Is there any difference between a chevy 350 from a boat vs a car? There is a chevy 350 out of a boat for sale here locally, just wondering if it would work in a car. It is just a long block .

Yes it will work, however gasoline engines must be "marinized" before being installed into a boat, so they are NOT identical. I do not know everything done to the motor to make it safe for use in a boat, but I do know the ignition and fuel systems are vastly different to avoid fuel vapor buildup in the enclosed bilge and accidently triggering it with the ignition system, as well as being revamped to account for being covered in water (not that happens usually, but you need to prepare for it...it is a boat).

Also, find out if the engine was fresh water or raw-water cooled. A fresh water system is akin to a car's radiator, and recycles coolant. A raw water system uses the water from outside the boat, cools the motor, then expels the heated water back to whatever body of water you are in. This can cause damage to the coolant passages....ESPECIALLY if the boat was used in salt water.

My personal recommendation is, unless the motor is in truly amazing shape and you're getting it for nothing.....take a pass. There are certainly enough car engines around as is.

they aren't that much different. I would buy one if I could. One thing they have are drain plugs in the block. You will have to change a few things but nothing major. My dads 350 has a q-jet on it so the fuel system is the same. Also it is rated at 260 horsepower and it's an 85 boat so pretty good for that year.

Block, crank, cam, pistons, rods, heads, and a few others are typically the same. The difference is in the other accessories.

Takes very little to change a marined engine to a car application. All the stuff that is getting taken off, you are probably going to replace anyway. That would be intake, headers, distributer, carb, water pump, and others.

Typically the same, but sometimes you can be surprised when you start one up and it runs backwards.

That would usually be on boats with twin engines.

Doesn't make it any less surprising when you aren't expecting it.

Cam and heads can be different. I know mine are!
I have a 460BB that has cooling ports in the heads and a bigger cam to provide better flow. Stock from the factory.
Oh, oil pan is usually a bit different too. Because you can't just drain the oil into the bilge.

The are some differences but as mentioned before, the cooling system might be just full of junk, if it was a raw water cooled engine.

Boat engines were not subject to any sort of emissions in 1985, as opposed to cars...which were choked with it.

Also, boat engines are typically run at much higher rpms on average than car engines. Your typical car engine in city driving will stay between 1K and 4K, and will only see 4K rarely. However, take a Formula 29' PC for instance....they come with twin 350s or 454s from Formula. This is a fairly quick (though not a speed boat) cruiser that sleeps 6. The cruising speed is in the neighborhood of 3-3.5K rpms, so it will see that speed, sustained, for hours on end. One more reason to have the entire engine checked before purchase and installation.

My advice is the same: Can it be done? Yes, but a 350 out of a truck or passenger car at a junkyard will probably be cheaper and easier.


Also, the reverse-engine rotation comment made me laugh out loud . If you attempting to let out the clutch in 1st.....you would go into reverse, wouldn't you? Hahaha.