H34 Engine angle iron replacement

[HelloOutThere]

I pulled the starboard engine angle iron out last fall. The stern portion was getting thin and I was concerned about loosing the rear engine mount. Is this an off the shelf or made to order item? Or do I have to fabricate one myself? The reason it was getting thin as because the sea water strainer sits over it and spills sea water when it's being serviced. It took 40+ years to get there...

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Sorry, but not getting anywhere on this one without a picture.

Presuming it's a Yanmar, there is no angle iron hanging off the block. Castings on the block for support, but no angle iron.

 

[kloudie1]

On the H-34, There is an angle iron lag screwed into the grid engine supports. The engine mounts are bolted to the angle iron ; that part is horizontal and the part bolted to the grid is vertical. I think it is plain old mild steel angle iron ... Attached picture .. you can see it on the left side of the picture just left of the raw water pump pulley..

 

[kloudie1]

I don't know what size they are, probably 3" by 3" and maybe around 36 inches long, but ya need to measure them .. A good machine shop or steel fabrication place can get these for you and most sizes are available through Amazon. They'd have to be cut to length and drilled to match the existing pieces..

 

[Rich Stidger]

If it were my project, I would measure and source two pieces of steel at a metal supply. You might also find the size you need at a good scrap yard. I would be tempted to go up a size in thickness if possible.
Before reinstallation I would clean the metal and apply POR-15 and the paint with engine paint. The POR-15 will inhibit any rust issue in the future even if it gets soaked with salt water occasionally.

 

[Mike Oldak]

Mine was only rusted but the mounts on the starboard side were too loose to use. I filled them with Thixo and put masking tape over the hole until they hardened, then redrilled it. The port side has a threaded rod and I had to remove about 4 inches from the bottom of the interior panel, later replaced. Mark the center of each hole by making a large x over the center of the hole so you will know where to drill for the new screw bolt.

I believe we used to 4x4 posts to slide the engine onto as it came out of the bay.

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

I don't know what size they are, probably 3" by 3" and maybe around 36 inches long, but ya need to measure them .. A good machine shop or steel fabrication place can get these for you and most sizes are available through Amazon. They'd have to be cut to length and drilled to match the existing pieces..

Kloudie is right: they are a 90 degrees piece of angle iron. I replaced the motor mounts last year. To me they looked to be a bit more than 1/4 inch thick and 3`X 3`. The vertical part is indeed lag screwed into the grid, but such that there is a front to back angle on the horizontal part which gives the engine its main angle to line up with the shaft, with the final alignment being done with the motor mounts.
There is also a slot on the motor mounts which allows left to right engine alignment.
Good luck

 

[jssailem]

In a perfect world, the engine would be of a size that the motor mounts would stand on the stringers. That is not the case with this boat and engine combination. This the angle bars to tie the stringers together to provide a way to mount the engine and harness the power to the hull.

Your replacement build should follow the original design. Angling the bar makes sense as it will mean there is less need to induce that angle with the motor mounts.

Lag the bar securely into the stringers as the thrust of the engine will be on the way the bar is attached to the stringers.

 

[Mike Oldak]

PS When replacing the engine on the new mounts, I used an electronic magnetic angle finder to get the shaft and the engine at the same angles. (stole this trick from my diesel mechanic)

 

[HelloOutThere]

I removed the starboard stringer last fall and milled a new stringer. The original stringer is raw angle iron 4x3.5x24x0.25. The aft end was very thin, the aft starboard engine mount was a bit separated from the rubber blocks, and the forward engine mount wasn't in great shape from occasional diesel drippings. I replaced it using a piece of galvanized 4x4x24x0.25 angle iron cutting the one edge to 3.5 using an angle grinder. I used a friends' milling machine to cut the eight 1"x0.5" slots. Then sealed all of the exposed edges with rust lock primer and enamel paint. I did move the engine mount holes 1/8 inch as the bolts were on the edge of the slots. Total cost was under 70.
While I was at it, I took a few old engine mounts that weren't in bad shape and cleaned them up using a wire brush, an "Evapo-Rust" bath and painting them with rust lock primer and black enamel. It's all installed and aligned. Below are some in process pics. I wish I had taken a final picture. Careful about lifting the engine. I used a total of three safety lines to hold the engine up.

 

[jssailem]

Nice workmanship @HelloOutThere .

Depending on your usage and the performance of your engine, a consideration might have been to install new motor mounts rather than repurpose used ones. When thinking about the eventual future sale of my boat, one marketing thought is to show the new owner that the engine is ready for whatever is imagined. Most new boat owners have no idea what is entailed in engine work. Checking that off their worry list is one step closer to the acquisition of the dream.

 

[HelloOutThere]

Thanks! Normally I wouldn't use old parts! I had box of old mounts that were in decent shape and stored in a cool dry place. All of the rubber was attached and nominal rust. The future of my boat is down to years if not months. I can't see investing too much money into something I'll end up having to give away. I do carry a spare now. lol.
The engine is an absolute champ. I did have to buy a new alternator, and had the starter rebuilt. These Yanmar are champs...