Marine 383 questions

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d55dave

d55dave

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Does anyone have any experience on, or know anything about the marine big blocks? I have a chance to buy a recently professionally rebuilt marine 383 at a reasonable price. The owner believes that it is a conventional, not backward rotation. I am wondering about compression ratio, forged pistons?, cam - solid or hydraulic (and three bolt I believe)? Heads - they are rebuilt, but are they like some of the oddball motorhome heads? Are they basically automotive blocks? I wont have a chance to see it and inspect it for a couple of weeks, just looking for info...
 
Here are a couple of pics, The final drive in the boat broke and he cant get parts so e is re-powering it.
 

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I don't know. Can you crank it on the starter? That would instantly tell you cw/ ccw

If the dist/ plug wires are still hooked up, I believe that the dist. rotates the same direction (ccw) in both cases, but with different firing order. Somewhere on the engine there's a number/ tag but I don't know where. I believe there's an R in "right" and L in "left" in the number

I did find this page, which also has a couple of Chrysler Marine engine manuals for download


http://www.marinemechanic.com/chrysler/chrysler.htm

I believe some of the industrial stuff has oddball crank flanges.

If it is ccw rotation, the crank seal slinger grooves will be the wrong direction.

If it does not have a heat exchanger, I'd pass

EDIT. So I downloaded the manuals above, and found this, page 5
 

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If that thing was running in salt water it's whole life I'd pass on it rebuilt or not. If it's a standard rotation engine then its just a truck engine with a bigger oil pan, no special internal parts other than rotators on the exhaust valves and a windage tray. The crank, block, heads, etc... are just truck stuff.
What broke that he cant get parts for? It looks like it has a Borg Warner velvet drive transmission which is a very common trans. Something behind it I'm assuming?
 
X2 Id pass on it just for the fact of it being in a boat. DEspecially if has been run in salt water
 
if hes looking for parts for a borg warner velvet drive i have lots. and also bravo stern drive parts for the merc junk
 
i dont see a heat exchanger in the pic like the rest said if it was used in salt water i would keep clear . the merc sb chevies last about 4 years in salt water and there toast .i sure would love to have those wwater cooled manifolds and those risers but they could be getting thin also.
 
I will find out on the parts for you Jimmy, I should be talking to the owner this week. What are the manifolds worth? If you look they seem to say replacement for chrysler. I think he said something about having to get new onew, is it possible they are reproductions? The boat has been operated for as long as the owner knows in fresh water
 
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