joew.

[QUOTE=then I apologize.[/QUOTE]

Who is doing the engine work now?

heavyhauler

Custom Marine Machine in Wilmington, NC pulled the engines and disassembled both as I watched, that's how I know for a fact what was inside the engines and what their condition was, and I'll agree with all those that knew the boat in the month or 2 before I got it that it had big top end speeds, but I'll be damned if I know how.

tomtbone1993

Its a Fountain

did some more research, it appears these guys worked on it in the early 90s Derebery Performance Marine

Also it had B&M 250's on it at one time

heavyhauler

Thank you for the information. I knew no one in their right mind would spend that much money on a low compression bottom end like the boat had in it, and then purposely put the top end the way it was when I got the boat. What I saw in the shortblock was saying bulletproof for superchargers, and what I saw on top was saying obsolete high compression parts for drag racing with carburetors.

Dkahnjob

So Tell us, what how are you going to set it up this time?
Inquiring minds need to know!

heavyhauler

Had to straighten the bent crank and turn it .010. New longer length rods (eagle), bore both blocks .030, JE .030 over pistons flat top this time, balance both assemblies, Ultra Dyn hydraulic rollers around .600 lift and 230 degrees @ .050, Merlin heads, New Dart intakes for 10.2" deck height blocks, and the 4500 Holleys if they work on the Dyno, and if not, 850 Holleys. Ready to run both on the dyno next week. Have CMI's w. Captains Choice. Eliminating the Captains choice, as my motor man feels that the agressive camshafts that were in the boat along with captains choice caused the water injestion. Don't want to take any chances so going along with his suggestions on that. With the 1/8" stroke cranks and .030 over bore it shoud be 564 cubic inches with all parts matching one another. I'm hoping for top end performance like all the Texas boys said it had and be able to get it off and on the trailer or pull up to a dock with relative ease. Previously that was impossible, but when you look at what was there, its unbelievable that it would run at all. I'm hoping to have some fun with it next summer, and will be disappointed if I don't.

wstultz

Heavy,

I didn't mean to come off negative. I'm glad you like the boat and sorry you had trouble with her. T-bone might have been mistaken about the blowers.....The original owner had a '91 model 38 that was red and also called Orca Challenge. Derebery did all of the work on that boat and it had huge motors with blowers on them. This boat rarely ran correctly which was the owners reason for buying the stock Orca that you now own. When we asked the first owner he said that only Fountain worked on the boat. You must be right to believe this is not true because I don't see Fountain putting engines like that together. I guess it is possible that Derebery could of worked on his second Fountain. You might give them as shout and see what they know about it. If you do call them make sure you are clear that the boat you are talking about is not the red Orca.

heavyhauler

Someone was going in the direction of blowers with the bottom ends. Whether they ever actually put them on it I guess only the original owner could answer. From what I found in the engines it is obvious that what he told you was not correct information. He may have been led to believe otherwise by a shop or mechanic somewhere but got something entirely different. Only he could elaborate on that, and I've been led to believe that he no longer resides in the United States. We checked with Fountain early on and they had the original records and according to them the boat left Fountain with a pair of 540 Bulldog's with 850 Holley's. They had nothing to indicate it had ever returned to them for any reason, and I'm sure they would never install a combination like the boat had when I took delivery. The part that confounds me is that in 13 years there was an original owner who had it 12 plus years and claimed it was stock, the second owner who had it 6 months and made the same claims as the original owner and then myself since late August, yet I tear it down within 10 days of taking delivery, and find parts (the heads) that are 20 years older than the hull, and carbs and intakes that are automotive style (not that it really matters but there is a difference in the marine style dominator and the automotive style and the same with the marine style intake.), so I'm obviously thinking someone didn't give me the real story and I would really like to know and from the information I got from the second owner which he said was passed down from the first owner was that no one but Fountain had ever touched the boat, so naturally after talking to the second owner and advising him of what I had found and him steadfast that he had know knowledge, the next call was to Fountain and they don't know anything, so now I'm here to see who has any recollection, and I appreciate everyone who has contributed to the thread.

StraightJacket

Do you know the centers on the drives, are they at 34" . I just bought a 1990 38' Fever and plan on building 600 ci tall decks, was wondering what the clearance for headers might be .

heavyhauler

I'll have to get back to you on that one because I don't know the drive centers, and I'm about 80 miles from the boat, but the height difference in the blocks is .400". If the boat had big blocks in it originally, that should be the only difference as far as I'm aware. You probably already know that if the motors are side by side that the clearance is super close.