In seeking a replacment for my 289 engine that threw a rod I have come across a ad that seems to be, a very well built engine but it came out of a '76 boat...Could someone tell me if they have ever heard of someone putting a boat 302 engine into a car? After calling a few engine and boat shops in town i have heard there are differences in the camshaft...And i've ever been told that some marine engines are built to turn the opposite direction...Anyone shed some light on this? thanks

http://nashville.craigslist.org/pts/387327554.html

 

Contact him and find out. I've heard of people sticking boat engines in cars. As long as it turns the roght direction, and engine is an engine. Find out if it was used in the boat, and how it was stored. Many boat owners run lake/ocean water through it for cooling, and don't store it properly, and they corrode

 

If you take a look at the add, it's been freshly rebuilt and should be in great condition...block was preffesionally cleaned and magnafluxed as well....Plus i believe the intake and carb off my 289 will fit fine on it...Only problem is whether or not it will match up in the same way a car 302 engine would...I don't wanta put it in and it have something odd about the way it runs like good low torque/ but bad high end power for example...anyone else?

 

That's why you gotta call and find out, it depends on how he intended to set it up. It may have decent hp and was designed to be geared down

 

My father's boat has a 4.3L TWO STROKE...imagine if you could get a two stroke 5.0

 

Something just don't sound right.
(Note: this is assuming that he had to farm out the work)

Machine work = 100.00 ( We're talking the very minimum )

Bearing, Ring and Gasket set. = 200.00 (again, run of the mill stuff, nothing spectacular)

Finally, add in the unseen: Time involved, misc stuff that is always present in any build and we're talking about a motor that has more in it than the seller is asking.

Mind you, this is common in applications with high end componets and having to farm out the machine work. But we're talking about a fresh build here and this person is just giving it away basicaly.

Just not making good sense I rekon. I could be way off base, but I'd want to have a chat with the seller just to see if they're not smoking something.

EDIT:
By his own words he has 3 bones tied up in gaskets. Add in the supposive "new" Cam, bearings, oil pump and rings and we're into the 1k range easy.
Cheers.

 

boats with one motor are standard rotation. boats with two motors usually have one motor as a reverse rotation to keep the boat from driving itself in cirlces.

the only difference in a standard marine motor compared to a car motor is the marine motor SHOULD have brasss freeze plugs (a 1-up for auto motors), and a marine/rv cam.... usually in the low to mid .400 range, something that idles well and uses stock springs, but better than stock. this way they made good power at 3000 rpms or so, which is where most boats would want to be for a cruising speed.

basically, grab that sucker and drop it in - the guy didnt spend 300 on gaskets, he's just trying to make his motor look like a deal.

 

btw the heads have def. been done because there are intake springs and retainers on the intake and exhaust (a good thing) and .060 shims under the springs (a good thing to keep springs stuff with normal lift cams, a bad thing if you going big lift with stock springs)

 

i wouldnt use a boat engine for one reason you know how nasty the cooling jackets are.boats dont have a radiator they suck water in and spit it out.think how nasty some rivers and lakes are.also the boat cooling system doesnt have the presure of a car system so they run hotter.brass freeze plugs are easy to add.

 

The machining tolerances for the marine engine would be a bit different that for an auto engine, due to the differences in the environments in which they run. If you found an engine out of a boat with a closed cooling system, then grab it up.