Mercruiser Pre-alpha Gimbal 4 Or 6 Cyl. Exhaust 1976-82 Transom Assembly Reman. on 2040-parts.com

This Listing is for 1

This listing is for a Pre-Alpha Gimbal, 4 or 6 cylinder from 1976-1982. Anything older than this is either a type 1 or a few other versions.

The parts do not interchange.

I have listings for type 1 gimbals also. The 4 or 6 cylinder have a different exhaust pattern and pipe than an 8 cylinder so make sure of what you have before you buy. Either message or call me for more info.

I put 2 coats of clear coat on the gimbal before I ship and due to warmer weather it requires 3 or 4 days to cure so it does not stick to packing material. So complete gimbals in the warmer months or when I am shipping to a warmer climate will have a 5 day handling time.

Not a bad price when you consider there are $500 in new parts with this assembly and free shipping.

Please read down as far as tips for pertinent information about this assembly. I cannot post actual pictures when listing more than 1. Pictures are representation of the product.

If you look at all pictures you will see all the added parts you get to complete the install like seals, gaskets, O-rings, Caulk and the studs, nuts & washers for your hydraulics. The hydraulics do not come with this gimbal. 

 The bell housing will have a gasket (pictured) supplied and 6 nuts and washers screwed onto the bell housing to protect the threads in shipping. I do not include anode bolts or any inside hardware. The gimbal is assembled as pictured and has the 2 good mounting studs installed above the bearing area (rear) on each side.

I do not mess around with these, I always install NEW E-Z glide shift cables $65, Mercury Trim sensors $90, High quality Bellows & gimbal bearing and steering shaft seals! And I supply all new gaskets and seals pictured.

I use Mercury/Quicksilver Trim sensors because of complaints on the Sierra brand sensors. The shift cables are kind of my brand because I order the parts from 3 different dealers to make this version up and I have not had any complaints just praise. I am told the main gimbal bearings are made in the US but I think they are only assembled in the US.

In about 2010 Mercury opened a 250 acre plant in China on 4,000 acres and now most everything Mercury has is made in China. Mercury is outsourcing to Mexico for bearings and bellows. So I will not use Mercury bearings or bellows because the quality has gone downhill and I only use higher quality parts.

When I remanufacture these I replace all bushings and bearings as needed. The main gimbal bearing is always new. I clean and polish all used nuts, bolts, screws and so on in a vibratory tumbler until they shine like new again for reuse.

I try and use the best parts I have available for rebuilds and this means the steering shaft area is 100% tight in the ring and arm or I do not use it period.

We have been re-manufacturing these for 10+ years now and have rebuilt thousands. The reason we don’t get complaints is we build each one as if we were building it for our own boat and we always think of safety first.

 

These parts are higher quality parts, remanufactured parts! And of course all threads and bellows edges are good solid condition! I have never had a complaint about quality on these parts.

This is a remanufactured kit and it comes with everything in pictures and explained in pictures. Main components like the housings, ring, steering shaft, steering arm have all been checked & rechecked and rebuilt! All nuts, bolts screws & washers have been cleaned and polished with all threads checked or tapped/chased.

These are not aftermarket parts. Gimbal Housing, Gimbal Ring, Bell Housing steering arm and shaft were made in the US in the late 70's and early 80's These are OEM Mercruiser parts! And they will last 4 times as long as aftermarket parts!

As you can see by the pictures with this ad you not only get all the main parts, you get all the new seals, gaskets, bearings, bushings, shift cable, trim sensors. Most of the seals are brand name quicksilver and made by Mercury! This also comes with 1 tube of 5200 fast cure caulk, (3M Marine) to finish the seal to transom. You get everything with this kit to fully assemble this gimbal on the outside of the boat except hydraulics and outdrive. This does include the exhaust seal inside the boat.

I have done the research over the last 5/10 years and found the aftermarket drives (SEI) are an excellent deal with a no fault 3 year warrantee. The metal in the aftermarket drives is as good as or better than the Mercury OEM drives that are now made in China. I have not heard one bad thing about them and in fact all I have heard is praise for them and the warrantee. Once I get caught up with my listings I will be listing the aftermarket drives made by SEI. I am now a retailer of these SEI drives and I have to charge full retail price on the drive but if you buy a drive with a transom assembly I can give you a $100 discount on this complete gimbal or any complete gimbal you buy. All you have to do is message me through the eBay messaging system and I will list this or any complete gimbal on eBay with an aftermarket drive and you will get $100 off the gimbal and pay the same retail price you would pay anywhere else on the drive. Of course the drive and its warrantee (3 years) will be shipped direct from the manufacturer to you. And I will ship the gimbal kit to you. The drives have different configurations like standard or counter rotation, hardware or anode kits that you can choose from. On the SEI drives I don’t charge shipping in the US so that in itself is a big Discount. Internationally shipping on a complete SEI drive is discounted $100.00.

All these parts in this assembly are used, cleaned, polished & repainted except of course new parts.

Do to the high volume that I sell I do not post Actual picture’s! The pictures included are a representation of the same model parts. High quality parts that show minor signs of use.

Please read this whole ad as there are important tips about buying gimbals sight unseen! Also Tips on identifying your gimbal! And also tips on repairing your gimbal.

All nuts/bolts, screw clamps and grease fittings have been cleaned and polished in a vibratory tumbler system!

If you need parts or kits I don’t have listed message or call me 931-589-2352 and let me know what you need and I will try and post them on eBay for you if I have time!

I am always adding more to my eBay store so check and see what else I have listed in my eBay store. I have gimbals & Parts from 1955 and up in my eBay store. Type 1, MC 1, Type 2, TR, TRS, Pre Alpha, Alpha One Generation One, Alpha One Generation Two, Bravo & some type 3 Speed master!

In My Store I also have Hydraulic Rams, Pumps and exhaust pipes

http://stores.ebay.com/Mikes-Alphas

Have more questions, message me or call 931-589-2352 and just ask for Mike.

I guarantee this item to be exactly as advertised!

I believe in honesty.

If I thought it was junk I would not sell it!

Free shipping within the continental U.S. shipping prices should be posted outside US but if not, contact me for shipping quote.

I don’t use any parts in these completes that have any damage to them at all. But there might be a scratch on a sticker or stickers may be missing. Or very minor signs of use or corrosion. The stickers may or may not be good. With all my kits only the highest of quality parts are used but they are used parts so do not expect new parts! Most all of my parts are from fresh water areas.

 

Mikes Alphas LLC. To make it easy since my email address is Removed (new eBay Policy) Look at my feedback and you will find my email address. My mailing/shipping address is,

Mikes Alphas or

Michael DeSeve

4391 Cedar Creek Road

Linden Tennessee 37096

Payment methods accepted are

PayPal Preferred

Visa / MasterCard

Discover

American Express

Receive payment upon pickup

I also accept credit cards over the phone if you don't have an online payment method.

OK, eBay has a (duplicate listing policy) that prevents me from listing all configurations of selling these assemblies as similar items. The explanation is as follows. For instance if you want one of these items without the caulk it would be a $15 discount but If I tried to list the assembly for you without the caulk EBay will automatically block or remove the listing saying that it is a duplicate. The only way to make that modification would be call or message me and I could setup a blank listing that just refers to this listing for the corrected price.

 

International Buyers

I am offering these for shipping outside the US at a low rate. Shipping is expensive so returns for repairs or replacements for any reason will be paid by the buyer. I endeavor to make these 100% useable and correct for the application I state it is for. I pack these with a lot of extra packing material to prevent damages

Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying. These customs/duty charges and delays are different for all different countries and sometimes it is not applied. You should always consider they will be implemented so you are prepared. I ship everything internationally USPS postal service and I have no idea how it will arrive in your country. Please do NOT ask me to ship as gift or send a lower invoice amount. If you can’t afford your countries duty/customs fees please don’t buy from me. It is illegal for me to ship a paid for item as a gift and I will not lie for anyone and state a lower price.

Sales tax in Tennessee is 9.25% and I do have to charge sales tax for Tennessee. If eBay try's to charge sales tax outside Tn. I will refund it.

Now for disclaimer;

 

I guarantee the gimbal to be assembled correctly and all parts are good and useable. I assemble everything to original torque specs. My return policy is for parts that are not installed only. All my items are described as correctly as can be. I pack to prevent any damages in shipment. If damages occur in shipment I will need notification within 24 hours for warrantee. I do not cover any damages caused by a mechanic or yourself. I have had issues where customers receive parts and they are as described and then take the parts down to their mechanic and he dropped it and broke it and claimed they got it that way, the customer wants me to file a false insurance claim or wants me to cover third party damages and I do not cover damages caused in an install or by a third party. I recommend you do the full inspection yourself and the warrantee is to the buyer. If a buyer wants the assembly shipped to the mechanic because the boat is too far from home at a camp the warrantee ends when I ship out NOT when the mechanic receives the assembly. The mechanics refuse to honor any damages they cause. Also if a transom has a little rot in it or if it is not a perfectly flat surface then the main housing can break as it is torqued into place. I have seen transoms that were weak with no rot that had a wave where the torque of the engine/drive was lifting on the back of the boat hard making it un-smooth and stainless plates had to be cut and installed to create a flat strong surface to mount the assembly.

 

TIPS

I guess the first tip I should give you is also a warning. If you are not doing the work yourself, and you hired a mechanic to do the work for you. You should go over all the parts I ship you with a fine tooth comb before giving the parts to the mechanic because mechanics do not want to accept any responsibility for damages they cause. I can’t cover damages caused by you or a third party. For Instance I had a customer take purchased gimbal housing to a mechanic for install and the mechanic dropped it and broke a bottom corner off the housing and the mechanic said it was like that when he got it. The customer knew it was not broken when he gave it to the mechanic but insisted I cover under warrantee and his reason was he could not afford to buy gimbal housing. The customer tried to get his money back through PayPal but couldn’t because the damage done was by a third party. The point is I have never found an honest boat shop and most customers don’t try to play these games, it was rare. But no matter where you get your parts always inspect them. You should always inspect your parts when they arrive because I can only file a shipping damage claim within 3 days of your receiving the parts.

 

TIP Explanation!

 

These tips are all for standard housings/boats that have a shift cable from engine to drive like these Alpha One Generation One’s, Type 1’s, Pre alphas, Alpha One Generation Two’s and Bravo’s. The type 2, TR, TRS and Speed Masters are totally different and the guidelines do not apply because they have transmissions built inside the boat and used mainly on big boats or house boats.

 

 

TIP

 

It does not matter which Gimbals/Transom housings you have on your boat in comparison to engine size. The difference is done in the top half of the out drive. For instance the same housing is used on 4, 6 or 8 cylinder engines. The difference is in the gear ratio in the top of the drive like in the older drives it would be for a V8 1.47 to 1 gear ratio or for a 4 cylinder 1.85 to 1 ratio. And a 6 cylinder would have been a 1.65 to 1 gear ratio. The newer drives the ratio has changed a little and don’t quote me on this but the V8’s are now 1.50 to 1 gear ration. All the ratio means is the engine will turn 1 and ½ times and the prop on the drive will only turn once. The main differences in gimbals is in the year and model of the transom housing.

 

TIP

 

This part is how to identify what transom assembly you have. It is mainly according to the year of the boat but because some boat manufacturers had extra old stock when manufacturing the boats the years may overlap. For instance type 1’s or also called MC 1’s were used from 1963 through 1975 and then the pre alphas started but if a manufacturer had extra type 1’s they may have mounted the type 1’s in 1976 & in 77. Also unless you bought the boat new you don’t know if it has ever been upgraded or downgraded because of cost.

 

Tip

 

When buying you have to be extremely careful and I will give 5 examples

1)   eBay allows sellers to use stock photos and on 2/29/12 I found just such a listing, The title said it was an Alpha One Generation One but the picture showed an Alpha One Generation Two and in the item description it stated it was from a 1981. Also in the description it stated the photo was a stock photo and it was a picture of a new Alpha One Generation Two. The price was $700.00 with $75.00 shipping. The point on this is if you were searching for a gen 1 you would not have gotten it and if you went by the picture you would not have gotten it and the parts don’t interchange. The next part of this listing was the price $700 for a pre alpha gimbal worth $75.

2)   And now the second example is; the sellers of gimbals most of the time don’t state whether or not they are actual pictures and I have seen them use the same picture over and over and over, We all know they can’t be selling the same item because they are used and different markings, rust, corrosion or possibly a different model so you don’t know what you are getting and I have seen sellers use the same picture and have 3 auctions listed at different prices like  $400, $500 or $600 and I guess they know which one they will send you but you don’t.

3)   Another trick is spray painting over corroded holes, cracks of filling cracks with paint. I buy a lot of gimbals 500+ a year from mainly fresh water suppliers in bulk and individual eBay auctions when they are the right price and you would not believe the damage I see when they arrive, the sellers think it is a good sales trick but it is a scam no matter how you look at it.

4)   Another thing you have to watch for is sellers that say steering is tight on the used gimbal, LAUGH OUT LOUD! Most of the time when you replace a gimbal it is because the steering is too loose and that is the main reason the gimbal was removed from the boat in the first place and why it is for sale. This is very dangerous because sellers will take 5 minutes and tighten the top nut on the steering shaft to draw the shaft up (over tighten) or over tighten the 2 top ring bolts and if you mount this as is the ring will snap at high speed and flip the boat. It may not happen until you hit a big wave and it may not happen until you hit a wave just right but odds are it will happen and has happened. In 2007 when I lived in Florida I had a phone call from a man that lost his child in a boating incident. I can’t remember if he bought a used housing with over tightened ring bolts or if he over tightened the bolts himself be he lost his 2 year old son. He was grief stricken and just wanted to get the parts to fix the boat to sell. He really wanted to junk the boat but he couldn’t afford it. You can check with Mercruiser tech support and they will tell you not to over tighten the ring and how dangerous it can be.

5)   I found a listing on 3-1-2012 that lists the gimbal with actual pictures and it is listed as remanufactured and in the description all it says is he installed a transom repair kit bellows and bearing and it is $500 + shipping. It’s an Alpha One Generation Two and with the kit the price is not bad but it should be listed as used. When you select the setting remanufactured it states that it has been fully disassembled and reassembled and this clearly was not done so it makes me wonder if may be the ring was over tightened or if something was hidden with the transom repair kit. The number 1 point is that he is violating eBay policy.

6)   There is oh so many incorrect used boat items listed on the net and if I had to guess I would say 40% to 50% improperly listed and about 10% of used boat items are deadly. As much as eBay would like to correct the boat part issues in the listings they can’t hire someone like me to separate and remove most of these bad listings because they are not like auto parts, tractor parts or truck parts that are more common so the discrepancies are not easily spotted. But eBay is getting better and better all the time. So you have to give eBay the credit for trying. There are way too many things for me to post as a warning so I will sum it up BUYER BEWARE! And always disassemble and repair a used gimbal no matter how good the seller says it is! It is not worth the chance you are taking by mounting a used complete gimbal.

 

Also, if you don’t disassemble what about leaks? I have heard all the horror stories! And I have seen them come in here.

 

TIP

 

I wrote these tips for the Alpha One Generation One advertisement but I will copy & paste all these tips into most of my ad’s to help educate all concerned so in some cases a tip may not apply.

 

TIP

 

Mercruiser has a bit of humor when naming parts; a car/truck has a bell housing on the back of the engine over the fly wheel; but on a boat Mercruiser calls that part the fly wheel cover. When cars and trucks were made the fly wheel cover looked like a bell so they called it a bell housing. On a boat it is called a fly wheel cover and the flywheel cover on a boat acts as rear motor mounts and connects to the inner transom plate.

 

TIP

 

There is 3 main parts to a complete gimbal assembly and I will list them with explanation now.

The main gimbal housing/plate bolts to the rear of the boat (outside) and the part that allows it to turn left and right is called a gimbal ring and the gimbal ring attaches inside the gimbal plate top with steering shaft and bottom with a swivel pin & cotter key. The Bell housing is the next part; it fits into the gimbal ring with hinge pins left/port and right/starboard and swings up and down and you mount the out drive on the bell housing’s studs (usually 6)

 

 

TIP

 

There are 5 main models most people have and they all use shift cables from engine out to the out drive. Type 1, pre alpha, Alpha One Generation One, Alpha One Generation Two & Bravo and there are some slight differences but this should put you on the right track. You can always call me 931-589-2352.

 

If you read the above tip you know what the parts are called so let’s start with type 1 1963 up to 1976 grease fittings were on the sides of the bell housings and no other model has grease fittings on the bell housings only type 1’s. Starting in 1976 all hinge pin grease fittings were moved to the gimbal rings and at some point Mercruiser stopped putting grease fittings on any of the parts.

 

Pre-alphas can be the hardest to identify because it was a changeover period and a lot of different configurations. I have all the parts in stock. Pre alphas started with 2 trim sensors on the ring in 1976 but no bolts through the top of the rings. But in 1981 pre alphas started use square to round spline steering shafts with square on the rings so the rings had 2 bolts but the plates and bells were still pre alpha. Pre alpha exhaust patterns were the same as type 1 either 1 hole with 3 bolts and 1 O ring or 3 holes with 5 bolt holes and 3 O rings (2 small 1 Large) But in 1982 the exhaust on pre alphas started with horse shoe shaped exhaust. But all pre alphas had grease fittings on the rings for the hinge pins and no indents for the stickers on the bell housings.

 

The Alpha One Generation One’s these are harder to identify from type 1’s, Alpha One Generation Two’s or Bravo but if you eliminate those 3 it gets easier so read on. From 1983 & up everything has a forked steering arm inside the boat from the gimbal. The Alpha One Generation One also has indents on the sides of the bell housings for the stickers to fit into; no other models have this indent just gen 1. ßThat is the main difference. All Alpha One Generation One gimbal rings have 2 bolts going through the top of the ring to lock onto the steering shaft. And everything after 1983 has a horse shoe shaped exhaust seal and square to square steering shaft.

 

The easy way to identify an Alpha One Generation Two is in the way the hydraulic rams attach to the drive and the gimbal ring. everything Mercruiser makes except Alpha One Generation Two uses nuts, washers and black grommets to attach the rams to their shafts where the Alpha One Generation Two uses what is call E clips and thin white plastic inserts. Alpha One Generation Two’s are the only model that uses E clips.

 

As far as identifying Bravo’s look at the picture of an Alpha One Generation One and you will see what is called a 2 bolt ring. Alpha One Generation One & Alpha One Generation Two have these 2 bolts but a Bravo actually has a U bolt and the way you tell the difference is on Alpha One Generation One & Alpha One Generation Two you see the heads of the bolts where the Bravos you see the nuts and the U is on the backside of the ring.

 

Tip

 

Parts are not interchangeable between type 1 and any alpha/bravo series.

 

TIP

 

Other than using an alpha drive you can’t use any alpha gimbal on a ford motor at all.

 

TIP

 

Upgrading can be possible and I know all the configurations but there are too many configurations for me to list so you will have to call for your application.

 

 

TIP

 

If you park your boat or store your boat more than 1 week you should always put the out drive in the down position. This prevents the bellows from prematurely over stretching, cracking & tearing. By keeping the drives down when stored it also keeps the seals on the hydraulic rams in oil so they don’t dry out and freeze in the up position. I will explain this 1 step further. No matter what oil you use in your hydraulic system there will be some bubbling in the system and when you park/store the boat the bubbles always rise up and if your drive is up then you get air pockets at the highest point in the rams. Usually when the rams are frozen in the up position you have to replace them and they are not cheap so store the boat with drive down so oil is near the end caps and it keeps the seals lubricated.

 

TIP

If you are assembling and replacing all your gimbal parts then you can purchase in advance but If you are replacing a ring, bell or gimbal housing you really should take your old gimbal apart first. The reason I say this is sometimes the gimbal almost falls apart and depending on corrosion you might end up breaking a bell, ring or the main housing just getting it apart.

Tip

Let’s say you buy a gimbal housing for a boat worth $200 and the housing is $250 and seals, gaskets, bellows and things make it run $500 to $600 to fix and you buy in advance and when you get the old housing off you find the transom has rotted out and it will cost $3000 to fix. Point is, take it apart and check it to be sure the boat is worth the money your putting in it. I have had this happen with customers so I speak from experience.

TIP

I don’t know why people pay $200 to $1000 for these on e-bay without knowing they are good. There is no way of knowing they are good until you take them apart!

TIP

If you are slightly mechanically inclined, and have a standard set of tools, Sockets, Wrenches, Pliers and screwdrivers you can do your own gimbal work yourself.

TIP

 

You can upgrade from older, hard to find parts for models to this Alpha One Generation One but you should contact me first to see what else you would have to change.

I buy complete gimbal housings on e-bay all the time. I take them apart and Clean/refurbish. The point I want to get across is that around 80% of the complete gimbal housings have a problem. For instance I received 4 complete gimbal housings in a week and out of the 4, 1 had a cracked bell, 1 had a bad ring and 3 of them had bad plates. Let’s face it people sell their junk on e-bay. And most sellers are in it frankly for the money. People advertise the complete gimbal housings as like new, fresh water bolt and go, nice and tight & excellent condition. The most common phrase is (worked when it came off the boat) or (Didn’t leak when removed from the boat). Most sellers don’t mention it was taken off the boat 10 years ago.(LOL) Until the unit is taken apart there is no way of knowing what is good or what is bad, and as soon as you start to take it apart it is yours. PayPal will only cover you as long as item has not been touched; as soon as you touch a wrench to the item you accept that item at face value. When you take the item apart and find a bad crack, break or badly corroded part it is too late item is yours. Yes item has to be as described but that is on a visual inspection from the outside. With my items nothing is hidden and you only have to buy the part one time! I hate being ripped off on e-bay with these gimbals so if you decide to buy from someone else here are a couple things to look for on these gimbals. In the picture check and see from a front view if it looks like brown rust color inside the drive shaft bellows this usually means that the unit had a bellows leak and the bell housing or the gimbal plate itself has rotted/deteriorated, also from the back if you see any signs of roughness under what looks like new paint there is a good chance that the seller sprayed it quick to hide the corrosion and that weak spot may go all the way through and sink your boat, of course if the back has not been painted you may see rust or corrosion and that may go all the way through. These are the normal damage area. And there will be a lot of them posted through the spring as people take their bad housings off and try and get as much as they can for them on e-bay.

TIP

I am sure these will not be mounted to a new boat so making sure the plate is flush with the transom is a slight concern. The old fiberglass and wood has a tendency to warp and bulge. With just a plate sliding into place you can make sure that it fits flush. If you try and mount a completely assembled unit or even just the plate to an uneven surface when you tighten it down (Cast Aluminum) you stand a chance of cracking the plate.

 

Tip

A used gimbal should be disassembled not only to check for cracks or holes but also the steering shaft should be removed. The reason the shaft should be removed and cleaned is by design the gimbal ring wears out rather than break. When a boat sits corrosion build up around the shaft between the metal surfaces (steal to cast aluminum) and it can feel tight but when used it loosens up and you can hardly control your boat! It can take 100 hours use before the corrosion loosens up on the steering shaft and most sellers give a 7 day warrantee or no warrantee at all. This is the main reason you should not spend over $200 for a used gimbal! The truth is I never pay over $150 for a gimbal and yet most sellers on eBay are trying to get $400 to $800 for them LOL. Of course I put in 12 to 15 hours into each gimbal + parts and paint. The problem buyers have buying the mint condition used gimbal on the net is the sellers claim mint or excellent condition but they have no way of knowing until it is disassembled and they do not disassemble them! Once a buyer installs a gimbal that was supposed to be in excellent condition the buyer is stuck with it. EBay and PayPal both state if you install it you have accepted it and you cannot return it.

TIP

These are Alpha One Generation One and there is other older styles like pre-alpha and type 1. There is confusion out there about pre-alphas and most people including some Mercury and Mercruiser tech’s think that anything older than 1983 is pre-alpha because it pre-dates Alpha One Generation One. This is not true. Pre-alphas started from 1976 to 1983 and type 1 or also called MC 1 were from 1963 to 1975. During these times from 1963 to 1983 there was also type 2, TRS & TR. The type 2, TRS & TR all had transmissions inside the boat and did not use a coned shaped shift cable bellows. If you need help to identifying the model/type of Mercruiser you have please don’t hesitate to call me 931-589-2352 between 7 am and 7 pm central time in the United States!

TIP

Don’t get me wrong I sell a lot of individual parts; Bell housings, rings and plates to repair the used gimbals that buyers buy on the net and I hear all the complaints but it is usually too late for the buyer to go back on the seller! Of course positive feedback is left to sellers before they find out if the gimbal is good or not. I sell reconditioned kits and all parts are separated for your inspection. But now I offer the same kits fully assembled. I do not sell used damaged assembled gimbals. There is a reason the gimbals are removed from a boat in the first place. Check a sellers other listings and see if they are using the same pictures for all the gimbals they have listed, if they do then the pictures are worthless as the pictured gimbal has already been sold. This is why I state not actual pictures! I want to mention that there is times while I am processing these parts and I have them all cleaned and start painting that I will notice a hairline crack and then check it and see the crack goes all the way through. My point is simple, with everything apart and passed a first, second and maybe a third inspection. If you do buy a used gimbal. I will be glad to sell you the replacement parts that you will need and I offer free phone support to help you get it apart to fix it.

 

TIP

Everything newer then Alpha One Generation One 1983 and up have a bushing in the top of the gimbal plate that the steering shaft goes through and everything older than 1983 uses a needle bearing. Also everything newer then 1983 uses a square part of the shaft that goes through the ring.

Tip

What is so commonly called pre alpha 1976 to 1983 is a changeover period for Mercruiser. Mercruiser was working on a final design and that design is what is now called Alpha One Generation One. During this time Mercruiser changed and corrected steering and exhaust issues. In 76 Mercruiser went from 1 trim limit switch at the top of the ring to 2 switches called sensors, these sensors are on the sides of the rings and act as a grease seal. These sensors are port trim limit (TL) to stop the pump when the drive reaches its maximum height and the starboard side is trim position (TP) and this goes to a gauge on the dash to show the position of the drive in the water. Before 1976 the grease fittings were on the bell housings and starting in 76 the grease fittings were moved to the ring. In about 1982 the exhaust pattern changed from O rings to a horse shoe shaped O ring. And in about 1981 the steering shaft changed from round spline for the arm and round spline for the ring to round spline for the arm and square for the ring. It was in 1983 Mercruiser perfected the square to square steering shaft. 2 bolt rings actually started in 1981 on pre alphas but they are Alpha One Generation One rings.

 

 

Feel free to call me at 931-589-2352 my name is Mike (Of Course) I won't sell you parts if they won't fit your boat. Call even if you just having trouble getting yours disassembled. I may know an easier way. Call even if you already have your parts but can't seem to figure out how to put it back together. Boats are a hole in the water that you throw $$$ in. May be I can help you save some Money!

I will also have tips listed with hydraulic rams and pumps for the rams and pumps.

When I started writing these tips I had no idea it was going to be a book so if you need more info well, you will have to give me a call, I don’t pay long distance so if you do just ask and I will call you back if you are in the US or Canada!

Call 931-589-2352 7 AM to 7 PM central time in the US.

I wanted to mention how I got started in this business; I was just trying to fix my boat about 10 years ago and I needed a gimbal ring for my 1977 20 foot Cuddy cabin boat. I bought 15 gimbals for the ring and I did not know the differences in the parts but the sellers said they would fit and the steering was tight. Out of them 13 were the wrong ones and were from different models and 2 were the correct model. One of the correct models, pre-alpha, the gear type splines were worn so bad the steering arm flopped side to side and would not turn the ring at all and the other one someone tried to fix the worn splines by drilling a hole through the top of the ring into the steering shaft to make it tight and the screw fell out. I was living in an apartment in Florida at the time and my wife gave me a choice they go or she goes. Needless to say gimbals weigh so much (50 Pounds) that returning them to the seller was not worth the cost of shipping so I disassembled them cleaned them up/repainted them and took the time and did the research to find out what the parts fit and started relisting them for sale on eBay. When I started selling I basically swore an oath to myself to always be truthful about everything I sell because of the troubles I had just trying to get the gimbal ring I needed. I don’t think I have ever had a bad feedback. I have upset customers because I have refused to sell them parts that I knew would not work for their application. I really don’t care if you buy from me or not, email, eBay messaging and phone support is free. With just a few pictures I can pretty much identify all makes and models of Mercruiser. And if you call usually I can determine what model you have just by getting a few questions answered. When you consider if I make a mistake I pay all shipping charges for returns/replacements, you can bet that I am going to be sure to identify your parts correctly the first time.  Oh I just had an older man and his wife come here on about 2-25-12 and they traveled 500 miles to get here because he bought an Alpha One Generation One gimbal to replace his type 1 gimbal and this man tried for 2 weeks to make all the modifications work and he finally had to give up. It would not work but I was able to set him up with the correct parts and so he could use the Alpha One Generation One outdrive and he was a bit amazed by the inventory I had and my ability to configure using the Alpha One Generation One drive 1983 to 1991 on his 1963 wood boat that he was restoring. I specialize in the older parts. My father got me my first boat when I was 7 years old and, trust me, that was a long time ago! LOL

TIP and this is important. If you have any sort of question about a gimbal, pump or rams that you think is right for your boat send me the item number and the question and I will do my best to answer it.

This is not a duplicate listing and I do not post any duplicate listings!

Please leave us an all 5 star seller rating!  If for any reason you feel that you cannot leave us all 5's please contact us and we will do our best to help you resolve any problem!

Thanks,

Michael Jon De' Seve

Mikes Alphas LLC

4391 Cedar Creek Road

Linden Tn. 37096

1-931-589-2352