I liked Bill Bowman’s article, “Out with the Old; in with the New,” in the April issue. There were lots of thoughtful details about the swap out of the 18-horse engine with rebuilt 28-horse model, which should be helpful to anyone contemplating a similar effort.
We have three suggestions though for the future:
- Rather than hiring a crane to remove the old engine, boaters on a budget should consider borrowing a local utility’s bucket truck or having the neighborhood garage come by with their tow truck.
- With the money you save by not employing a crane service, consider building a wooden engine stand. With a good stand, you can remove parts from the engine to reskid the engine when you ship the core back to the rebuilder. See our “Tech Tip #57: “How to Ship an Engine,” for plans for a simple but rugged engine stand.
- Finally, we also publish a detailed check list for anyone installing an engine and performing the initial start-up. Such a check list can be very helpful because serious problem can happen during the installation and start up. Engines can run be run without lube oil or coolant; fires can occur, etc. See Tech Tip #17: Installing a Replacement Engine.
