1971 F-26 Repower Diesel or Gas?

[wolfnnj]

Water Pump installed today, intake manifold installed, alternator bracket and stand, Harmonic balancer, steel pulleys, valve covers, and thermostat housing.

On my way up to rhode island to pick up the trailer tomorrow.

[prowlersfish]

Looks good , and its the right color !

[The Dog House]

Lookin' good!

[Paul]

The stainless steel fasteners on the intake and water pump are a nice touch.

[wolfnnj]

I went out to Rhode Island ( 3.5 Hours 1 way) to pick up the trailer I found for $900. It has new suspension 4 brand new matching Michelin tires, and 52 rollers which are rough at best. . I don't know anything about roller trailers, and took a chance as this one had an 1974 f-25 on it. It is rated at 11,000 lbs so it can handle the weight of my boat but I need to find someone who is knowledgeable about these things to give it a once over.




This evening I installed the belts and exhaust manifolds.










And surprised by my UPS girl with a package from California. Inside is the new HEI Distributor with UBER Duty cables. They should go nicely with the Iridium plugs.




Just for SNG I found these pics of Trojan Bob on the f-26 as the 318 was going back in last year.

[MattSC]

Looks great! Nice looking boat

[wolfnnj]

Well now I have the exhaust manifolds completed


Next weekend I am pulling out the old 318 and painting the bilge.
The weekend after that I am installing this bad boy!

[vabeach1234]

I'm on the edge of my seat. I've been waiting for someone to do this to one of the old V-drive F-26's. Thanks for keeping us posted.

[The Dog House]

I'm on the edge of my seat. I've been waiting for someone to do this to one of the old V-drive F-26's. Thanks for keeping us posted.

+1 I love seeing how this progresses. Looking at the engine, is the oil dipstick going to clear the hatch? It looks pretty high.

[wolfnnj]

Oil dipstick UGGHHH I have no Idea if it will fit I purchased three different ones and this is the shortest

I went to michigan motorz and bought one that was 7 inches higher and that was the lowest one they had for this style 350.

I am aging rapidly from the stress of all this .....will it fit?
will the engine be too powerful for the trans?
will it even go into the hatch its 5 inches wider than the 318?
The carb is 3/4 of an inch taller than the distributor which is also huge. will that clear the hatch?

I have WAY to many ifs

This has cost me around $5,000 so far as I don't have any old parts. I had to purchase everything from scratch nothing could be transferred from one motor to another. Its a lot of little things that add up. I don't recommend this type of re power if you have to pay someone else to do this as that 5k figure would turn into more than the boats worth. Although that is irrelevant I have spent way more than the value of the boat over the last two years and I never expect to get my money out of it, I DO expect a trouble free boating season though.


While I work on the engine the trailer is being worked on by my old man "uncle charlie" and its coming together beautifully I will take pictures when its done as well.
This is my to do list.

Remove old 318 (kick it a few times for good measure )
Break in new engine.
Install new Dash panel
Install new side mount throttle and shifter
Install new pinot tube
Install new bow pulpit and new (best) windlass anchor system and wire to dash
Install entire sanitary system (ie new toilet, new holding tank, new macerater, new hoses etc.)
Install new VHF antenna
Install new Engine (praying it fits)
Install Bow eye for towing
Install new through hull sounder
Install new boat leveler motor
INSTALL ENGINE AND TRANS AND PRAY ENGINE FITS
Place boat carefully on trailer

I will obviously take many more photos and share them with you all to enjoy.

[The Dog House]

Oil dipstick UGGHHH I have no Idea if it will fit I purchased three different ones and this is the shortest

I went to michigan motorz and bought one that was 7 inches higher and that was the lowest one they had for this style 350.

I am aging rapidly from the stress of all this .....will it fit?
will the engine be too powerful for the trans?
will it even go into the hatch its 5 inches wider than the 318?
The carb is 3/4 of an inch taller than the distributor which is also huge. will that clear the hatch?

I have WAY to many ifs

If the dipstick is higher than the carb, can you apply some heat to the dipstick tube and bend it down to the height of the carb? The dipstick itself is flexible and the tube should be able to be gently bent a little more than it already is.

You already know from the specs that the engine will not be too powerful for the PV31 transmission. Take that off your worry list.

Once you get the engine through the hatch you'll have plenty of room for the width of the 350. You most likely will have 2 1/2 inches on either side to get it through the hatch. If not, take off the exhaust manifolds, put the engine through the hatch, mount the engine block on the stringers, and then put the exhaust manifolds back on. It will fit one way or the other, so don't worry about that either.

Since the engine will be angled at 5 degrees, the distributor is a non-issue. Don't worry about that. The carb is the key. If that doesn't fit, I'm sure the members of this forum can think of something. Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!!!

[wolfnnj]

OK another day of work on the engine.

Installed heat exchanger and all cooling hoses cept the trans and oil I have to install them to do so.
Tomorrow I am pulling out the 318 and uncovering the boat.

[wolfnnj]

"You already know from the specs that the engine will not be too powerful for the PV31 transmission. Take that off your worry list."

I read the information it says that no more than 260 hp at 4000 max rpms

I would definitely need to spin this engine at 44-4600 rpm for full hp at WOT will that be an issue?

[The Dog House]

"You already know from the specs that the engine will not be too powerful for the PV31 transmission. Take that off your worry list."

I read the information it says that no more than 260 hp at 4000 max rpms

I would definitely need to spin this engine at 44-4600 rpm for full hp at WOT will that be an issue?

I can't say for sure, but I don't think going up to ~4500 rpm would be a problem. If you want to play it safe, limit your rpms to 4000. You know you'll be making less than 260 hp at 4000 rpm. I personally never take my 318 above 3400 rpms and I get up on plane using my trim tabs without any problem.

[Big D]

Looks great. Don't know if anybody has already asked but is that a "marine" distributor shown in the picture?