Easy way to install billows on mercury alpha outdrive. This way holds the billow out for you and then all you have to do is lower the outdrive a bit and push it on.use a piece of exhaust tubing and clamp it to the billow and pull it out with a pair of plyers.I was doing it with 2 sticks but found it easier with just one paint stick on one side. Make sure the clamp holding the piant stick is not too close to the hose clamp that is going to be attached to the outdrive. Doing a billow is no easy task but this made it easy for me. Donate a dollar or more to blazinminiz@yahoo.com via paypal if this video and trick helped you out.

1. Alpha 1 Bellows Replacement

Aug 12, 2013 Re: gimbel bellow installation alpha 1 gen 2 Thats the seal that seats on the bellows retainment ring sleeve and of lip. Alpha one bellows install. I can't believe I'm asking this, but here goes: I'm ready to install the new ujoint bellows on my 1987 Alpha 1.

So I started the job of replacing the Gimble bearing, inside seal, along with water pump and new bellows basically all new seals. Everything is going together just fine and I am down to the U-Joint Bellows.

What is the trick here? I just cannot get the bellows to go far enough into the housing so I can install the ring. It really seems like the bellows from SEI does not have a long enough lip before the first bellow section. I have worked on this for 2 hours and cannot get it installed. What am I doing wrong? Thanks, Todd. Here is the ultimate solution!

Alpha 1 Bellows Replacement

If I have to do this again this will be my procedure. Glue bellows to the back of the transom and secure with hose clamp. Install shift cable 3. Install the water hose to transom and to bell-housing.

Install oil lines. Now this is the good part.

I found that the top of a one quart paint can just fits into the inside of the bellows, bell-housing side. Drill three holes in a triangle pattern in the paint can top and install a metal screw into each hole. You will be pulling on these screws later. Now place the paint can top inside the bellows. Now install the bell-housing onto the bellows. The paint can will be inside the bellows. The reason you can't install the retainer ring is because with the bellows in the housing the edge of the bellows edge tips in and you can't start the retainer ring.

This is where the paint can comes in. Now using a pliers start to pull the paint can top through the bellows keeping it perpendicular to the bellow sides. Be careful not to pull the top all the way through the bellows. This will expand the bellows against the bell-housing. When you have about 1/4 to 1/8 inch left before the paint can top pulls through bellows you will be able to insert the retainer ring and press it into place.

At the same time, the paint can top will be pushed back into the bellows. Now take 2 pliers and bend the pain can top to remove it from the bellows. This process took me 25 minutes!!!

I would suggest testing the process with your own paint can top to make sure it fits properly in the bellows. Forest Lakes Blvd. Oldsmar, FL 34677 tel: 813.925.7127 fax: 813.925.7064 Sterndrive Engineering, Inc. (SEI) manufactures a stern drive designed to replace Mercury Marine's MerCruiser® Alpha One®, R, MR, Gen II and Bravo One® stern drives. MerCruiser® Alpha One, R, MR, Gen II and Bravo One® are trademarks of the Brunswick Corporation. SEI has no affiliation with the Brunswick Corporation. Consequently, any warranties governing products and or sold by Brunswick Corporation will not apply to products manufactured and or sold by SEI, or to products damaged due to the operation of an SEI product.