36c vs 3208TA

[ohiohatteras]

Found a decent deal on a pair of used 3208TA (375hp) Cats. Any of you know or tried to fit these in a 70's vintage 36c?

Please let me know what you know....
Thx

 

[dsharp]

I'm pretty sure you have to use an angle gear to get the heat exchanger under the deck and you may still have to cut some on the hatch. The engines will fit otherwise. Need 6" exhaust and I believe 1 1/4" sea strainers. At 375 hp those engines are borderline. They were originally 210 hp. The cooling systems are marginal at that hp level. I'm pretty sure Hatteras used those engines in their 36' convertibles. I think the newer Cummins engines would be a better choice if the dollars were close.

 

[Avenger]

They'll fit but.....

It's pretty much a guarantee you'll have to raise the salon deck. For the 375 HP engines you'll probably be using MG506 gears. About 99% certain you'll have to use straight, not angled. The aftercoolers will stick up higher than the deck. My 3208Ts have MG502As which have a drop-down configuration. This put the engines in a nose-down attitude which makes the turbos stick up. The deck is raised about 2" and they still barely fit.

If you're under 6ft tall it probably won't bother you.

 

[ohiohatteras]

Thanks for the quick replies! Just spent a fortune on the interior including all new teak & holly floors.....so I don't want to raise the decka and have to redo everything.

Back to Plan B......

 

[jim rosenthal]

As I recollect, the highest power version of this engine which will fit under the normal deck height is the 355, and don't take my word for that. These are old engines and heavy as well. You would be better off with reman Cummins B series engines if you can possibly afford them- the 315hp version will give you better performance than the 3208s, because they are lighter by far, and for the higher hp versions the performance just goes up. The service access for large V8s such as 3208s is poor in that size boat. Even as a good deal or an outright gift, I don't think you would be happy in the long run.

 

[Avenger]

The 320 is the highest horsepower 3208 that I'm aware of that doesn't have an aftercooler. With a straight gear like a MG506 it should fit okay, but once you go to 355 you have that big aftercooler on top of the engine. My 260s would fit better with an MG506 as well. Something I'm looking around for, however it's a lot of $$$ and effort to gain 2 inches of headroom which still leaves me ducking, just not as much.

I'd agree that the Cummins B series is definitely the way to go for a repower. The Cummins reman package is one of the best bargains in diesels and a solid engine with an excellent history.

 

[saltshaker]

The 320 is the highest horsepower 3208 that I'm aware of that doesn't have an aftercooler. With a straight gear like a MG506 it should fit okay, but once you go to 355 you have that big aftercooler on top of the engine. My 260s would fit better with an MG506 as well. Something I'm looking around for, however it's a lot of $$$ and effort to gain 2 inches of headroom which still leaves me ducking, just not as much.

I'd agree that the Cummins B series is definitely the way to go for a repower. The Cummins reman package is one of the best bargains in diesels and a solid engine with an excellent history.

Not too familiar with the configuration of the engines or ER but wouldn't a down angle gear help? You'll loose bottom end clearance but should gain a lot of overhead clearance. My 6V92s are slightly taller than the 8V71s were but with the down angle gear I gained almost a foot of clearance. Engines sit level in th ER so gain increases toward the front of the engine

 

[jmencel]

I have a 36 S with factory installed 3208T's. The naturally aspirated version is 220 hp. Mine are turbo charged to produce 320hp. There are 375hp and 425hp versions out there (TA's) which use aftercoolers in addition to the turbochargers. These latter two versions work pretty hard at this hp rating, and shorter engine life is usually the result. I like my 3208's but space is tight in the engine room, especially if one has to get to the back side of the engines. In the mid 80's 36 you need to be able to open your floors sufficient to get access to the top of the engines to do more serious work like servicing the injectors.

 

[madhatter1]

I would recommend Cummins 5.9 Remans. As you go higher in HP by design the lower the profile of the engine. 330's or 370's will fit right in with no problem. The remans are new but have no electronics or emissions. AKA fuel economy and trouble free. May or may not help you but an option to consider.

 

[Avenger]

Not too familiar with the configuration of the engines or ER but wouldn't a down angle gear help? You'll loose bottom end clearance but should gain a lot of overhead clearance. My 6V92s are slightly taller than the 8V71s were but with the down angle gear I gained almost a foot of clearance. Engines sit level in th ER so gain increases toward the front of the engine

I'm not sure if other configurations are available, but on mine the sump is in the front of the engine and with the drop-down and the down angle of the MG502As the pans are about 1/8" from the bilge. I would actually gain in every direction by using a MG506 concentric shaft straight gearbox. It would lower the turbos and raise the sumps. All good for a turbo engine, but if it had an aftercooler like a 375 that would stick up higher and you'd be back to raising the floor.