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Thread: Alpha 1 hp? HELP

  1. #1
    pocketchange 22
    Yes i have a Pachanga 22. Building a small block chevy. 450 hp, 485 torqe. Is there any upgrades for the A 1 drive? Even though the Bravo is the way to go I am thying to save on weight. New motor has all aluminum dressings, intake, Air Flow research heads,etc... (alpha ss gears) any help would be great, Thanks for reading. I am planing to use a 22 or 23 pitch 4 blade.

  2. #2
    Ryan00TJ
    I'm also building another stout 450+hp SBC for mine. Forged Shortblock, AFR 195's, Vic Jr, etc... This will be the third 400+hp SBC in front of my stock 1992 Alpha 1. I've never had any problems with mine, knock on wood. It also does not hurt to have a very light 2600lbs hull and it's very efficient with a good pad.
    I recently picked up a spare just in case and am building it up with some good parts.
    Mercruiser 1.50 Heavy Duty Upper Gears
    All new bearings, vert shaft, prop shaft, clutch dog. I went with a GLM lower gear set as they claim their gears are stronger than OEM Merc's. GLM decreases the number of teeth on the gears making for a larger stronger contact patch as compared to stock.
    3 things to keep the Alpha healthy with high hp;
    1. Never any WOT hole shots
    2. Get off the gas if you get the prop out of the water
    3. Deaccelerate slowly, never pull the throttle back fast after going WOT.
    Turning the 4blade will make it harder on the Alpha compared to a 3 blade. Proping the boat to get the WOT rpms out of your peak torque range will also help.
    I used to run a forged 355 with the AFR's, ported HP manifolds, Vic Jr, 257/269 solid lifter cam thru the Alpha. With a 21p 3 blade Cleaver it would rev to 6500rpms and 78mph. Nobody believed the Alpha would hold up but it took it in stride. I only babied it out of the hole, once over 30mph I showed it no mercy.
    What are the specs on your 355? I would like to compare ours. What cam are you going with? Keep in mind the Alpha does not like idling above 800 rpms so tailor your cam choice around that. My old solid lifter was way too large for the Alpha and it was a pain to keep it idling around 800rpms. I had to tune it rich as could be to get it to idle.
    I've got it down to three.....
    Comp XM270HR 218/224 .495/.503 112
    Lunati Voodoo HR 219/227 .515/.530 112LSA
    Crane Powermax HR 222/230 .515/.528 112LSA

  3. #3
    pocketchange 22
    That seems to help, thanks. The specs are 86 pachanga 22, mint cond for an 86, believe it or not I an the 2nd owner and friends with the first.
    brand new block and stroker crank, 1 pc. rear main seal. Speed Pro 9.7:1 flat top pistons, AFR alum. 195 heads, Comp Cams XM270H 218/224 .495/.503 112 Marine 750 Holley mec. secondary. Edelbrock Performer- "airgap" intake. and EMI Thunder headers. Als equiped MSD pro billet dist, and rev box.
    My shop says around 430 hp 485 torque. Hopefully it will pull a skiier out of the h2o...
    Is there any chance you would have part # or a phone number for this stuff
    thanks again!!
    I also hope this will idle about 750rpm, this also is a roller cam so the engine stumble should be little smoother coming out of gear..hopefully

  4. #4
    Ryan00TJ
    That seems to help, thanks. The specs are 86 pachanga 22, mint cond for an 86, believe it or not I an the 2nd owner and friends with the first.
    brand new block and stroker crank, 1 pc. rear main seal. Speed Pro 9.7:1 flat top pistons, AFR alum. 195 heads, Comp Cams XM270H 218/224 .495/.503 112 Marine 750 Holley mec. secondary. Edelbrock Performer- "airgap" intake. and EMI Thunder headers. Als equiped MSD pro billet dist, and rev box.
    My shop says around 430 hp 485 torque. Hopefully it will pull a skiier out of the h2o...
    Is there any chance you would have part # or a phone number for this stuff
    thanks again!!
    I also hope this will idle about 750rpm, this also is a roller cam so the engine stumble should be little smoother coming out of gear..hopefully
    Sounds like a very nice setup. You'll be very impressed with the AFR heads. They are amazing at what they do compared to the cheap Vortec's out there. I doubt you'll have any problems pulling a skier with that setup, just keep the rpms in moderation as you have an Alpha back there.
    The upper gears of the Alpha take the most grunt as they get the power right off the engine. That's why Merc makes the HD upper gears. A set of upper HD gears would be a good idea if you have the cash. I would leave the lower stock and not worry about it.
    As long as you abide by the 3 Alpha guidelines I posted above, I don't think you will have any problems but there is always that one chance.
    Mercruiser HD 1.50 Gears #43- 18411A 2 The Merc drive gear in this kit is stepped and requires new drive gear bearings. The ID of the bearings is different than the stock 1.50 gears.
    GLM 1.50 HD Gears #11210 These gears are not stepped and can be used with standard 1.50 bearings.
    The Comp XM270HR has -3 degrees overlap @ .050 duration, 49 degrees @ .006 duration. It should idle fine at 750rpms. It's also a Comp designed cam for Marine use and they keep that in mind when grinding the cam.

  5. #5
    pocketchange 22
    Ryan, htanks for the part #'s and every thing else. Been reading some other threads, i have been on this site since Sunday, It's great to see so many people getting along, and not just talking trash about one another..
    i have only one other question at the time being, looking for pics of a 1989 sea ray pachanga 22, any body out there have one?

  6. #6
    bigjim
    Yes, I have an 89 Pachanga with a 496/Bravo in it
    For what its worth, if you have the engine out it is not that hard to switch to a Bravo unit. I am spinning the dice with a Bravo behind a big block with the increased power. Lucky the boat is light, but it likes to get air over waves.
    I would try a Mirage 23p three blade, that is what came stock on the 454/330. I have labbed 24 I used on the 330hp before the power upgrade.
    Email me if interested.
    If you would like I can Email you almost any pic, from engine compartment to girlfriend to wife:jawdrop:
    Jim

  7. #7
    DMOORE
    Yes, I have an 89 Pachanga with a 496/Bravo in it
    For what its worth, if you have the engine out it is not that hard to switch to a Bravo unit. I am spinning the dice with a Bravo behind a big block with the increased power. Lucky the boat is light, but it likes to get air over waves.
    I would try a Mirage 23p three blade, that is what came stock on the 454/330. I have labbed 24 I used on the 330hp before the power upgrade.
    Email me if interested.
    If you would like I can Email you almost any pic, from engine compartment to girlfriend to wife:jawdrop:
    Jim
    BIGJIM, not to worry about the bravo behind your 496. I run bravos behind my 800's. Just don't go WOT from a standstill and they will last forever.( well almost). As far as the Mirage 3 blade, that would probably be a great choice for the alpha. Good performance without too much stress on the drive.
    BTW ,if you have not tried a bravo 4 blade, you should. Better pretty much everywhere.
    Darrell.

  8. #8
    pocketchange 22
    good deal, i'll checkout all the pics u got. E mail address is HangoverHaulers @ yahoo .com (if you want to send a few of the boat, that's cool too) After reading every body's 2 cents I think I'll end up with a Bravo 1. Any body interested in a complete package? 260hp sbc Alpha drive, and transom plates.
    What about IMCO drives, will they mate up, or just do the smart thing and do Bravo 1 or 3 possibly?:idea: :idea:

  9. #9
    HeavyHitter
    Left hand alphas have bigger bearings at the proshaft since alphas shift there. There are also some outboard lower unit performance parts that fit alphas. Randy at Performance Marine in Glendale AZ knows the tricks for alphas. Raced a pair of healthy small block offshore for many years.

  10. #10
    fkboatman
    i have a newer bravo 1 for sale with 1.50 ratio also have inner plate, gimble housing (needs gimble ring replaced) bravo hd coupler and rear flywheel cover-rear mount,have water pump and brackets also. you need the pump bravo does not have internal water pump....let me know if you need any of them

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