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The elusive 224/3.7 MerCruiser banger

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by tjm73, Apr 9, 2008.

  1. dawford
    Joined: Apr 25, 2010
    Posts: 498

    dawford
    Member

    You are correct on the thread diameter. The thread length is definitely 1.5".

    I just noted that the mid section of the bolt tapered down from the top of the bolt and assumed that the threads were 1/2".

    You know that when I assume something it some times makes me the ass in assumed. :eek:

    Sorry for the misinformation.

    At any rate I think that the threads are deep enough to hold the torque of the head bolts.

    I didn't mention that the bolt in the picture has an F stamped in the middle of the head.

    Dick :) :) :)
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2012
  2. mine also have an F on them, I thought it meant Ford.
     
  3. jmayabb
    Joined: Nov 18, 2009
    Posts: 21

    jmayabb
    Member
    from Kentucky

  4. jmayabb
    Joined: Nov 18, 2009
    Posts: 21

    jmayabb
    Member
    from Kentucky

  5. I see a timing belt with a tensioner in the above photo. Good.
     
  6. iadr
    Joined: Apr 14, 2007
    Posts: 147

    iadr
    Member

    White belt is a Jesel exclusive. I had thought of doing that. Makes for less harmonics in the engine, by far. And that's an Innovators West balancer, for much the same reason.


    Interesting video of a very home built Swedish (? Scnadinavian anyway) Turbo build.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgZLKEToBuo&feature=share

    He writes:
    110mm borr, 93mm slag (om jag minns rätt) smidda kolvar 9.1-1 komp, fullportad topp, 53mm insugsventiler, 43mm avgas ventiler, rullvippor, stålstakar,tryck dellortto,gt45 turbo, aluminium block med stålfoder, gjutjärnstopp, (finns alu att köpa Ford motorsport), kolvar ford 460, stakar ford 429, topp ford 429hp, vev,kam (lyfter ca 12.2mm mätt med skjutmått) och block är mercruiser båt.

    110 bore, 93mm stroke (stock, btw), forged pistons 9.1:1, full ported head,2.08 intake valve, 1.69exhaust, roller rockers, steel con rods, Dellorto carburetors, Gt45 turbo, .480 lift cam.

    Nothing radical, pretty tight budget, but probably a low 10's car, if not faster. I'm sending him the link to this thread.
     
  7. res0wc18
    Joined: Feb 2, 2012
    Posts: 14

    res0wc18
    Member

    Dennis/ Dick you guys are making some awesome progress.

    Has anyone further firmed up the External Water pump stuff?

    Im still open and willing to plasma table some plates if someone can provide some drawings or a working plate setup for me to copy.
     
  8. iadr
    Joined: Apr 14, 2007
    Posts: 147

    iadr
    Member

    From this angle it seems pretty clear he machined off 5/8 approx from the deck and replaced it with a billet plate. Look above the OE Merc finned lifter gallery plate. There should be about 7/8" there that's missing. I'm thinking maybe he machined the outer block away and left the cylinders proud, and then cut the 4 holes in the plate so it dropped down over the liners to effect a traditional closed deck design? You'd have to finish machine the outside of the liners, but not that hard at this level of building. This is quite the advanced project.

    Do you know which this is- Mr From or Mr Ness building this motor?
     
  9. dawford
    Joined: Apr 25, 2010
    Posts: 498

    dawford
    Member

    resOwc18,

    All that is required is the back plate of the Toyota Corolla water pump.

    The pumps that we use have a flat plate on the back side of the pump that the impeller runs against.

    Am aluminum plate cut to replace that back plate having enough thickness to drill and tap a pipe fitting in place of the outlet hole that normally feeds water directly to the Toyota block when used as originally intended.

    Dennis made a plate that bolts in place of the original Mercruiser pump cover.

    If you want to make one like Dennis made use an original Mercruiser water pump cover as a template and locate the holes for the Toyota water pump like Dennis did.

    Dennis was fortunate that the pump he selected was the right thickness to allow the belt pulley to align with the harmonic balancer pulley. See page 32.

    I am going to make brackets similar to the alternator brackets and bolt them to the black and to the through holes on the water pump.

    That way the alternator and the water pump can both run on the same belt.

    I will mount both of them one on each side toward the top of the block to insure that the belt makes adequate contact with all of the pulleys.

    I also had to modify the front cover to install a pipe fitting for the water inlet to the block.
    See photos earlier in the thread page 24..

    Dick :) :) :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2012
  10. iiijbird
    Joined: Jan 20, 2012
    Posts: 13

    iiijbird
    Member
    from canada

    Ya Res sorry about that, I have bin really busy and have not had time to do that drawing yet, Will try to get a friend to do it this week..
    Again thanks to all for the good info!!

    Curtis
     
  11. A Corolla pump is close to right to begin with.
    I got some old pulleys at a junkyard and had their offsets to choose from.
    So I selected water pump pulleys and back plate thickness until it lined up.
    The generator is on the same belt and is the belt's tensioner.
     
  12. Yes, a contoured rear cover does promote efficiency.

    I did not worry about efficiency as the pump was larger than some pumps on larger engines. Pumps vary quite a bit. Some don't look good but they work too. The difference is how much power do they take. That is a reason to go electric, the power can be stored in the battery from time when the engine is not in competition.

    Rear plates sometimes have deflectors to turn the water for efficiency, I let the housing do that as it is curved as the deflectors are.

    I just made the outlet hole as large as I dared and hoped for the best.

    Fortunately, It worked on the first try.

    Efficiency is helped by having water connections at the rear of the head and at the front of the head, and having them as large as possible, and I've not been using a thermostat. I think this engine does ok without one as the temps always get up around 200 and a fan comes on if they go higher than 210. It seems enough to be able to pull the temp down. I did have to go to a thicker radiator. (Another volvo radiator from the junkyard.)
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2012
  13. Is anyone else running one of these engines yet?
    I made a car with a five gallon fuel cell, but it has proved too small.

    I am adding underfloor tanks but as the space is tight, I have a frame to driveshaft width limit of 10 inches an appearance depth limit of 6 to 8 inches and a length limit of 34 to 30 inches per tank. The only choice is to make a tank or tanks.

    What material?

    Old computer cases are cheap, plain mild steel, the right thickness and nearly the right size. Eight inch aluminum irrigation pipe is good but would need welding unless I use polysulfide tank seal ant [$85 per pint]. I have even considered converting an old brass soda/water fire extinguisher to a fuel tank.

    update: I stretched a small propane tank to triple its length. It fits, is easy to work with and was free. The tubing and fittings did cost.
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2012
  14. BuiltFerComfort
    Joined: Jan 24, 2007
    Posts: 1,619

    BuiltFerComfort
    Member

    Might a side-saddle pickup tank work? Perhaps aftermarket one for a smaller truck? Easier to make one smaller than larger.
     
  15. dawford
    Joined: Apr 25, 2010
    Posts: 498

    dawford
    Member

    Dennis,

    Speedway has 8X33" 7 gallon spun Aluminum tanks for $144.99 including cap and brackets.

    I was trying to figure out how to make my own tanks but decided that my time at my current wage (retired) it would be cheaper and safer to buy my tanks ready made and leak proof.

    Weight is also a consideration and spun aluminum is light.

    Dick :) :) :)
     
  16. I cut in half an 8" diameter propane tank and lengthened it out to 26 inches this afternoon.
    Making It was fun and it may end up as a reserve fuel tank.
     
  17. dawford
    Joined: Apr 25, 2010
    Posts: 498

    dawford
    Member

    Dennis,

    Unless your tank is rounded off at the ends it should hold a little more than 5 gallons giving you 10 total with your other tank.

    I think I will use 2 of the 7 gallon tanks for 14 total and try to keep one as a reserve.

    I will run one until I think it is about out then switch to the other and look for a gas station and fill both staying on the second tank until I either run out or switch back to the first.

    That way each tank gets fresh gas regularly. I don't need a gas gage and I remember my early VW that had only a reserve and no gage.

    The only problem there was if I didn't turn off the reserve at fill up I still might run out of gas if I didn't fill up regularly. Happened several times.

    Anyway I like to get gas because it almost always results in interest in my Model A or Volvo at the pumps and I expect to get good mileage on the road at cruising speed running on the small primaries in the QuadraJet while in overdrive.

    Dick :) :) :)
     
  18. Running out of gas with a 5 gallon tank is easy but with minor planning can be prevented.
    What I have been doing is carry a small thank which can be poured into the main tank when it runs dry.

    I presently get about 15 mpg running 14:1 with its Autolite 2100 carb.
    If I rejet it to run at 12:1 under 2000 rpm it should do better.

    The points worked loose last summer and it was running odd but it did get 21mpg on one tank, so different ignition timing may be a another way to get more mpg.

    You mentioned running with no fuel gauge, I have found that mine routinely needs more gas at 60 to 70 miles, It will be very nice to just turn the valve to get more fuel. Running two tanks has great merit.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2012
  19. iadr
    Joined: Apr 14, 2007
    Posts: 147

    iadr
    Member

    This would seem backward? lower number is richer. If it is richer at low RPM, is should burn more fuel.
     
  20. :
    I anticipate changing from #48 ford main jets to #40 ford main jets. My oxygen meter should indicate a leaner mixture by going from its present 500 millivolts down to around 100 millivolts but should return to 500 mv at wide open throttle operation. If I get it right.



    It does not take much to check this, just a oxygen sensor and a harbor freight multimeter. Minimal cost, the meter was a door prize and the sensor was left over from a cavalier that I scrapped.

    You should see me get things backward bending tubing "Idar" is of course right The smaller Jets have larger numbers so I'd have to go to a 50 or 52 from a 48 to lean it a bit
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2012
  21. The selector valve is also an anti theft device (when shut off).

    My new fuel system should be done tomorrow. It incorporates some needed fixes.

    A fail safe tube bending technique which I invented yesterday:

    Put the tube and the bender within vice jaws. The vise acts as a restraint,but not a clamp. Stiff tubing can't escape from the bender and kink.

    I usually kinked my 3/8" fuel line tubing until I used a vise. Now I can form it in a perfect 90 degree 1" radius bend.
     
  22. dawford
    Joined: Apr 25, 2010
    Posts: 498

    dawford
    Member

    dennis,

    A picture of your technic would help us understand and would let us see what type of bender that you use.

    Thanks Dick :) :) :)
     
  23. my cheap bender looks like a stack of pulleys. A lever turns it wrapping the tube around it. Another part of the lever holds the tube.

    It works well on small tubing but 3/8" tubing usually kinks just outside of the bender "pulley" on anything but a bend of only a few degrees.

    As the "pulleys" are complete circles, they can turn freely between parallel surfaces.

    So if it is placed between vice jaws any tube in the "pulley" is forced to bend within the "pulley" and is not free to kink. Good tight radius bends can be made. :D

    The only remaining problem is operator error bending the tube in the wrong direction. :(

    Scrap 3/8" tubing is still useful for making tiny conduit for protecting critical wires in hazardous locations, for example, a fuel pump power lead run beneath a floor.
     
  24. War surplus aircraft hydraulic fluid reservoirs are appropriate in size and are very light. They have huge AN fittings which would have to be adapted down.
     
  25. Both Ford and Holley jets are sized so that larger numbers mean more fuel flow.
    thus a 46F would be leaner than a 48F the difference between Ford and Holley sizes is that Holley jets size relates directly to fuel flow but a Ford Jets number is its size in thousandths. Jets ten step #s larger are visibly larger. Either way, a bigger number means more fuel will flow. A Ford jet number is its diameter in thousandths of an inch.

    Another factor is manifold design:
    V8 engines normally use dual plane manifolds for 2 or 4 bbl carbs allowing good charge separation between cylinders. more torque with good economy. sacrificing? flat out power.
    the standard Merc 2bbl manifold is, in effect, a single plane manifold.

    mixture is an interaction between:
    1. jet size
    2. fuel level in the float bowl
    3. booster venturi diameter

    my engine had to be jetted much leaner to run right
    The best way to decide this is with the use of an oxygen probe.

    dennis

    .
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2012
  26. US_Marshall
    Joined: Oct 26, 2011
    Posts: 85

    US_Marshall
    Member

    [​IMG]

    Setting up for computer controlled fuel injection with independent throttle bodies.
     
  27. tjm73
    Joined: Feb 17, 2006
    Posts: 3,484

    tjm73
    Member

    What valve cover is that?
     
  28. Looks just like what my mercruiser engine came with.
     
  29. Let us know which components you are using and how things work out.

    A Lumina throttle body might work in a single throttle body setup. [but it is for a smaller (120 hp) engine.]
     
  30. iadr
    Joined: Apr 14, 2007
    Posts: 147

    iadr
    Member

    Looks like you are fairly early on in the process, then... :p:):p:):D

    Seriously, though- I do plan to do the same. I'm just going to use a Pertronix module in the factory distributor, and run 4 Intrepid 3.5 throttle bodies turned sideways (shafts vertical), and weld in injector bungs close to the head, betwwen the throttle bodies and the head.
    You have it easy, flange-wise. The boss head's intake flange sits at an angle to the deck (not 90*, has about a 5-6*), so I have to mill the lower edge where it sits against the block. Which means I shifted to .75" aluminum, which is a PITA. I will be using 2" nominal Sched 40 aluminum pipe, which is 2.067" ID. I have bought from here twice before when making an intake manifold and was very pleased: http://www.wagnercompanies.com/Elbows_and_Wall_Returns_for_Pi.aspx
     

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