We have ignition!

[Brian]

Been a long slog this winter but that 70 horse Chrysler is running, belching fire and water. New pistons, bearings and cylinders bored and honed 0.020 over. Dang that was one nice sound when I finally got it idling. Still need to track down the right plugs and a tach and do the the final tuning next weekend.

It's a ways to go before she's on the water. I need to get it registered and figure out steering. (cables or spend money on rack and pinion) I might could use some advice on that one. The motor cover is a little busted up to. This will be my first fiberglassing. But dang, at least it's running!

[slo-mo]

boat anchor back from dead...

Excellent show of perseverance Brian, glassin' that hood will be the easy part. Refresh our memory regarding your sweet wooden motor stand...:cool1:

A new rack is money well spent (imho), and will keep your interesting splashwell looking smooth.

[Helmar]

Thats looking pretty nice for sure.
I am sure that there several of us that can give you some good advice and opinions on how to do your glass work on the hood.
Just post some pictures of the areas that need glassing.

Just remember one thing about opinions, you get three or four of them and then you can form your own..

Looken Real Good :GoodJob:

[Brian]

cable steering got limits?

I'll be able to get some pics of the hood up in a couple days. It's not in pieces, but got some cracks. I was told, glass over the inside and bondo the outside, but some of it goes around corners.

The only major thing left is the steering. It's got the original Attwood steering with a drum for cables. I'd like to keep it cause' it looks cool and money is tight these days. Is there a hp limit for wire steering? If I can do it with cables, then it's just ingenuity.

The transom was laminated from some plywood laying around. Easy to replace though, three bolts and a handfull of wood screws.

Summers coming! one of these days,... :boater1:

[Helmar]

When you get some good pictures of the cowl I am sure you will get some good suggestions.
I have gone as far as drilling some small holes and adding supporting over wax paper then glassing from the rear. Then filling the holes with something like Evercoat lite. Like I said, some pictures will sure help setting you in the right directions.

As far as the drum and cables, I am just "thinking" I remember up to 40hp.
I could be real wrong here.

[Tim McCrain]

Brian,
I would keep the Bondo to a minimum on the hood, I think a better way to go would be epoxy resin filler, with fiberglass strands for larger areas, with micro ballons and silica powder for smaller areas and finer feathering. I used these when restoring my Homelite hood and was quite pleased with the way they worked. Haven't had any cracking or other bad stuff happen since putting it into service, either.

One corner of my hood was shattered and basically had to be sculpted to match the other side after laminating the inside with cloth and resin. I used resin and micro balloons and it worked beautifully.

Lots of guys here know a lot more about fiberglass than I do, be sure to post clear photos of what you're working with on the hood and you'll get lots of good advice.

Tim

[Tim_Mattson]

Brian ,
De-grease .de-grease ,de-grease......the cover.
Then use Blu tape on outside and work from the inside with some epoxy and top with a skin of cloth over each crack.Use ground up glass as thickener use ( a file or rasp to make)scratch or sand to give the surface something to bite on.
Bigger cracks need two layers and be at least a half inch beyond the crack,or it will come back.
A little epoxy to seal the outside cracks will keep it together for many years.A razor blade or file can scrape it pretty smooth,even better than sanding in some ways.
New steering will mean a new wheel too....but always worth the safety and ease of use."NFB "will offer the ability to let go of wheel without it spinning wildly.....non Feedback is nice.
We also used to set the timing with a Timing light and Non-running motor.We turned it by hand until the light fired (or we heard the points click) as we spun flywheel by hand and had the key left ON.
Also verify choke closes fully with key.....this usually made them hesitate on cold starts.
Keep going ,your oh -so close now.
Tim M

[Brian]

Ok, I got some good de-greaser, that's what I cleaned up the engine parts with before primer/paint. Now bear with me here as I'm a newbie on glassing. I'll try an' get some pics up tonight.

Filler: Brand name? Does it go directly on a clean scuffed surface or does it need some kind of stick-um? Wont have to fill deeper than 1/16" or bridge a gap more than 1/8".

Epoxy: Can I buy one kind of epoxy and add filler(s) as needed? Brand names will help.

Would you try to put the cloth on both (inside/outside) sides of a 1/8" gap or will cloth on the inside be tough enough?

Slo-Mo, Here's what the rest of the wooden motor stand looks like. The 'inside cabin' is waiting it's turn for finishing. The hull isn't quite glassy smooth. It's lightly sanded and painted to seal and protect. Wondering if I could use some of those epoxy fillers to fill and sand smooth?

[Brian]

This is the corner that needs fixing. If I can do this part, the other crack will be easy. I figure I'll start by taking all the trim off, then de-grease, then,...

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Nice Boat, Easy Fix

Brian -

What a great boat...(!) We don't see many of the earlier Clipper Crafts, so your's is fairly rare.

Regarding the cowl, you'll be happy with the results if you follow the advice already given. Looks like an easy fix.

Hope you can post more photos of the boat...and bring it to future club events.

- Marty

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Steering for your boat

Nice looking boat and good job on the powerhead overhaul.

Fisheries Supply has a sale on push-pull steering going through the winter, even the non-feedback style. I think non-feedback steering is a good investment on fast outboard boats....

I could supply the steering at slightly over cost if interested. Think I also have a spare stainless destroyer wheel too I'll let go cheap.