Donzi 18 Classic Questions
12-06-2019, 05:01 PM
#1
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Donzi 18 Classic Questions
I have recently purchased a 1974 18 classic and have some questions that I didn’t find answers to using the search feature.
where can I get a throttle/shifter for a left hand drive?
it has a mercruiser 350 and Volvo drive, the power trim (lift) doesn’t work and the motor appears to be toast, where can I get this part?
would there be any benefit to swapping the Volvo drive for a bravo?
thanks for any answers/help.
where can I get a throttle/shifter for a left hand drive?
it has a mercruiser 350 and Volvo drive, the power trim (lift) doesn’t work and the motor appears to be toast, where can I get this part?
would there be any benefit to swapping the Volvo drive for a bravo?
thanks for any answers/help.
12-07-2019, 03:36 PM
#3
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Platinum Member
Yeah , shouldn't be too hard to source a replacement for that 'trim' or is it really just the tilt motor ? Is your outdrive a 270 or a 280 OR a 270T or a 280T ?
As for changing over to a Bravo ... it isn't going to be cheap and your transom is going to have to be re-sealed and cut for a B unit , plus the motor will more than likely have to be shifted as well. At this point your transom might be in need of a total re-build anyway on that vintage but the big question is , what condition is the fuel tank in ?
A new Bravo transom and drive is going to be a fair bit heavier than the existing Volvo and you can see that in that most of the C 18s had Alpha units once Donzi began converting over to 'black' , even up to almost present day.
If your steering is on the port side you'll have to counter-rotate the Bravo unit as well. The old 270 and 280 Volvo drives were bullet proof although not quite as hydrodynamic as the Alpha units so there's always a trade off somewhere.
Most Donzis of that vintage were very pretty due to color options . Post a pic or 2 !
As for changing over to a Bravo ... it isn't going to be cheap and your transom is going to have to be re-sealed and cut for a B unit , plus the motor will more than likely have to be shifted as well. At this point your transom might be in need of a total re-build anyway on that vintage but the big question is , what condition is the fuel tank in ?
A new Bravo transom and drive is going to be a fair bit heavier than the existing Volvo and you can see that in that most of the C 18s had Alpha units once Donzi began converting over to 'black' , even up to almost present day.
If your steering is on the port side you'll have to counter-rotate the Bravo unit as well. The old 270 and 280 Volvo drives were bullet proof although not quite as hydrodynamic as the Alpha units so there's always a trade off somewhere.
Most Donzis of that vintage were very pretty due to color options . Post a pic or 2 !
12-07-2019, 05:51 PM
#4
Registered
Thread Starter
Yeah , shouldn't be too hard to source a replacement for that 'trim' or is it really just the tilt motor ? Is your outdrive a 270 or a 280 OR a 270T or a 280T ?
As for changing over to a Bravo ... it isn't going to be cheap and your transom is going to have to be re-sealed and cut for a B unit , plus the motor will more than likely have to be shifted as well. At this point your transom might be in need of a total re-build anyway on that vintage but the big question is , what condition is the fuel tank in ?
A new Bravo transom and drive is going to be a fair bit heavier than the existing Volvo and you can see that in that most of the C 18s had Alpha units once Donzi began converting over to 'black' , even up to almost present day.
If your steering is on the port side you'll have to counter-rotate the Bravo unit as well. The old 270 and 280 Volvo drives were bullet proof although not quite as hydrodynamic as the Alpha units so there's always a trade off somewhere.
Most Donzis of that vintage were very pretty due to color options . Post a pic or 2 !
As for changing over to a Bravo ... it isn't going to be cheap and your transom is going to have to be re-sealed and cut for a B unit , plus the motor will more than likely have to be shifted as well. At this point your transom might be in need of a total re-build anyway on that vintage but the big question is , what condition is the fuel tank in ?
A new Bravo transom and drive is going to be a fair bit heavier than the existing Volvo and you can see that in that most of the C 18s had Alpha units once Donzi began converting over to 'black' , even up to almost present day.
If your steering is on the port side you'll have to counter-rotate the Bravo unit as well. The old 270 and 280 Volvo drives were bullet proof although not quite as hydrodynamic as the Alpha units so there's always a trade off somewhere.
Most Donzis of that vintage were very pretty due to color options . Post a pic or 2 !
Only reason I asked about the bravo change is I have a complete xr from gimbal to lower. It is a power tilt drive, no trim. The steering sucks but it eventually goes where I point it. I took it out today and it’s a blast, just need to clean her up a bit and enjoy it. The transom and stringers are solid as a rock and obvious that someone replaced both not too terribly long ago.
12-08-2019, 06:58 AM
#5
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Platinum Member
Hey , an X18 . Do you know they're faster than a regular C18 ? 
The old cable steering Volvo system can get pretty sloppy over time. Maybe a new cable and tightening up a few things can help .
The old cable steering Volvo system can get pretty sloppy over time. Maybe a new cable and tightening up a few things can help .
12-08-2019, 10:35 AM
#7
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