84 Formula 272

I took some pictures of the bunks but not until the boat was back on the trailer! I can post them if you want to see them? There is a picture on that new to offshore thread on page 5 or 6 you can zoom in on but it's not to good of a picture!

befu

Well, it has been almost a month and not much to report.....

Trailer: Trailer is almost done, or done to the point of future modifications. I ran the trailer and boat across the scales and I am heavy on the tonque. Boat and trailer weighed in around 7,000 lbs since I am still missing both drives and the port motor. Tonque was just north of 900 I think. I moved the boat back a little bit from where it was sitting and putting the motor back in and drives on will lower my tonque weight some, but not sure how much. Next week I will finalize that.

The load rite trailers are all bolted together and the leaf spring mounts are secured with U bolts to the frame. I am looking at putting a new rear axle under the trailer to have brakes on both axles and bolt/weld all the mounts on permantly once I figure out where the axles need to go. Not sure, might just move U-bolts. Either way, the axles look like they need to come forward just a bit to get the tonque weight down, shooting for 6-8% on the truck.

The new bunks seem to work out well. The rear ones went together easily and line up well. Really cradle it nicely. I went on vacation for a week and when I got back, the front bunks were welded up ready for paint. Not bad, but I think they added 35 pounds of steel to each one with the reinforcements! A bit overkill, but they are on there. The other nice item is the boat now sits about 5-6" lower than it used to! That will help in launching as trailer will not have to be so deep and the boat should ride better.

Now I am reworking my trailer jack to change it from a snap ring retainer to a pipe mount type on an engine stand. You jack the boat up right now and the jack starts leaning over, kinda scary. Not sure why I bought the snap ring type, but the pipe mount one will be much more rigid.

The port motor is about ready to go in. It is pretty much assembled, I just need new bolts to hold the new JLM manifolds on. The bolt length from the old mercruisers needs to be longer, would only have about 1/4" thread at most on a 3/8 bolt. So I will get those next week and then we can drop the other motor back in.

JLM Manifolds. So I got the cast iron ones, standard small block stuff and I am not really impressed! That is some pretty rough castings! The exhaust flanges and the top flange were not really all that flat. They actually had machining marks still in them (large) and chunks of the paint on the gasket surface. I deburred all the holes with a chamfer and tapped out the riser bolt holes which looked sad. Then I took out a sander and got the machined surfaces until they were smooth and then started scraping them in until flat. Took awhile, but at least the gasket surfaces are flat now. Do marinas really just bolt these things on and go? Wow, more like buying a "you finish it" kit. Oh well, manifolds and risers are all good now, no more leaks there.

Also have a wiring issue to chase down. Got my dash reinstalled and after hooking up a battery, I do not have power to the dash. Starboard motor is in, so should feed through that. Just need some time with a multimeter and chase it down. Next week we will get some stuff done, then I am off for another 10 days of camping, so progress will stop again.

Here are some pics of the new bunk arrangements. The rear bunk has great contact over it's 5.5" width and 6' length. It goes past the transom and it goes past the rear bulkhead, so should offer some good support. The front bunks are 4' long and have solid contact also under the stringers in the cabin and front bulk head. Being pivoting bunks, they will always pivot to match where the hull bottom is so it will not be point loaded. Anxious to try it out now. Front roller also takes part of the load and the front locating Vee's at the bow eye barely touch unless you really winch it down. That is 10' of bunk 5.5" wide on each side plus the front keel roller that it is resting on. I think that is good.
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machloosy

Brian, I dig the trailer big time. Nice conversion and overkill but in a good way. Slowly but surely, speaking of which... You're asking me about shift interrupt switches, it sounds like you're in the water! Let's get an update

befu

Well, work pays for this thing, so I guess I shouldn't complain about work keeping me busy! We have also been camping every weekend and two full weeks in the past two months, so not much spare time. Not much major has happened, but little things are getting done.

First, the rear bench is now done. Bolted in, it looks stock, hatch closes normally. But if you raise the hatch and pull four bolts, you get nice access to the engine compartment. All three seat back cushions are new wood and vinyl, the 3 on the seat are still original. The front grey one will probably be the next one to be replaced.

Now my next question, where do I run the intake hose to the air cleaner housing? Can I hook it up to my bilge blowers to get some boost?

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befu

Other progress:
The new dash is finally done and wired up. Replaced a couple of gauges also and added some blue LED’s for accent lighting to match the cockpit lights I put in last year. I think everything is now working on the electrical system except for the anchor light, as the thumb screw is stripped so it is stuck in the down position. I will get to it, but not planning on anchoring anywhere in the dark any time soon. The other one is we are going to move the switch for the docking lights. It was in the way when I straightened the console up with the new frame, so it goes where the cigarette lighter used to go. Cigarette lighter has been moved to a accessory bar/USB charging center just inside the cabin but still connected to the old cig lighter fuse.

The lanyard engine safety is now installed and works. Kills the ignition wire to both motors when pulled out. That will make me feel safer.

I figured out how the windshield is attached and tightened up those screws and replaced one that was missing. Not having a windshield frame rattling around will be nice also. Still need to install the front side glass pieces that I have.

Still have a fuel pump issue. I put in the new system with two pumps and a cross over for redundancy. The old pump still does not work. The pump runs about 8 minutes and then over heats and shuts off. The new pressure switch from Holley also does not work as it sputters on and off without any back pressure. Tap it and it runs again. So both of these have been ordered and will be replaced this week, hopefully with Holley pieces that work this time. Not happy about the holley quality. I think I am down to about 20 gallons of gas in it that I still need to pump out before I put fresh gas back in it. Been burning it in the mower and 1/2 ton burb just fine.

Got a new carburetor from National Carb in FL for the port motor which is sitting on the ground ready to be installed after the starboard motor is aligned. Hopefully that gets done this week.

Once the other motor is in, I can run it back across the scale and determine if I need to move my axles and where to. I really think I have about 10% tonque weight right now.

Really need a couple of days to get the other motor in and everything connected.

Oh, and just kidding about the automotive air cleaner, it was just sitting on the shelf so I set it there.

I am so ready to run this thing!

sprink58

Brian...what is your PSI output on those pumps? One of my Carters is running 10 PSI and blowing needle seats...I'm taking it back. The other one is running 6 and works fine.

Those GLM manifolds scared me. I've got too much invested to chance leaks to inferior metallurgy and finishing....so i spent $900 on OEM Mercruisers A~Z both motors. Perfect fit...no leaks. There are those that think I should have spent $5K on 2 pair of Stainless Marine Exhaust to take full advantage of what I have put together. My "Cheap Ass" Scotch Irish heritage just couldn't justify it...so I guess everything is relative LOL.

befu

Running in salt water, I would be very scared of them I guess. If metal mix isn't correct, corrosion could happen even quicker. Being in fresh water, hopefully they will last fine. Really was disappointed in the finish. Castings are very rough, but the dings in the machined surfaces that were just coated over definitely screams quality control issues. One thing I did like compared to my old mercruisers, is they have the tapped hole for the O2 sensor. Going to buy one and hook it up to a volt meter so I can watch Air/fuel ratio as different loads. The old ones had the bosses cast in, but were not drilled. I know new ones of either manufacturer can be purchased with bosses tapped out.
Once I spent a couple hours cleaning them up, they are definitely much better!

The fuel pumps are supposed to top out around 7 psi maximum static. The holley pressure switches shut them off just below 5 psi. Holley 12-810 pressure switch is what I am using to control the pumps. $28 each.

I agree on the headers. Easier ways to build HP than spend $5k on exhaust! Too dang salty for me.

befu

maybe this week? Probably not, but closer anyways.

got the electrical issue figured out on the starboard ignition. When I pivoted the steering wheel up, the cable housing pivoted down until it was right next to the ignition wire screw. Moving the key wrong and it would flex and touch, causing an arcing and eventually sparking! Glad I found that issue, so console is ready to go as soon as I make a spacer for the ignition keys. Simple fix there.

All I have to do is install the starboard vent window now and purchase a new anchor light. The original one is kinda iffy and seized up. I also have to cut two holes for the front 6.5" speakers. Other than that, I am done until the thing runs and I want to replace the vinyl on the rear bench sides and upgrade the bucket seats since they have both been re-coated. But that can wait.

I just need to hook up some instrument wires on the starboard motor, the cooling hoses, install the exhaust risers. Also need to put the oil pan drain hose on it and fill it with oil. At that point it should be ready to fire up! Then drop the port motor in and button it up also. Two drives are ready to be bolted on!

Fuel issues are taken care of. new switch and fuel pump and we are set to go, works great. As long as the water stays out of the new motors, we will be good. With new exhaust and all the head bolts now sealed, hopefully that is an issue in my past now.

Lots still going on down in the cabin, but immediate things are done. The cabin step needed a couple of corners sanded so it sat in there square and once those were resealed, I nailed it in place. Porti potti is now secured well also. Bent up a piece of metal that holds the handle on the rear in place and turned some brass fittings to hold a yellow bungee strap to make sure the lid stays shut. I am happy with how that turned out. Started on covering the seat cushions in new vinyl also. This is basically fill in work right now as it will not prevent the testing of the boat or the family using it if it works.

Can't wait to see what this week holds. will have to take some pics and post them next week.

Brian

befu

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making good progress, she is about all the way back together! Either going to have to run it, or start on another phase of the project. Next week we will test fire the engines on the hose and set the timing. I still need to: Add a 2nd battery, add battery to trailer and wire electric winch, find one of the blue manifold plugs and put it in and get gas for it, bone dry right now. That is it!

In the past week we got the motors in and buttoned up, drives on with new lube, finished cleaning up all the wiring runs from the front to rear, vacuumed out the side compartments and secured the carpet that was loose, finish stereo installation, put cabin door back on and a bunch of little stuff that I wasn't even worried about last year. It is nice to get to the point that I am looking for other little things to work on as the major stuff is getting done.

Also weighed the whole setup. Total weight empty fuel was 7,880 pounds on the trailer. Trailer axles had 7160 total on them for a tongue weight of 720 pounds (9.1%). Not too bad, a bit high on the tongue weight, but within specs. Fuel will add 400 to 800 pounds for 1/2 to a full tank also. A bit heavy for a 1/2 ton burb to pull around with people in it, glad we got the 496 3/4 ton burb to pull this one.

I am not positive what the trailer weighed in at last time. I know I weighed it, but I think that info is in one of my other suburbans, will have to look. I think it weighed in around 1,900+ or so. Adding the battery up front and winch, will probably bring it right in at 2,000 pounds now. If that is correct, the boat ready to run minus fuel tips in right at 5,900 pounds. Not too bad for an old girl.

Will see how far we make it next week. Gotta get it home in the drive and do some cleaning on her, dirty dirty dirty!

Brian

Crude Intentions

Always good updates Brian. Now go get that thing wet before winter gets here!!