220 GPU Plus or Minus

[Des Moines Boater]

I need to upgrade my hull. I see some nice hulls with 220 GPUs already installed. Can some of you help me by telling the good and the bad about them.

This should be interesting.

 

[cowboy]

six cyl gpu PROS:

Inexpensive to purchase.
Parts are plentiful and cheap also.
Seem to be very reliable.
More so if retrofitted with sesond mag, and duel plugs. more ponies also.
Fairly bullet proof.
Run pump gas just fine stock.


Cons:
Weight. They are heavy for the power they produce STOCK.
Not originally designed for thrust loading the crank, although they deal with it extremely well.

I aint knock'in them.
Heck we have a plane jane 220 out in the yard right now.

They are very easily hot rodded, and Continental A/C jugs can be installed.
They have a very heavy staock oil sump, and many are discarded for a custom sheetmal sump.

 

[hmgm123]

You really can't go wrong with a 220 gpu, the parts are plentiful and cheap. Also like Cowboy said, their easy to upgrade and get more power out of. Just don't over do it, like going with pop up pistons that usually ends up with problems like breaking the crank shaft, flat top is best.

Geoff

 

[plumcrazy]

the best thing about gpu motors is they were built to run static at sea level which makes em tough in there stock form run for days on end whitout shutting off cept gas an oil .recntly finished a light four cyl. boat drove it to sq. pond half throttle but a lot of thougt went into rig wt. motor combination also a good prop/.

 

[KR23]

i have a gpu built by jim lauderdale that will blow by just about any boat out there, and any one who knows jim will stand by what i'm saying. cost is alot less than an 0540 but horse power to weight is alot more. and i'm not talking about your 5555 horse power race boat just talken about my ride boat, they are great long lasting motors. my motor isn't that stock. alot of great bump up's but still real cheap.

 

[savvy]

I ran one for 8 years with no problems. The only mod. was a holley carb and an electric fuel pump over the mechanical one. My boat is a 15x7 with a polymer bottom and it ran dry with no problems. One of the best things was it ran on pump gas and got great gas mileage. I have since converted it with 520 cylinders and a low profile oil sump, but for stock motors you cant beat them.

 

[hmgm123]

I ran one for 8 years with no problems. The only mod. was a holley carb and an electric fuel pump over the mechanical one. My boat is a 15x7 with a polymer bottom and it ran dry with no problems. One of the best things was it ran on pump gas and got great gas mileage. I have since converted it with 520 cylinders and a low profile oil sump, but for stock motors you cant beat them.

Man you did good to get that big of boat with a 220gpu to run dry with no problems.

 

[savvy]

Hmgm123,
It is a 15x7 AirRanger that is all 1/8" - sides & bottom with 1/4" riveted poly. It has a 18" transom with 24" sides. When I said it would run dry I didn't mean any hard, hard marsh but with 3 people in it would run across a cow pasture during the day with no dew on the ground. Load it up with weight or get into some bad terrain, well that is a different story.

 

[hmgm123]

Still that is awsome, I tell you that there are some 220 gpu that some reason considering that they're stock will run as good a 0540 lyc.

 

[Dakota]

West side air boats builds alot of bad a$$ gpu motors that will run. and has alot of parts in stock. he dose the second mag and plug up grade

 

[Geneva0550]

I ran a stock gpu for 8 years with no problems other than a jug seperated but that was an easy fix. Skeeter has a 520 gpu conversion by JCand Ben Stanley that spins a 3 blade sensenich 2900 rpm's at the 2and3/4 mark.

 

[Des Moines Boater]

It's good to hear all the positive stuff about the 220 GPU's. What does it take to install a second mag?

 

[savvy]

If you want to use your stock cylinders then you will have to find someone to drill and tap you a hole for the second plug, there is already a place for the second mag. There is a lot of options when upgrading these motors. Like mentioned before you can call JC Stanley at 407-927-9701, he is who built my motor and he can give you all of the details. I will say it is night and day between my old and new motor and all of the work can be done at a very reasonable price.