As you noted, you will need the pump as well as the bracket and grommet
that keep the crank mounted pump from spinning. Other than that, the only
consideration is clearance between the front of the engine and any
bulkhead present. On straight inboards this can be a problem, on stern
drives it usually is not.

submariner wrote:

Greetings,

I have twin 350 inboards in my '86 Sea Ray 300 Weekender. They were
rebuilt a while back by the previous owner, and he requested that
Crusader blocks be used because evidently the original Mercruiser
blocks were only 2-bolt main. As such, I basically have Mercruiser
engines with Crusader blocks and full fresh water cooling.

The engines have the Bravo-style raw water pump that an octopus can
barely reach, and the starboard pump is in the worst location
possible. I guess the engineers decided that everyone would be
pulling their engines once a year to replace the impellers, because
that's almost what's required to access them.

My last boat had a Volvo V-8, which had the brass, crank-mounted raw
water pump that was easy to access and service. With the Bravo pump,
you have to completely remove it from the engine, which is a nightmare
when you consider two hoses have to come off the pump body, and
everything is underneath the engine!!! The Volvo pump had a service
plate with a handfull of screws, so replacing the impeller was a 10
minute affair.

Is it possible to convert the Bravo-style raw water pump system to the
crank mounted Volvo system on a Mercruiser engine? What's involved,
other than getting the pump kit (pump and bracket)?

Thanks in advance!!!!