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smidgen too
02-12-2012, 02:17 AM
I was wondering if any one has come up with a way to aligned the engine up to a Volvo 270 drive transom plate??? I have seen in one of the Volvo manuals that they use a stepped wedge blocks that I believe are inserted around the intermediate bearing housing & the Volvo transom plate?? There must be a better way. I am replacing the stock engine mounts with racing Merc one piece saddle mounts in my Magnum. After all these years working on offshores this is a first attempt to aligning a Volvo set up. Mark

maddad
02-12-2012, 09:29 AM
The way the Volvos seal the connection with the two rubber gaskets makes for a close is good enough situation. When I switched from Ford to Chevy, I bolted up the bell housing to the transom shield and then hung a bare SBC block from my engine hoist until the dowel pins on the block met the bell housing and sat flush against it. Then I put the mounts on the block, bolted the angle plates the mounts sit on to the mounts and used the holes in the plate to guide the drill bit through the stringers.

f_inscreenname
02-12-2012, 11:18 AM
I always lined the 3 tabs up on the shield to the tabs on the bellhousing, take the weight off the front of the motor, bolt up the transom then set it down. Check the distance between the tabs which has always been right. With the double universal joint in the drive you could put the motor in sideways and the drive on crooked and it would still work fine though.

Conquistador_del_mar
02-12-2012, 12:05 PM
Mark,
I installed the engine mounts like Maddad on my 1971 Donzi when I had to change to a different length intermediate housing. I believe the system is fairly forgiving as long as you get it close. Bill

smidgen too
02-12-2012, 11:56 PM
THANKS EVERYONE for all the info. Ironhead on OSO gave me a set of Merc race engine mounts, so now is a good time to change everything out. I have also found a few compleat fresh water Volvo drives for my Magnums restoration. I'm only going to use the lowers off the drives that came with this Mag as they have the Merc prop shafts. Hopefully in about 4 to 6 weeks winter here will be over and the fun can resume... :nilly:

maddad
02-13-2012, 05:28 PM
Smidgen too, don't throw out the lowers with the Volvo shafts to quickly. Me and everyone else who's tried the Merc shafts in a Volvo drive will tell you they won't last. They aren't hard/strong enough and will start to bend, causing everything to wobble and shake.
I'd suggest using the Volvo shafts and Solas props.

smidgen too
02-13-2012, 06:42 PM
[Smidgen too, don't throw out the lowers with the Volvo shafts to quickly. Me and everyone else who's tried the Merc shafts in a Volvo drive will tell you they won't last]

Thanks for the imput but these shafts were made by Hill Marine and have been on this Mag for around 10 + years & look perfect. ROGER MUN installed them and has used them many times.

HallJ
02-13-2012, 09:53 PM
Unfortunately the Solas props don't work very well on raised drives.

Mark, You better lock up those prop shafts! They might turn up missing next time I'm in town.

Ten years of offshore, '78 to '88. Awesome video footage :boat:

Jeff

f_inscreenname
02-13-2012, 10:28 PM
I have one of those shafts sitting on a shelf in the garage. Just don't have the heart to change it out after 40 years of hard, hard work by my Volvo. But I'm also lucky that Solas props work on my boat.

smidgen too
02-15-2012, 01:22 AM
Back in the day being from the Detroit area you could find a tool & die machine shop on almost any corner. Shops like Ken Blacks Muskie tool & die could broach a Merc prop to a Volvo shaft with no problem, and he did. However today you would be lucky to find a tool & die shop that is still open, :boggled: sad but true.
This is one on Ken's shop ad's from back in the day. :yes:

Conquistador_del_mar
02-15-2012, 02:14 AM
Yep. It is almost impossible to get custom work like that done now. One of the members here tried to find someone to custom make the gearsets for the e-drives (I still call them speedmasters). It was absolutely impossible to justify spending the amount he was quoted.
I have one of those Merc shafts in a Volvo 280 lower that needs to be rebuilt. Can you recommend someone to rebuild a 280 lower? Thanks, Bill

f_inscreenname
02-15-2012, 07:30 AM
You think that's bad. Try having a gear made for a Casale V drive. 5 grand to start.

mphatc
02-15-2012, 08:32 PM
I just had my 2 Volvo 280 drives rebuilt by a machinist marine tech in southern NJ.

Chet Purves
Purves Marine Works
609-296-1263

He is also a Magnum 27 owner and a Donzi owner. Talented old school machinist tech. He set my drives up so that there is a starboard and a port drive , gear lasah is different depending on rotation as I'll be running close to 500 hp through each drive.

I will have prop challenges with my drive ratios and the raised drives, and am in contact with Hale Propellors in CT. More on this as I learn more.

Mario L.

zelatore
02-15-2012, 10:05 PM
All this talk about not being able to find a machinst to custom make parts - anybody ever try these guys?

http://www.emachineshop.com/

I haven't used them, but sounds like they are geared toward one-offs

Conquistador_del_mar
02-15-2012, 10:15 PM
I just had my 2 Volvo 280 drives rebuilt by a machinist marine tech in southern NJ.

Chet Purves
Purves Marine Works
609-296-1263

Thank you, Mario. Bill