Chryslers in OPC...

**Mark75H** · 09-07-2010

Very good stuff! Details that I did not know!

**PIP** · 09-08-2010

Ron Baker told me that with the Chrysler, he could jack it to the moon and it ddnt lose water pressure. He said the motor wasn't all that great as far as being a screamer, but it was purely the fact that you could jack it so high that made it fast. he was spinning a 30 pitch or something like that he told me. he couldn't remember exactly which prop, but he had been working for Chrysler at the time, so it was natural to use the motor he did. i would love to trade my 140 crossflow for one of those old Chryslers. they are just cool by accident. sam baker might chime in here and give a little more insight.

**fredbear624** · 09-08-2010

check out this factor 135 stacker on ebay #120618067889 comes with a carlson contender 14.5' with a trailer in ok city ok

**brichter** · 09-13-2010

Originally Posted by PIP

Ron Baker told me that with the Chrysler, he could jack it to the moon and it ddnt lose water pressure. He said the motor wasn't all that great as far as being a screamer, but it was purely the fact that you could jack it so high that made it fast. he was spinning a 30 pitch or something like that he told me. he couldn't remember exactly which prop, but he had been working for Chrysler at the time, so it was natural to use the motor he did. i would love to trade my 140 crossflow for one of those old Chryslers. they are just cool by accident. sam baker might chime in here and give a little more insight.

I like the Chryslers also but I don't think I'd go that far.

The earliest Chryslers were on the leading edge but they didn't innovate much over the years and fell behind Merc and OMC. I think the racing gearcase they had was a West Bend leftover. Styling stayed pretty much the same for almost two decades and was very dated at the end (first issue US marine addressed).
I could never figure out why the 150 racer was only a 96 ci motor when they had a 99 ci
block...seem they were always in survival mode with their budget.

The engines weren't that reliable either. They often seemed to overheat and stick or just wear out too soon and when you took them apart nothing was straight.....bores and decks all warped. If you cut everything straight and put them back together they were pretty good.

The later one-piece lower they came out with mid 70s had the pickups in the bullet which was good but it was also longer and a little thinner than the mercs so even when it was in the water it could go faster without blowing out.

I remember seeing Ron whup the mercs a few times with his 135 Chrysler against a field of 150s. Ron drove a heck of a race and was a good setup man, you have to give him credit for that.

**Mark75H** · 09-13-2010

Originally Posted by brichter

I think the racing gearcase they had was a West Bend leftover.

No, the racing gearcase was designed in 1967 by Jack Oxley and Bob Kies well after the sale to Chrysler (January 1, 1965). In 1965 they were still working for Bob McCullough.

Originally Posted by brichter

I could never figure out why the 150 racer was only a 96 ci motor when they had a 99 ci block

I've often wandered about that too. Maybe they felt it was better to leave a little more meat in the block to improve reliability.

**Sam Baker** · 09-17-2010

John Tiger told me about this post...can't believe I didn't see it sooner.

The trick thing about the Chrysler was that it had the water intakes on the side of the bullet which allowed you to run it a few inches higher than a Mercury or OMC - motors that had the water intakes in the traditional location on the gearcase.

My Dad had his 135 Chrysler on a HydroStream Viper and when that thing was on, it would absolutely destroy the competition. He went to the Kaukauna, WI kilos with it and actually went faster than the world record, but because the U.S. record was faster (had to pay a fee to make your record a "World" record and the guy with the US record at the time didn't pay the fee), he didn't get credit for breaking either record. Anyway, the boat would run low to mid 80s all day long - no low water pickup nosecones, etc.

He worked for Chrysler at the time and took some heat for running a non-Chrysler boat so the company flew him to Plano, TX where they made the Chrysler brand boats and he built a 16' Chrysler boat to race in J Production. He redesigned the bottom...it was essentially a HydroStream bottom. The boat looked like a bathtub going down the course and it didn't turn for $hit...it hooked pad...but it was fast! My brother Jeff won High Points in Region 8 (Twin Cities Power Boat Association) in that Chrysler Boat. To this day, the only Chrysler boat I've ever known that was raced.

The picture earlier in the thread is of my brother's Vandal with an 85 HP Chrysler Striper that he ran in VP1300 and Mike O'Connor in his "Goat Boat." He ran that in what was essentially Mod100. He was also very fast and once that boat was dialed in, it really ran strong.

We were literally laughed at as we pulled those Chryslers into the pits at many races...they called my Dad crazy. They didn't laugh for long usually.

Here's a photo of him running the Viper through the Kaukauna Kilo:

**Bill Gohr** · 09-18-2010

Sam, What was the pic he had above his desk that said it was for a record of some sort?

I'll never forget it was like in 79' I was working for Ralph and I went to Oregon IL to help out some of our customers. They showed up with a couple Chrysler boats and we were all looking at them kinda cross eyed.

**Sam Baker** · 09-18-2010

That was the U.I.M. plaque for setting the 2 hour marathon World Record when he drove for Tom Ireland. That was in Family E. Viper with a 65HP Evinrude Triumph. I think the average was 51 MPH or so.

**brichter** · 09-18-2010

Thanks for the info Sam!

I remember the first TCPBA race I went to in Lake City where the Chryslers ran. There were 3 or 4 Chrysler boats in Mod 100 and they all ran respectably. I remember Mike O'Connor, Randy Pierson and I believe Dave Quinzon was running one as well.
My Dad ran an OMC but it was good to see 3 different brands out there at one time. Something that I hadn't seen for a while before that.

**Bill Gohr** · 09-19-2010

Originally Posted by brichter

Thanks for the info Sam!

I remember the first TCPBA race I went to in Lake City where the Chryslers ran. There were 3 or 4 Chrysler boats in Mod 100 and they all ran respectably. I remember Mike O'Connor, Randy Pierson and I believe Dave Quinzon was running one as well.
My Dad ran an OMC but it was good to see 3 different brands out there at one time. Something that I hadn't seen for a while before that.

Roddy Foreman ran 100 till the end at Kankakee with the "Force" motors, they came like the last 2 or 3 years in a row