My 3200 SCR Restoration - Page 2 - Maxum Boat Owners Club

speedysprocket · 10-20-2015, 01:54 PM

Ok, thanks for the help.
Next question- shift cable bellows. Looks like I need to pull the whole shift cable out of the gimbal housing. Is that possible with the engine in? Any tricks to getting the cable out and back in?

mmwjr · 10-20-2015, 05:13 PM

The engine does not need to come out to remove the lower shift cable. You will need to remove the cable from the shift bracket and then remove the cable end and barrel nut adjuster to get it to fit through the hole in the transom assembly. IMO the 3200 has pretty good access to the inner transom area.

The other end of the cable threads into the bell housing on the outside.

I suggest you get the manual to review before starting.

speedysprocket · 11-03-2015, 12:04 AM

Got my gimbal housings all stripped down finally! One pivot pin for the gimbal ring looks great, but the other one will be replaced. Should I buy stainless pins for both, or is a good used one all I need to replace the rusty one? Boat will be in salt water...

mmwjr · 11-03-2015, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedysprocket

Got my gimbal housings all stripped down finally! One pivot pin for the gimbal ring looks great, but the other one will be replaced. Should I buy stainless pins for both, or is a good used one all I need to replace the rusty one? Boat will be in salt water...

IMO for all the work you are doing I would replace them with new OEM parts.

speedysprocket · 11-03-2015, 12:50 AM

Is there a reason to not use the aftermarket stainless ones? I am going to have to replace both. The one that looked good has some wear where the very top bushing rides.

mmwjr · 11-03-2015, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedysprocket

Is there a reason to not use the aftermarket stainless ones? I am going to have to replace both. The one that looked good has some wear where the very top bushing rides.

If you can be sure the company is using high quality SS and not low grade? In some cases just because it's advertised as 416 SS the raw material supplier pushs junk. A lot a fraud fasteners out there.

speedysprocket · 11-03-2015, 01:50 AM

304 should still be better than the cadmium plated steel. Just hard to justify $300+ for a steel OEM one when a stainless aftermarket is $80...

speedysprocket · 11-08-2015, 06:51 PM

Finished rebuilding one lower end- stripped, prepped, primed, and painted outside, bearing carrier, and exhaust passage and replaced seals. Can't wait to finish the top end and get it together to pressure test, and then repeat it all for the other side...

speedysprocket · 11-08-2015, 11:27 PM

And someone local is selling two Bravo III lower ends for $750 a piece, without props. Are they a worthwhile upgrade for this boat? He says I should replace the seals, but otherwise they should be ok... Used props on ebay look to be another $1200 for all four...

mmwjr · 11-09-2015, 01:09 AM

That's a pricy investment plus the cost of seals. If you had expierenced on the BIIs and new if you were happy or not then you could decide.

Additionally if they need seals one must wonder if water got in and what is the condition of the gears and bearings.

speedysprocket · 11-09-2015, 01:18 AM

He just thinks they'd need seals because they've been sitting on a pallet for three years with no oil in them.
Those seals look easier to replace than what I just went through on the bravo 2, but my intention was to keep cost down on this "restoration". At the same time, though, I don't know how many years my 2s have left in them... I'll probably let these 3s slip by and regret it later.

mmwjr · 11-09-2015, 01:21 AM

IMO the BIIIs will give better performance but the BIIs are much more bullet proof.

I would think with the counter rotating prop shafts the BIIIs would be more involved to reseal.

speedysprocket · 11-09-2015, 01:26 AM

The B3 bearing carrier assembly looks much easier to work on since it doesn't have the exhaust going around it like on the B2. That bearing carrier removal and installation was more painful than everything else so far!

mmwjr · 11-09-2015, 01:30 AM

I'll trust you here as you have done it and I have not. Yet my 97' have the original BII that has not been touched other than lube changes.

speedysprocket · 11-09-2015, 01:31 AM

Well that's a good sign.

speedysprocket · 12-02-2015, 02:59 PM

Ok- gimbal ring U-Bolts. Are you or are you not suppose to replace them rather than reuse? One ring uses the original 3/8" U-Bolt while the other one appears to have been replaced at some point and uses a larger U-Bolt that I haven't been able to source yet. Should I replace the smaller U-Bolt and reuse the larger one?

mmwjr · 12-02-2015, 05:19 PM

I am not aware of the U-bolt size being changed. I do know merc offers the standard steel swivel shaft and a SS one.

speedysprocket · 12-02-2015, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmwjr

I am not aware of the U-bolt size being changed. I do know merc offers the standard steel swivel shaft and a SS one.

I did read on another forum where they mentioned later ones had a larger U-Bolt because of the known issue of them stretching, but my parts searches haven't yielded a number yet.
And I did buy stainless swivel pins. They fit my gimbal rings very tightly, so good sign there!

speedysprocket · 12-02-2015, 07:26 PM

I found the bigger u-bolt part number...

jparsons121 · 12-02-2015, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedysprocket

And someone local is selling two Bravo III lower ends for $750 a piece, without props. Are they a worthwhile upgrade for this boat? He says I should replace the seals, but otherwise they should be ok... Used props on ebay look to be another $1200 for all four...

I'd stick with the B2's. Personally, I wouldn't see BIII as an upgrade. The B2's are pretty much bullet-proof and the larger diameter props are a big plus over the BIII for low speed handling and planning speeds.

John