Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines need Chevy II four-banger

Dennis,

MercMarine and OMC both made 153 4 cyls for boats and are relatively common. I think both came with a 2 bbl but OMC had an optional 2X1 bbl intake. However, Mercmarine also made a 181 4 cyl based the 153 Chevy II block. It used a different head, an 8 port with bigger valves, which would need new intake and exhaust manifolds, but have you considered using your existing head from the 153 on a 181 shortblock? More cubes are better, regardless of the engine size, and you may be able to find the 181 easier.

The 181 was also used in industrial applications such as forklifts, as mentioned above, but may also show up in generators and were sometime used to start big diesel engines. Besides boats and forklifts, some US Mail jeeps also used 153's.


[This message has been edited by chevy2inreno (edited 01-03-2004).]