Brian, thanks for the insight. As you probably are aware, the water pump is driven by the camshaft. There are two seals, which I've had to replace once already, on the camshaft between the water pump impeller chamber and the oil galley behind it. The seals eventually harden and leak allowing coolant into the oil galley - an extremely poor design and a potential engine killer. In addition, the previous owner jury-rigged an alternator to the block below and to the left of the water pump when viewing from the front of the engine - apparently to eliminate the infamously unreliable stator charging system. One of the alternator mounting bolts sheared, and I had to drill and tap INSIDE the bolt that remained in the block due to insufficient block wall thickness around the broken bolt. The replacement bolt I used - even though it is a Grade 8 - can't be torqued enough to keep the alternator drive belt tight resulting in undercharging of the battery. I could go on, but you get the drift. If the hull and furnishings weren't in such good shape, I'd probably park it on the trailer on a hilltop and hope for a good electrical storm. So, I'm faced with the dilemma of either scrapping it completely or finding a RELIABLE replacement engine and outdrive. The current drive is an Alpha, but I'd be reluctant to reuse it in an engine swap. I have a line on a 4.3L 4bbl carbuerated engine with matching Alpha Gen 1 drive, but I'm unsure of the motor mount/transom mount matchup. I believe that the existing engine compartment and cover allow sufficient space to accommodate the V-6, but am uncertain about weight, alignment and other considerations. Any suggestions and opinions will be greatly appreciated.
Steve
