More Progress

Bilge area ready for the transom plate

 

Transom plate ready to install. Just got to make patterns of the old OMC hole first. Will use the pattern to eventually build a coverplate.

 

Removed both manifolds off the blocks. Removed studs from the block for the manifolds. I am getting to be an expert at this process. New, gaskets are here. Just have to pick them up from Burk Marine. Spent the rest of the time studying the wiring diagram to understand how to hook up the electronic distributor to the ex...isting wiring. Think I have it figured out finally.

Finished drilling out and tapping the twisted off bolt in the gimbal housing. Went better than expected. Then installed the bell housing on the motor and started hooking up wires. Removed the thermostats and alternators to swap them from one to the other. Going to have the alternator tested prior to installing.

 

 

 

Gimbal and Engine Fun

Started stripping the parts of the engines over the weekend. The wiring harnesses are off. Front engine mount is off the donor and installed on the original engine. Bell housing removed from the donor exposing the coupling. Engine coupling looks fine on the donor. Not so good on the original OMC engine. That is where it was left on Saturday.

Today I took the gimbal to Glen at Burk Marine in Manford, OK. Glen looked over the gimbal and pronounced it old, in need of some paint, and basically ready to reinstall. Shift cable had been replaced at some time in the past. Gimbal bearing feels good and the tiller arm, which is the old style spline shaft, is nice and tight. Glen and I spent about 30 minutes with the micro-fiche and figured out what gaskets I need to put it all back together. They are on the way.

This evening I pulled the couplers and fly wheels off of both motors and swapped them. That included removing studs from the donor and installing them in the target motor. Got ready to reinstall the bell housing and it does not fit. Well it fits, but there are two bolt holes that are plugged on the OMC block that are used by the Mercruiser bell housing. I think I am going to just through drill them and install through bolts. I might try tapping them first, however, I have not always had a lot of luck with that. No progress planned for tomorrow due to other evening activities. Will probably try to get the tap during lunch at the hardware store. Other than that nothing plannned.

Fun with old boats. Oh, I learned how the warm up feature works on my throttle. Apparently the handle pulls out slightly. This disengages the gear selector cam. The throttle can then be bumped forward to start and warm up the engine. Guess we will find out when we get to the running part of this.

Transom Rebuild

Cut new ply wood for the transom yesterday and today. All the parts have been check fit. I am using Gorilla Glue to laminate the sheets together. The photo shows the first lamination in process. One of the key things here is to make sure that you screw the pieces together at about 6" intervals to make sure that you get a good bond between parts. I just dry wall screws. Once the parts are laminated I final sand the transom plate and do a final check fit. Then I drill all the bolt holes. Finally I coat the whole part with a couple of coats of West Systems Epoxy followed by a coat of paint to protect everything. I prefer white paint as it will show any leaks from the engine immediatly.

Out Come The Engines

Well I got off early today. Many thanks to David and Dan at Diehl Aero-Nautical who helped me pull the engines out of both boats. Pulled the Norseman over to Dan's shop where we pulled the engine. Then with the engine hanging off the front of the forklift we drove it back to the house. Then we unbolted the engine out of the donor boat and lifted it up.

Mercruiser Engine sitting in Garage

Donor Boat Arrives

The donor boat with the complete Mercruiser setup showed up today will be fun getting her stripped down and the engine and drive out. The OMC drive is already out of the Crestliner. Will try to pull the engine soon will start pulling the mercury components this weekend. Will need gasket kits for everything.

Blew clutch

Something slipped 5 minutes into cruise. End of day.

Morning at Beaver Lake

We got to Beaver Lake last night. This morning we went to Kozy Korner Kafe in Gateway AR. Food food good price getting ready to go launch. Hope the shift switch holds.