I had the same trouble when the motor was lower in the water. It still cavitates sometimes but for some reason it seam to not cavitate as much. I'd try it with the stock motor if I were you. I'll post some picks in a minute. You will see that even with the mods, it can still be adjusted back to the highest stock settings, but it if doesn't work, it's reversable. As for tearing it down, it's fairly easy to do. I'll run throught it and post a step by step w/ picks a little later.