Large Gas Engines - Different Directions

Mercury Marine has announced that they will move to their own base gas engines rather than General Motors base gas engines. Mercury currently builds their 8.2 liter gas engines (using block castings from GM according to a Mercury representative at IBEX). Their 8.2 is based on the "big block" design GM discontinued several years ago. It will be interesting to see to what extent the new Mercury gas engine is a fundamentally new design versus based on GM small block geometry.

Volvo Penta confirmed that they will continue to use General Motors based engines, and said they are very excited about what is coming.

Short video with both from a panel at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo this week in Orlando, Florida: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M5WYmBt1rY

 

This isn't unusual for Mercury, having bought the rights to several engine platforms previously. The updated GM Mark IV engine has received the Vortec treatment and has mutated through the Gen VI as the venerable 'ol big block. The reason Mercury is excited is the Vortec 8100 (Gen VII), which is more in tune with the LS series then the Mark IV casting it was born from and offering considerably more torque and development, much like the LS small block series has opened up. GM has discontinued this engine for production, though it is available as a GM crate setup including the continuation of the 572 (9.4 liter).

 

GM dropped the Vortec 8100 from its vehicles in 2006 or so, and no big block engines are listed in the GM Powertrain catalog. GM Performance does list several big block crate engines with a note that they are:
•Designed for pre-1976 street vehicles or any off-road vehicle
•Not intended for marine applications
I wonder where they are assembled?

 

It's perfectly understandable that the 572 and other crate monsters are pre-smog era or off road only assemblies. I know what one of these puppies costs, can you imagine what it would be if it conformed to 2014 EPA emissions too. These are straight up, very well built, very durable race engines, with relatively low output (for what they are). If you just bolt one in, it will haul the mail for many years with little bitching. On the other hand, if you snatch out the cam, beef up various areas (etc.) you can double the output of these critters. Lets face it 630 HP out of a 9.3 isn't asking much, but can be built to deliver it reliably for years, which is the point for most interested in a crate engine.

I'm fairly sure Wixom, Michigan is the assembly plant, though the LS series (at least a significant potion of them) seems to be going to Bowling Green, Kentucky.

 

Merc has already made its new engine to replace the big block a few years ago
http://www.mercuryracing.com/sterndrives/hp1350.php and the 1650
this project was started years ago when Merc thought GM would stop production and then the bankruptcy convinced them
PS a 572 is not a vortec, still has a distributor.
Will be interesting to see what they come up with from say 140hp and up

 

I'm not surprised at those quad cam Merc V8s,they did build the LT-5 for the old Corvettes.

 

No one said the 572 is a Vortec, but the Gen VII (496) has this treatment (coil packs, crank trigger, etc.). The 572 is a Mark IV, with a 4.560" x 4.375 bore/stroke, which is a different casting then the 496 Vortec 8100 (Gen VII).

 

sorry PAR your post is not so clear
while we are here, what engine is that Vaser thing?
thanks

 

The GM Vortec 1600 is the base for this setup, which I think was originally an overhead cam 4L designed by Opel. I like the compact drive assembly and have a design it would work very nicely in.