mentioned above, there are a lot of internal differences between a car/truck motor and a marine motor.

If this is a marine engine, it is most likely a stroker engine (i.e. 496 - stroked 454). You would be advised to find an engine that closely matches the other engine for performance reasons.

Good luck!

[ 02-12-2002: Message edited by: Budman ]

??? I am still not getting it yet.

Can you send me a few pictures? You know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Checkmate,

Some Chevy big block engines (most notably for heavy trucks) used a block that was about 1/2" taller in the deck area. This was done mainly to accommodate the piston design in these engines that used an extra compression ring. A lot of hot-rodders have used these blocks to make stroker motors because the extra cylinder length allowed for more piston travel, i.e. longer stroke without resorting to shorter connecting rods to keep the piston from rising above the deck surface. I had some drag-racing buddies who used to scour junkyards for delivery trucks with 427 and 377 truck blocks for their drag cars. I believe that the 572 and 600 cubic inch motors used in some offshore boats are based on a tall-deck block, although they are most likely to use an aftermarket block like a Donovan or a Merlin.

I'm sure that Bruce or Dave F. could add some more insight to this.

Budman;

I always thought those 377 motors were a crazy combination of big block. Made from a big block. That would be real hard to mistake for a small block.

I don't think you ever said what you had BB or SB ? And yes those are BBs