1979 v-20 i/o

[MrBill]

Hello fellow v-20 owners,

I just purchased a 1979 V-20 with a Mercruiser 165 I/O (118 hours according to the meter). No pics yet, still working on the cleanup phase. Some of the gallery pics of restored and customized V-20's is what made my final decision about making the purchase. Some of you guys have done a great job with these beauties.

She is in fair condition but will require some minor fiberglass/gelcoat work. The motor seems strong, when I get it running (on muffs), but the choke on the carb doesn't seem to work properly, and even once up to near running temps, the motor will not idle without some throttling. I have had to remove the throttle control linkage to let her warm up properly. Trying to start her with the linkage attached is difficult at best, and I'm unsure if it's wise to have the prop spinning with just muffs on and since there is no seperate throttle control I felt it was safer to run her this way.

While I feel confident that I can put a kit on the carb which undoubtedly needs done, I am going to take her to the mechanic next week to make certain that the linkages are all set properly.

I am unsure how large the fuel tank is, though I believe the base model that year shipped with a 46 gallon tank. Does anyone know what sort of fuel economy I can expect with this motor? I'm hoping she'll have enough range to do some offshore fishing out of Galveston, TX.