my boat had a 502 with a small blower on it when i got it. the motor blew and i am now putting in a build non blower motor back in. my old one had a water pump bypass on it and was going to use it on the new motor because i dont have of the stuff for a regular pump( pump. hoses, pulley, belt) i was doing some research and it sounds like they may be issues with that setup. to much water pressure, not getting the motor to operating temp, oil temp not getting hot enough to burn off condensation. read you have to drill a couple holes in the T-stat to let steam by and i can put in a pressure relief valve for high water pressure but still may have problems with motor temp? any body run this setup or know more about it? i live in the pacific northwest also, so our water never get all that warm.

also, i havent been able to find my style of bypass setup? all the one ive seen are tubes that connect each side of where the water pump mounts with a tube? mine doesnt.. 2 different tubes mount to where the water pump mounts and run to the manifolds and the thermostathousing has hoses that run to the risers wth a bypass between the housing and the tube.



i will include photos from the old motor to clarify a little.

two things,your crossover has been modified so the water cools the exhaust first so i am guessing your tails are dry,#2,normally when running a crossover an oil t stat is needed to get the oil up to temp.