1977 Sea Ray in storage 25 Years!

S

Steve Becka

New Member
Jan 28, 2011
4
Macon GA
Boat Info
1976 240sb Sundancer
Engines
351 Mercruiser w/Alpha drive. ? new boat to me.
Hello Everyone, New to this Sea Ray game. I had no idea these boats were this popular. :huh:Found this '77-24 footer on Craigs list & could not pass it up for the price. It has been in this warehouse since 1986, with 5 diesel truck tractors that were taken off the road by DOT and used for parts by the owner. Its in good shape, just dirty. Anyway...I will be searching for kind individuals who can fill me in on how the heck a outdrive all functions, and what parts will most likely be worthless, or need replacing.:smt100

I re-did an Ericson 27 sailboat in 1991. It was only 15 years old at the time & 97% of everything in it was shot. However, this boat was put up with antifreeze in the exhausts and bilge, and the Engine can be turned by hand. They said it was running good when the guy quit using it.:smt001 The teak is in good shape:thumbsup:
 
PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!:grin:

And welcome to the board.

There are many here who can answer your questions. Make sure you provide as much info for each question.
 
We need pics!

This antifreeze you mentioned, has it been in the engine and bilge for 25 years or did they change it out on some kind of schedule?
 
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All I know is that the antifreeze is there. I will post some pics when I take some. Thank you guys for the responses.
 
A friend of mine restores old cars. When he gets one that doesn't run, he pulls all the plugs, and puts marvel mystery oil in the cylinders and let's it soak a few days. Then he spins the engine with a large breaker bar. Eventually he let's the starter spin it. Then replaces the plugs. His reasoning is that if a piston ring is stuck, forcing it to move will do serious damage to the piston, ring, or cylinder wall. Might want to add this process to the list. Just be sure to have it spinning freely to get all the excess fluid out of the combustion chamber before putting the plugs back in.
 
Welcome and good luck with the restoration!

In addition to what Scott mentioned, you will probably want to replace the exhaust manifolds and risers, especially if the engine is raw water cooled. My brother and I did a restore on the old Sea Bird I list in my signature. This was our first IO experience and we screwed up big time! We got the engine running real sweet (over several weeks) and headed out to the beach. The manifolds were apparently scaled up as the boat was on blocks for a while. Half way to the beach we blew an exhaust hose due to lack of water flow. We got back to the marina and went partying over at the beach with our 19' Larson. Several hours later as the sun came up we arrived back at the marina to find our Seabird sank in the slip!!!:smt089:smt089 After several tears and hours of work in the oily water we raised her up and the new restoration was begun.......Moral of the story-Change the manifolds and risers!!
 
This site has A LOT of knowledgeable people, and many of them are right on the mark and very decent folks. My husband and I have gotten a lot of valuable information within these threads about different issues with our own boat. She is our first cabin cruiser and our first searay. We are going on our 3rd season with her, and now once again we will learn much from the boaters on CSR. You picked the right place. Congrats, and Good Luck.
(PS) if you have any out of the norm pets, best to keep it to yourself.
Welcome Aboard!
 
cant wait to see some pics the late 70's and 80's Sea Ray's are my favorite
 
If the boat sat for 24 years without running the engine, plan on replacing the entire drive system- from engine to propshaft.

Every engine and outdrive gasket will leak. Every interior part of the outdrive is corroded if it wasn't actually in the gear oil. The carb gaskets will leak. The cylinder walls are corroded. The engine cooling passages are corroded.

You will be better off in the long run -with money and hassle- if you install a new rebuilt longblock, new manifolds & elbows, and a new SEI outdrive. You will probably need a new fuel tank, and you definitely need new fuel hoses and fuel filtration system. The steering ram is probably locked up either at the outdrive, at the steering wheel, or both. Trim and tilt system will probably need to have the pistons rebuilt.
 
Hi Folks, Well, there's good news and bad. We all knew from the get go that everything in the engine compartment was toast, with the exception of a few items. Good News? I paid $800.00 for the whole mess.:thumbsup:pulled spark plugs...Front two, right side, full of antifreeze:smt009, one of them had no prong left??:smt089Dumped over 2 gallons of antifreeze out of the engine and exhaust coolers.Also...Pumped 12 gallons of gasoline out of the gas tank and it was very clean, no water, smelled varnishy though, naturally.:smt001

Now, Question 1: Is there a Mercruiser 101 course on the internet?
Q2: If you put too much antifreeze in the exhaust coolers, will it go past the valves and fill up the cylinder spaces?
Q3: How in the H--- do you get pictures to go from my computer to this forum? They are on a stick that has the memory card from my camera in it. Appx 1600KB per pic.
 
You can also use the Microsoft Picture Viewer to reduce the size of your photos. If you become a member of the site you are given more space for your uploads.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Welcome Aboard! Pics are a must! As for the boat I would be concerned about all of the hoses, wiring (corrosion, mice etc), engine from sitting for so long. Rust can build up in them if not done correctly but for 25 years, Out of my area of expertise. Come to think of it what is my expertise. :huh: Keep us posted. :thumbsup:
 
Steve,

I am new to this site, but have quite a bit of experience working with old engines. There are only 3 ways I know of for the cylinders to fill with coolant:

1. Head gasket leak
2. Exhaust maniflods are cracked/corroded
3. Block is cracked at cylinder walls

Pull all the plugs and determine all of the cylinders that have coolant.
Take the valve cover off and see if the exaust valves are open to those cylinders.

If so, and it is only on one side, it is probably the manifold.
If there is a cylinder full with a closed exaust valve, it is most likely either the head gasket or the block.
 
sfergson727 said:
Don't cheap out and get a Clymer manual, buy the manual directly from mercury.
Click to expand...

Steve,...err I mean Scott, :smt001

If you can buy only one, get the Mercury Service Manual. If you can buy more, then the Clymer and the Seloc manuals are worth it too. Each has their own pictures and tips, tricks, etc. I have them all for my outdrive and they all came in use when I replaced the bellows and impeller in my outdrive for the first time (and don't forget about all the help here and elsewhere on the internet too).

Good luck with the restoration!

Tom
 
OK I am getting educated one bit at a time, still not sure about how to figure out the address to put in so pics will get to this forum. I'll have to go to that Photobucket and look around. :huh:I;m wanting to tear into that engine, but there's this invisable shield i'm having trouble getting through.:lol:I think it's the thought of having to put it back together again, and maybe not remembering how...:grin: have access to one of those Dewalt 18v impact drivers, so that is a help. Those don't take any prisoners...
 
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