OMC Looper info?

[Wild Bill]

Along time ago I thought Instigator or some one else had an in depth website dedicated to the intricacies of OMC's. Best blocks,heads and other stuff. I thought DBR had a similar thread in the technical but I didn't see it any more. Does anyone remember what the link was?
Also I have seen OMC ignition setup with two three cylinder jet ski ignition boxes,msd or something I am curious how that was set up. Saw that set up om boats around the Coldwater MI. area.

[MattGreen]

DBR’s website does have some good background info. There are also several historical threads on here that will provide a ton of information. In particular, look for responses by “Racer” for top-notch information. If that still doesn’t do the trick, post it here and you’re likely to get a solid answer.

Matt

[H2OPERF]

Best parts really depends on what you want to do... push a 500lb race boat or a heavy bass boat. The msd cdi and yamaha ignition conversins for carb motors is pretty much a thing of the past, yea it works but it takes alot of work to adapt everything to an omc just for spark .. IMO in todays world if you wanna run carbs and want high end controllable ignition just pick up a stand alone low cost used ECU and only use it for ignition, a reluctor wheel with a hall sensor and you have unlimited capability.

[Wild Bill]

Sounds like a plan. There use to be a group of hardcore omc guys in MI that could run with anything back in the day, and those engines sounded so cool. I thought about redoing an HST and putting a 15 inch sport master 350-400 hp looper on it. I guess finding a lite flywheel is the hardest thing to find. But I need more room and don't need three boats. I wish I could remember the website that had the info.

[H2OPERF]

Gordon at Monty racing has anything you need, really nice heads, light flywheels and can do port work for any power level. The old gold second-effort flywheels are not really that light compared to what you can run with an ECU.

[Instigator]

You can do a lot on low budget w/OEM parts if you’re careful.

You can learn a lot of the basics by searching my FrankenRude builds and my OMC looper tech tips.

And Dave is correct too.
Deciding what you want will guide your path.

i.e.,

power?

budget?

pump gas or race?

how much of the work can you do yourself?
(That is maybe key in the formula and has broken the back of many shade tree builders.)

race boat or play boat?
The more race, the less time you’ll spend on the water and more in the shop?

who’s going to tune the completed project?
another common back breaker of projects. Many, mistakenly think you just bolt the parts together and go and that ain’t even close.

many, many people have spent a bunch of money on a cool looking project, only to blow it apart the first time that let it off the leash!
how many times do you do that before giving up and buying a 2.5?

building a successful hot rod OMC project takes 10 times the work that a 2.5 Merc does.

I’ve talked more people into the 2.5 route than the JohnRude route unless, you are capable of doing it all yourself and have a ton of patience.

[Instigator]

PS:

Frank I was probably 300 hp and was LARGE fun!

1/4 the cost of Frank II and put 10 times the hrs on it!

Frank II was probably 400 hp, was a bad sum bitch but at 4 x the cost and 10 times the labor of Frank I and spent way more time in my shop than on the water.

If you’re serious about a looper project, pm me, I’ll give you my # and will happily tell you everything I know.

[Instigator]

Carb’d Frank I the w/the unobtanium velocity stacks I spent $2500 having a 100 made so I could have 6!

Look close and you’ll see the Merc blood spatters on the powerhead from the I-6 sacrificed for good luck.

[Wild Bill]

Thanks Instigator,I would be doing most of the work myself and yep I know how to blow up a motor been there. Friend of mine has a looper in parts that has been ported locally by the MI. guys and i think checked out by Monty. He sold the second effort intake though. He is not in good health and will not be doing anything with it. I am just thinking.
Already have a XR 2002 with a SVS Drag and an Obsession Vortex 21 with a 300X so I really don't need another project. But I keep getting the fiberglass itch sometime.

[Wild Bill]

Tried to pm you Instigator, cant tell if it went through

[Instigator]

Pm sent.

[David]

What happened to Frank I and II? Are the motors still running?

[Wild Bill]

I will call next week. That work thing.

[Instigator]

Last I heard:

I ended up on the west coast pulling kids on tubes etc!
I loved hearing that, about a hot rod motor I built.

Al let me know it came to him a few yrs back w/a bad hole.
As in, it lasted decades as a hot rod motor and a tube pulling motor.

Whens the last time you heard that about a hot rod motor?

II went to a Merc owning friend in the Carolinas who was curious as to the power band/ass of a hot rod OMC vs a 2.5.

He had fun with it but I don’t think liked the PIA Mad EFI and it’s high maint tuning.

What happened to Frank I and II? Are the motors still running?