1974 F-44 repower question

[dockedwages1]

Starting to contemplate new power and just a few questions. I have 440's with velvet drives. Want new gas engines possibly 8.1's. Will I need new transmissions or can I use the velvet drives? They're rebuilt with about 100 hours. Should I entertain fuel injection or is that a major ordeal? Or is just a, hook up the fuel lines and its ready thing. And does anyone know a ballpark price for complete engines and a ball park price for new comparable transmissions if needed. Just hardware prices really, I have the removal and installation covered.

[prowlersfish]

Can you get the 8.1 in counter rotation ? If you can the velvet drives should be ok . Assuming they are 72 series . Don't even want to guess on price

[dockedwages1]

Do modern 8.1's reverse rotation in the transmissions, unlike my old reverse rotation 440 block? After a little reading on "re-power" posts on the site, do you think the 8.1 is the way to go, or is it going to be hard to get parts/ support in the future?

[prowlersfish]

That's why I asked if they available in reveres rotation .A lot of the newer engine have gone away from reverse rotation and use the transmissions . As far as support and parts there are a lot of them so I don't think that would be a issue , buy that can vary on the brand .

Do I think its the right choice ? Staying with gas its about the only ok choice on a large boat . But with that said I have always felt Gas was a poor choice on any boat 40foot and above .


I'm sure there are other opinions but that's mine

[todd brinkerhoff]

I think you are going to find it difficult to locate a turn-motor 8.1, as they are no longer made by GM (I think since 2010). Mercruiser has an 8.2 that is solely supplied by them. I think that motor is extremely expensive, as it can only be sold with catalytic converter and their own electronics. The current replacement for the Crusader 8.1 is the 6.0 liter. How bout rebuilding the 440's. That would certainly be the cheapest and easiest option.

I have spent several years contemplating a rebuild vs replacement option to replace my Crusader 454's. I really want lightweight diesels. Specifically 370 hp Cummins 6bta's or Yanmar 370s. With having to replace transimissions, electronics, fuel tanks, and on my boat, V-drives, the costs are astronomical. I then went to looking at modern gasoline, and was frustrated the 8.1's are nearly impossible to find unless you have an existing 8.1. They do not come in reverse rotation. I looked at the Mecruiser 8.2's and they are nearly as expensive as putting in a diesel. I also looked at the 6.0. The 6.0 has some great reviews, but I don't know if it is a good option for a 19-20,000 lb boat.

I then looked into rebuilding and improving the 454's. There was a tremendous amount of 454 support out there, and some technology that will drastically improve the overall performance of the 454 without compromising reliability. Some of this includes heads and exhaust, which would also save about 400 lbs a motor. Pricewise, it would be the best option for me.

Of course, this is all a moot point, as the current 454's are still running pretty good.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide.