strut bushing help

[bssford460]

we have a 82 nautique, we had the boogered up prop refurbished and the guy also suggested doing the strut bushing too.
The shaft is out so thats not any issue.
heres the deal. the strut has 2 2 in. long bushings in the ends. the bushing that the guy at the prop service place gave me a 4 in long bushing. should i cut the 4 in long one to make 2 2 in long ones or just put in the 4 in. long one as is. also if i just use the 4 in. as is, should it go dead center. in the front or in the back?
i've dont some searching and didnt really find what i was looking for.
also, i'm going to put the bushing in the freezer right now.
if it is recommended to cut the bushing in half. will it hurt to do it after i take it out of the freezer in the morning?
IF i do cut it i assume the correct thing to do is use a tubing cutter and cut the bushing in half with our old warped shaft in the bushing? correct. any advice or other hints please speak up.
thanks guys.

[M3Fan]

RE: strut bushing help

Personally, I'd get the proper 2 replacement bushings and put them in the way they are supposed to go. I'd recommend getting the OJ XPC bearings from Ski Dim. They last 10x as long, reduce vibration, and have less friction than a standard bearing. As an alternative, I'd cut that 4" one in half with a hacksaw, not a tubing cutter.

[bssford460]

RE: strut bushing help

Ok to answer my own questions. the old bushings came out pretty easily. whoooo hoooo.
so i cut the new one in half with a a hacksaw (couldnt find a a tubing cutter). i did put the new bushing on our old shaft to cut it.
I traced a line in pencil using one of the old bushings around the middle of the new one to help stay in line. those that dont use a hacksaw everyday need to do this cause sometimes its hard to get a good straight cut. especially with crappy blades.
and i should have cut the bushing before freezeing. i didnt realize it would "thaw" back out that quickly. so anyways i'm sticking it back in the freezer now and in a little bit gonna go put them in. as easy as the old ones came out these new ones should just slide right in.

[8122pbrainard]

RE: strut bushing help

bss, If you encounter a tight fit on the new cutlass (strut bushing) even after trying to shrink it with freezing, there is a easy way of pressing it in. Get a length of threaded rod (3/8 is fine) long enough to go through the strut and bushing. Put a "fender" washer (large diameter) on both ends as well as nuts. By tightening the nuts on ether end, it will pull the cutlass into the strut. Make sure it's going in straight. It may be a issue due to your hacksaw method of cutting! The bushings flush on both ends of the strut is fine. Keep the factory ends of the bushing to the outside of the strut so the washers will pull evenly on the outside of the bushing. I would have left the bushing in one piece. The split design was intended to reduce some of the shaft whip/noise/vibration between the shaft log and the strut. I don't feel it does much!

[bssford460]

thought i'd give an update and fetch some more advice... the new strut bushings went in pretty easy. go the new shaft/coupler installed, re-aligned engine. i tthink i've gotten the engine spot on. i could not get a .003 gauge in between the couplers anywhere. and visually of course it looked great. so i bolted it up and off we went.
at speed the boat ran very very very smooth. smoother than i imagined it would. the only problem is that the shaft still feels stiff if trying to turn it by hand from inside the boat. and several times when we would put it in gear at idle and leave it at idle it would die. just seems like there is too much resistance on the shaft.
do the strut bearings need to wear a little?.
at very very low speed and i think in reverse it was making a knocking sound, but it was hard to tell where it was coming from.
just a while ago with the boat in the shop i tried to turn the shaft by hand, i really had to try to get it to turn from inside the boat just using the shaft. it was easier to turn from outside the boat by using the prop. and when i was doing it the strut bearings where making a lot of noise, i assume because not being in the water they are not lubed good. but still is that normal.
if i can get this little problem squared away we will be done with all the major stuff besides waiting on the back seat to be redone. and installing a stereo system. and a new deck next year.

[8122pbrainard]

bss, You alighned the engine to the shaft but did you align the shaft to the strut? Alignment starts at the strut then goes forward. Is the stut bent? It sure sounds like it is.

[bssford460]

I do not "think" the strut is bent. and the shaft "appears" to line up correctly in the strut bushings. what is the proper technique for checking shaft/strut alignment?

[Spyfunkr]

Great thread. I think Im looking at the same type of work. We hit the lift backing out in idle gear, Im hoping its just the prop, which is out for straigtening. I hope thats the end of the vibration. If not, I know where to come back for info.
Cheers
~Chris

[horkn]

bss, I just straightened my strut on my 78 after I was thinking I merely had to replace the bushing. I had to use the prop with both hands before I replaced and redid everything to be able to turn the drive shaft. After I got the strut straight, the new 1 piece bushing in place, and a minor adjustment on the engine done afterwards for alignment, I can turn the drive shaft easily with one hand. That binding sure ate a lot of HP because with the same old federal on it, it would do low 40 mph or so. Now, with a properly aligned strut (the engine was almost perfectly aligned before) and the same prop I have had it up to 48 mph with rpms and mph to spare. I'm certain it would break 50mph no sweat.

Fwiw, my boat came with a 1 piece 4" long cutlass bushing, set up so that the one end was flush with the back of the strut. I installed the new one the same way. I wouldn't have cut the bushing in 2 personally.
It will be good hopefully for another 30 years.

[horkn]

Great thread. I think Im looking at the same type of work. We hit the lift backing out in idle gear, Im hoping its just the prop, which is out for straigtening. I hope thats the end of the vibration. If not, I know where to come back for info.
Cheers
~Chris

Did you try the spare prop out after the first one was dinged?