Repowering a '79 260
- Thread starter jackal
- Start date
H2ONUT
Well-Known Member
I would see if 2 4.3 Mercruisers would fit in there...
ghuskin
New Member
- Jul 10, 2007
- 1,089
- Boat Info
- SRV225 Cuddy Cabin, 1983
- Engines
- 228 Mercruiser w/ pre-Alpha1 "R" Drive
How about twin 8.1's?
sbw1
Well-Known Member
- Oct 10, 2006
- 8,187
- Boat Info
- This is listed in my signature
- Engines
- This is listed in my signature
Your boat is unusual in that it had twins. Most of the 26s had 350 ci Mercs that made 260 HP in 1979. That set up worked very well. Your mechainic's suggestion is a good one.
ghuskin
New Member
- Jul 10, 2007
- 1,089
- Boat Info
- SRV225 Cuddy Cabin, 1983
- Engines
- 228 Mercruiser w/ pre-Alpha1 "R" Drive
I still think he should try to shoe horn a pair of 8.1's in there!
sbw1
Well-Known Member
- Oct 10, 2006
- 8,187
- Boat Info
- This is listed in my signature
- Engines
- This is listed in my signature
That would be quite a ride but he might take a stern wave over the back when he came off plane! There may have been some expresses that had twin 260s in 79. I remember some twins that were really stern heavy in their slips. But they were very fast.
keokie
Well-Known Member
- Dec 27, 2006
- 1,486
- Boat Info
- 2002 310 Sundancer, Westerbeke 4.5 Genset
- Engines
- 496's, Bravo III's, 2.2:1 Gears
I've had a bit of experience here. I've been involved directly with 3 260's of that vintage that were converted to big blocks and one that had twin 350's. The twin 350's are still a bit slower than one 502. As far as the twin 8.1's, I really like your thinking. However, they would be too tall to clear the engine hatch. I know this because it is my buddy's boat that has the twin 350's. We might have stuffed a couple 502's in there if they would have fit!
JAndrewG
Member
- Jul 23, 2007
- 158
- Boat Info
- 340EC
- Engines
- 330 HP Mercruiser inboards
Jackal,
A friend at our marina has a mid 80's 270DA that had twin Merc four cylinders in it.
He wanted to go to a pair of small block V-8's, and found a boat like his that had the optional V-8's to do some homework. What he found was that the drives in this boat were positioned differently than in his. I don't remember exactly how, but I think they were spaced wider apart, and at a different height.
He did the conversion, but it was a huge undertaking that involved filling the old drive holes with plywood and glassing them over, then cutting new holes. He found that the gear ratios were different, so he had to find another pair of Alpha drives and gimbal housings as well.
Twins are nice at the marina, and give you an extra measure of safety. Parts are still available for the motors you have, and of course, it would probably be the cheapest to repair them. Now, if you found a complete V-8 set up from engine to prop, you could go to the single V-8 that most of these boats had (I had a '79 260DA with one) for minimum cash outlay. You'd still have to work on the transom though, and that's something that most guys wouldn't be comfortable doing on their own.
Just some more food for thought. Good luck whatever you decide to do.
A friend at our marina has a mid 80's 270DA that had twin Merc four cylinders in it.
He wanted to go to a pair of small block V-8's, and found a boat like his that had the optional V-8's to do some homework. What he found was that the drives in this boat were positioned differently than in his. I don't remember exactly how, but I think they were spaced wider apart, and at a different height.
He did the conversion, but it was a huge undertaking that involved filling the old drive holes with plywood and glassing them over, then cutting new holes. He found that the gear ratios were different, so he had to find another pair of Alpha drives and gimbal housings as well.
Twins are nice at the marina, and give you an extra measure of safety. Parts are still available for the motors you have, and of course, it would probably be the cheapest to repair them. Now, if you found a complete V-8 set up from engine to prop, you could go to the single V-8 that most of these boats had (I had a '79 260DA with one) for minimum cash outlay. You'd still have to work on the transom though, and that's something that most guys wouldn't be comfortable doing on their own.
Just some more food for thought. Good luck whatever you decide to do.
