02-16-2026, 03:10 PM
My starboard Mercruiser 7.4L 454 gen 4 has finally died...likely threw a rod or dropped a valve. 2900hrs. I'm looking into repowering both mains with either crate 454's or complete drop in 454's mius trans and FWC. Does anyone have first hand experience with which route may be more cost effective? Other than replacing the oil and trans coolers and starter the other parts are in good condition. Michigan Motors sells the crate for $5K and complete drop in for $17K plus $1600 for FWC...quite the difference in price but I'm not sure what labor and yard time would cost for tearing down old motors and installing parts on the crate motor. I figure an expereinced mechanic could do that in 1-2 days?? any suggestions are welcome. Photos attached..
