Good Head
07-22-2004, 09:49 AM
#21
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Re: Good Head
Originally Posted by robyw1
Didn't MerCruiser make a block that was Aluminum in the mid 80s? I think it was called the 470 and it was a 180-HP 3.7 liter 4-cyl. Now if memory serves me correctly (and it doesn't always) I believe they had closed cooling systems but some may not have. I wonder if anything special was done to this block to resist corrosion? I think I recall that on this engine the block was aluminum and the head was iron.
Roby
Roby
07-22-2004, 10:19 AM
#22
Toxic FORMULA
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Re: Good Head
Originally Posted by mcollinstn
470 Merc was based on parts from the 460 Ford. It was basically "half" of a 460 V8. Custom crank, but used 460 head, rods, bearings, pistons.
I saw one in an old Starcraft that had raw cooling. Not closed.
Anodizing will give you a barrier between the salt and the metal, but you must still treat it as a delicate situation and flush religiously. And any scrape or scratch in the coating will leave that spot bare and vulnerable.
I saw one in an old Starcraft that had raw cooling. Not closed.
Anodizing will give you a barrier between the salt and the metal, but you must still treat it as a delicate situation and flush religiously. And any scrape or scratch in the coating will leave that spot bare and vulnerable.
Those had aluminum heads
. The ones I've seen , I'll swear , had steel Ford heads.I'm usually in fresh water anyway , and when I do the salty thing I always flush. It I had more room in the engine bay when I changed mine , I would have went the FWC route
Chris, I was just talking to my engine builder and he said use multi layered steel gaskets. I forgot the brand already
Last edited by mopower; 07-22-2004 at 10:22 AM.
07-22-2004, 11:15 AM
#23
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Re: Good Head
I used John's heads on 540's and 572 NA engines and they worked real well. We had a ton of gasket problems on the 540's and I finally found Mercury Racings gasket guy, after that problem was fixed. Cometic has come on strong a make nice composite steel layered stuff. Since you have merlin's, you should be fine.
Chris
Chris
! That was the brand 
07-22-2004, 08:23 PM
#26
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Re: Good Head
Merc used Fords heads on the 470. They were steel heads on an aluminum block that Merc made. I saw a few that changed over to raw water cooling when the heat exchanger went bad. Look at outboards, they're all aluminum and none are fresh water cooled. They last many years and the aluminum is pretty thin walled in a lot of areas.
05-13-2005, 08:09 PM
#27
Toxic FORMULA
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Re: Good Head
Latest update. Got my heads back from the CnC shop last Wednesday after sitting there for 6 weeks 
. Well , the valve job is scheduled for tomorrow . and the shortblock is already bolted on the dyno for next week. These were flow bench designed and tested for a 540ci at a max of 5200 and should bring my hp band down to where I want it. The Merlin heads were 638hp@5800. Details to follow 
. Well , the valve job is scheduled for tomorrow . and the shortblock is already bolted on the dyno for next week. These were flow bench designed and tested for a 540ci at a max of 5200 and should bring my hp band down to where I want it. The Merlin heads were 638hp@5800. Details to follow
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