Mercruiser Leg

[mikealston2428]

Hi there,

Please see attached.

Can you please tell me what Mercruiser leg this is ?

The decals are Alpha 1.

I had to replace the trim cylinders, they were Mercruiser MC1 parts.

The serial number plate has no numbers on it.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Mike

[gonzo]

It is an Alpha 1 like the decals say

[IMP-ish]

It doesn't look like an alpha 1 to me - it looks pre-alpha-1. The anti-cavitation plate is rounded at the back instead of squared off (hard to see with the tail added) The upper unit has ridges by the vent screw (where this one has a lube attachment added.) The top plate has a lift ring.

[powerabout]

agree its pre alpha
the decals are not from that design
so some time after 76

[mikealston2428]

I removed the decal on the port side were the serial number for the MC1 should be and yep the is a number there, cant read all the numbers.
498 then i think 863.

there is also a 8 stamp by it self off to the side.

Mike

[powerabout]

This version came out when merc converted to 100% chev v8s
Only difference in drives for that era was the ratio in the top box to suit the engine it came with.

[mikealston2428]

thanks for info, approx what year is this unit ?

[gonzo]

You are right, it is an MR1

[powerabout]

its not an MR its earlier maybe even 1976 when that style transom bracket came out.

[CDK]

I agree with powerabout. The central grease nipple and the lifting eye on the top cover suggest it is a real museum piece. Or it has been built from various bits and pieces from a scrapyard.

[powerabout]

its not that old, it has got rotary trim/limit switches so i'd still own one.
They celebrated the 1,000,000th stern drive shipped in 76 ( I think) it was a good year.
Can have a later MR lower housing with alpha parts if you have it it a heavy boat with a v8

[IMP-ish]

Originally Posted by powerabout

its not that old, it has got rotary trim/limit switches so i'd still own one.
They celebrated the 1,000,000th stern drive shipped in 76 ( I think) it was a good year.
Can have a later MR lower housing with alpha parts if you have it it a heavy boat with a v8

I wonder how many alpha drives they have sold now?!
Amazing how close even the genII alpha is to this 30+ year old drive. Simplicity, mass production, parts availability, economics...

[whitepointer23]

Originally Posted by IMP-ish

I wonder how many alpha drives they have sold now?!
Amazing how close even the genII alpha is to this 30+ year old drive. Simplicity, mass production, parts availability, economics...

and still only half as good as a volvo.

[IMP-ish]

Or the bravo.
It must come down to economics - the McDonald's effect.
Yes the alpha has slightly less drag than the bravo for small boats. But I don't know any boat owner who would choose an alpha over a bravo with smoother shifting and better durability if they ran both. I can't find current sales figures, yet I suspect the alpha still outsells the bravo and more expensive and better drives. The original engineers apparently nailed the engineering:economy ratio.

[CDK]

It is of course marketing strategy that made Mercruiser the main operator in the stern drive market. If quality or longevity was a decisive factor, Volvo would have had the largest share, followed by BMW and OMC.
Marketing is a much more powerful instrument than good engineering. Even when Mercruiser made a cheaper version of their original product, they called it genII and presented it as a superior product, while in fact the changes were minimal, like bolts and nuts instead of threaded holes, internal bores for the speedometer pick-up and a cheaper way to attach the trim cylinders and the upper bellows.

Yanmar entered the stern drive market a couple of years ago with a splendidly designed duo prop drive, featuring hydraulic gear shifting and a smooth, low drag housing. They sell it with their excellent diesel engines for only a few 100's of dollars more than a Bravo-2, but I still haven't seen a single one in our marinas.