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Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to share some pictures from this weekend. I got a good start as the deck is gone, engines removed, old exhaust system gone, thru hulls and seacocks removed, old wiring gone, etc. Three gallons of degreaser used and there's still oil & grease in that bilge!

My engines arrive March 13. Then the real fun starts.

You guys like that copper exhaust system? Nearly 40 years and still going strong. No leaks or corrosion.

Vince









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Vince,

Six years ago I did what you're doing now, and actually enjoyed all that dirty work. I'm trying to figure out the make of engine that you are removing (is the John Deere green a hint?). Also, what are you going back with? Thanks for posting the photos....please keep us updated as to your progress.

Tommy

Tommy,

They are Detroit Diesels 4-53N's. I agree about the fun part. It was really fun tearing out all that old, dirty stuff!

Vince

Oh yea, I'm putting in 315 hp Cummins Remans.

You will be very happy with your "new" boat!

Tommy

Vince,

Are those the original engines? 40 years!

Scot,

They are original with one rebuild about 1600 hrs ago. Pretty amazing! As we were tearing things apart, everybody had an opinion on what they thought could have been done better. And I kept telling everybody that you can't be too critical since everything has lasted almost 40 years. I find that pretty darn good.

Vince,

I'm sure your new engines will give you great service and be MUCH MUCH faster...but I doubt they will out live those DD's! I guess someone could drop in some new sleeves and go another 40 years, although it would be at a snails pace.

Good luck,

Vince.
What are you doing with the old motors?
Bruce

Bruce:

Thuuuddddd already has a set of motors!

Tom

Bruce,

I have a buddy who's taking them. They both run great. In fact, the oil pressure hasn't changed in 8 years. He's going to do all my engine mount welding work in exchange for the engines. He uses them to run a saw mill. He runs them wide open on that saw mill!

I'm curious to hear your opinion of the copper exhaust system (risers, etc.). I never hear them discussed as a material for exhaust construction. It seems it would be cheaper and easier than stainless. It lasted nearly 40 years!

On my old exhaust, everything was brazed, not welded. Four inch dia. tubing was custom made using rolled copper sheet.

Copper in the exhaust.....My Cummins 6BTAs, made in 1989, have the optional cupro-nickel exhaust elbows. I've had the hoses off them in the last couple of years, and they look brand new. AJ stays most of the time in fresh water, but my 5" stainless welded pipes that take the exhaust down and around the back of the engines have not lasted as well.

Copper be's good.

UV

I used some cast copper fittings that i got at the local plumbing supply store and brazed copper pipe to them to make the elbows. Only thing was this was for small block fords and i used 3 inch tubing. A little small for you diesel guys. Anyways it was way cheaper than even the cast iron elbows that i was replacing and other than the greenish tint they way way outlasted the cast irons. I would do it again if i could get the fittings in 4inch. Also i run in salt water.

Vince,
Copper is a good material and long lasting.
Cupro nickel in marine is better.

Cupro nickel coolers will last a real long time and 98% of the leaks developed are at the solder seams not the material itself.
Absent of strong galvanic action it will last longer than stainless.

Stainless gets a bad rap. The biggest problem is bad welding which includes wrong sheilding gases, material prep, inferior material and wrong filler.

I see stainless risers lasting 20 years with no signs of a problems and others not a year old sprinkling at the seams.

Pickling or descaling then passivating, which is the process by which stainless steel will spontaneously form a chemically inactive surface when exposed to air or other oxygen-containing environments is a key element of treating stainless material in exhaust or corrosive environments.

95% of the time it is not done or not done right because of the additional cost on top of already expensive risers.

Finding someone to braze a copper riser may be difficult along with the size of material used due to PVC being used in piping systems now.

Don't know about pricing either. Copper and brass are thru the roof.
Was at the range yesterday and a 55 gal drum full of spent brass is fetching $800.00. They had ten of them ready for the scrap yard.

Good luck with the repower.
Bruce

Was looking for a pair of 453's for a customer down off of Honduras.

Bruce:

Here is a pair of 471s - for sale in Arizona on e-bay

TWIN DETROIT (GM) 4/71 MARINE DIESELS W/ TRANSMISSIONS
USED, REBUILT, 1-LH + 1-RH ROTATIONS, AS IS, WHERE IS Item number: 270095807924