I have an eaton outdrive (i think model b) it is rigged to a motorcraft 289 (165 hp) 1960's vintage.. anyone know off hand what would be the most direct and easiest swap for the outdrive? i am not interested in changing my motor, but i have heard the new outdrives need an engine stall (or interrupt) to shift the boat. I basicall have no drive gear now. after breaking my shifter fork, and having that welded, i was out on the water for the day, dopped some people off at the dock and left, once i applied some throttle, it slipped out of gear, and drive was no more!! I've read that the dog slip (or whatever it's called) was at a bad angle for those outdrives, so i want to swap. Any help as to what i should replace with and where i could obtain good and cheap (even those two don't beling in the same sentance) parts for the swap? I am open to other suggestions too. Oh yeah, remember this outdrive is simple.. no trim
The most plentiful outdrive is the mercruiser. You can probably find one on e-bay. The rear motor mount looks like a flywheel cover, and you will need that. You will have trim and you will need to modify your transom. Take a look at one to see what it is all about. The Volvo might be a more direct replacement but parts for the merc are everywhere. It might be cheaper to buy a whole boat. That way you will have every thing including the trim pump etc. jim
I was thinking of purchasing the manual for this eaton, and see what's gone, but i kinda know better than to think i can re-invent the wheel! So when changing the outdrive, i will most likely have to widen the transom hole? or is there patching required. i also read that changing the outdrive on the motorcrafrt 289 is not bad because you just remove the outdrive from the bell housing and where the transom is just like the 'rubber boot mount'?? Is this correct?
You need to look at a mercruiser or a diagram of one. The issue as I see it is that merc quit using ford engine drives some time ago. The merc that used the small block ford was called the 888. It used the 302 ford which is essentially the same as a 289. Any 888 you find will be old and probably worn out, but you need the bell housing. I would look for a boat with an 888 so that you get all the little parts too and update it with a generation 1 drive. The drive is universal and generally the same for the newer chevy powered set ups. If you could find a boat with an 888, it should be cheap. Here is an example, but it is the wrong part of the world for you: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HYDRA-SP ... enameZWDVW I completely rebuilt an 898 years ago which is the chevy drive and was in my Dyne. When I started out, I knew very little about it. I just used the factory manual and took it one step at a time. I wound up modifying the thing and improved it. I also have owned a boat with an 888 in it and I liked it better than the chevy because it is 50 pounds lighter. As far as the transom is concerned, I don't know about the relative sizes of the hole. jim
