Who know's about 27' Uniflite Express?

318's came in a variety .

The best is the 318c (Canadian).

This is really a 440 block cast as 318 cubic inch truck or industrial unit.

They are great , salt cooled valves and all the usual internal parts of a real HD engine.

IF you do go fast enough with this engine , tossing the 4bbl carb and using a 2bbd 500 Holly might get the efficiencies up to the point its a keeper.

FF

 

Fred,
318c .. must be as heavy as a 440. Kinda like a 70s 350 Buick that doubles as a 455. Is the 454 Chevy and 455 Buick related? ..other than GM. I think not and if so it seems odd GM would build two engines almost exactly the same at great expense. Could have used the 455 Buick in the Chevys or a 454 Chevy in a Buick. Many Chevy engines were found in Pontiac, Olds and Buick cars. It seems like I'm missing something. Perhaps there was a big difference in the
455 and 454 GM engines??

Easy

 

Easy,

I was checking out that Sumnercraft with a Google search...that really looks to be a very fine boat. I don't know that I ever say one around here, but a lot of really great regionally-built boats from the Pacific side never make it to the Great Lakes. Were they a pretty low-volume builder? What type of models did they have?

I miss regional boat-building out here, too. We used to have some really fine regional boats, but they're all pretty much gone.Cheap southern labor and mass-production did them in.

The pride of Lake Erie, the Lyman Boat Works and The Matthews Company, both did well nationally. Both companies designed there boats to take on the infamous Lake Erie chop, and are still regarded as some of the best riding and handling boats around. They just couldn't make the transition from wood to glass (plus about a hundred other factors) so, poof, they're gone.

Too damn bad.

 

Boy do I agree, lots of really nice older boats out there that could easily be brought back to life. I did it myself with a 1960 Uniflite runabout. There are lots of people out here who would love to refurbish boats if they could recover their costs and a few dollars for their labor.

 

hi Easy Rider could i please pick your brain a bit about my dads 27 uniflite express. he wants a economic diesel in it to replace the v8 big block that was in it. any recommendations? what do you think about an isuzu diesel 4LC1 model rated at 38hp at 3000 rpm? he wants to cruise at 5-7 knots economically without overworking the diesel. is this plausible?

 

Also Easy, If you're about, I'm trying to get a timeline together in my head...Do you know anything about a converted gunboat that had an orange stripe instead of the Uni blue and white rabbit fur lining in the V-berth? I think that one would stand out in anyone's mind! It sounds like you were there at the same time as Sandy. I can't figure why you guys don't know each other... I'm taking your picture to him tomorrow. Oh, shoot, I see you havn't been on this thread for six months.

 

awesome boat

hey mark do you know much about a 27.3' '68 express cruiser?

 

I've seen them around. I'd be a pretender if I said I knew much. I think it's a tad narrower than the Salty Dog (I've got a friend with one of those and I've been on it many times - He's got two 41 Volvos, it's very heavy with modifications and does well in weather but is slow for all that HP) but same deadrise. They push those with as little as 210 HP - weight is absolutely critical. The only one I can say I know very well is the 36. All Uniflites (other than aft-cabin) are a cult item out here, and tho I said something about ugly before, I think Easy misunderstood - I love 'em, I just don't like engine brackets and surface drives on a traditional production boat like these. In fact, I am in the market for a Salty Pup. I just like things to look original.
The guy I know that worked there was a foreman for near a decade - I can ask him questions but I am not the expert!

 

cool thanx man. we are trying to replace the old 390 big block that packed it in with a small diesel or economic gas job. it has a borg warner velvet drive (direct drive) is this a plausible thing to do or should we just strap on an o/b?

 

I'll run it by Sandy in the morning.

 

Sorry to neglect you guys but my computer's been down for over a month and I'm playing catch up and mop up.
antiqueuniflite, The 27 was a nice boat but not suited to slow speeds. Where was the V8 located in the boat? Aft as in a V drive or centered as in a straight drive? Isuzu is my favorite engine but 38hp probably won't get 7 knots. My 30' Willard has 37 hp but it WAS designed for slow speeds. Also the shape of the Uniflite hull aft is worse than the average boat of her time for slow economical going. It's heavier also. We have a gent here w a 31' Uniflite and it burns 18 gallons an hour. An old 26' Trojan would be wider and more easily driven than the Uniflite. Even a Bayliner would be better for what you want to do. If your'e willing to do considerable cutting and fibre glassing I can tell you a way to change the Bayliner into a displacement hull and then the 38hp would be plenty of power. As for overworking the diesel it's hard to overwork diesels. You can run them at nearly full power all the time as long as you prop them correctly.
Mark,
I had little contact w the gunboats and don't remember anything about rabbit fur or orange stripes. Sorry.

Easy Rider

 

the v8 was centered direct drive. not interested in bayliner stuff. we want to keep the uniflite. its a solid boat and we've had some good times in er. we just want a reliable economic engine that can bolt up to a borg warner velvet drive. any recommendations?

 

The main problem with Uniflites of that vintage is severe blistering. The resin they mostly used was the same as in the Army boats which has a fire retardant. It was not formulated for durability.

 

Gonzo,
From what I hear from many owners is that it's not structural.
Antiq,
A 4 cyl or 6 cyl Ford Lehman would be good and they are everywhere. They must have made a million of them. The 4 is 80hp and the six (much more numerous) is 120hp. You can get some parts at Ford tractor shops. Good hunting.

 

ok cool thanx easy. we will look into that certainly. what do you think would be a good prop size/pitch to run on the 4 cyl?