Merc 260?

[MANIC MECHANIC]

I am considering buying a boat I found on boat trader.
It's a '78 daycruiser with a blown up 350 and what the drive says on it is a mercury 260.
What is that?
An old Alpha?
Is the 260 drive any good?
Is a modern alpha a direct bolt in replacment, or would I have to plug the transom?
How about a bravo?
Could someone give me an idea what I could expect to pay for a used bravo drive?
Any info would be appreciated.
Tim

[Havasu47]

The engine is a 260 horse 350. The drive is basically the same as an Alpha One. The parts are available to rebuild it if necessary. A later model Alpha will bolt right up. In some cases the engine coupler will have to be changed.

[MANIC MECHANIC]

Thanks for the info Havasu47.
Tim

[Chadzilla4ever]

The mer 260 is basically the same as an alpha one gen one. there were lots of internal changes made to the gen one alphas, and this is why u see so many different badges on them. The later style alpha gen. two drive will not bolt up to the old style. the bell housings are different as well as the trim rams and are not interchangeable. If you are thinking about modifying your engine, I would suggest changing to a bravo . The bravo transom will bolt up in place of your alpha. Merc uses the same cutout and bolt patterns for both. IHope this helps you out. If you have any questions you can e-mail me at chadzilla4ever@aol.com