1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

[esimmons92]

Hey guys I am a newbie to Iboats, but i really appreciate all of the great info you all have put on here!

About three months ago i decided to help a guy that goes to my church work on his house (new addition).
I decided to trade hours at work for a rotted out boat he had in his back yard.

I new this boat was bad, but I love big projects so its not that big of a deal to me at all. Infact i would much rather a rotten boat than one that needs no work at all.

So back to the boat...
The motor runs
The hull seems to be in good condition

But...
the floor is completely rotten
the transom is closer to dirt than wood


so far we have removed the rub rail, removed motor and hydraulic motor tilt and loosened the cap. just waiting for a good/time to take the cap completely off

 

[esimmons92]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

 

[73Chrysler105]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Those are fun little boats. I am a little partial to the Chryslers. Welcome to the group. Be prepared to drill out a ton say over 200 rivets holding the cap to the hull and the rub rail to both. You will probably have foam in the bottom and need to replace that ask plenty of questions and we will be glad to get your through it.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Buying or trading for a boat that you know is rotten and needs work is much better than buying a boat that is presented as "water ready" only to find out out shortly after the purchase that you've actually bought a rotten boat that needs a lot of work.

Restoring this boat will give you a "like new" boat for a small fraction of the cost of a brand new boat.

 

[73Chrysler105]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Don't forget the blood sweat and tears

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Don't forget the blood sweat and tears

... and "did it myself" pride!

 

[73Chrysler105]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Oh an the Itch yes don't forget the Itch

 

[esimmons92]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Those are fun little boats. I am a little partial to the Chryslers. Welcome to the group. Be prepared to drill out a ton say over 200 rivets holding the cap to the hull and the rub rail to both. You will probably have foam in the bottom and need to replace that ask plenty of questions and we will be glad to get your through it.

Yeah 200 rivets is a pretty close number, but it went pretty fast since I am replacing the rub rail, didnt have to be very careful.(Found an awesome deal on CL)

 

[esimmons92]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

so the next step is taking the cap of the boat off. The cap will ideal go on a loft in my friends barn which is about 8 ft off the ground. I can pull be boat into the barn but haven't come up with a really good way to hoist it up, then over onto the loft. I was thinking about mounting 4 pulleys from the main rafters to pull it up, then swing it into place on the loft, but the more I think about mounting pulleys 20ft high the more unrealistic I realize this is. I love to build, but hoping I dont have to to keep cost as low as possible

Any ideas?

 

[73Chrysler105]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Caps are not that heavy mine wasn't took 4 people to lift it only because I was afraid of breaking it. Two people could have lifted it just fine and mine is 18.5' long with a covered deck and inboard covered motor in the stern all covered by the cap.

 

[esimmons92]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Caps are not that heavy mine wasn't took 4 people to lift it only because I was afraid of breaking it. Two people could have lifted it just fine and mine is 18.5' long with a covered deck and inboard covered motor in the stern all covered by the cap.

I think that I will just make a frame for the cap to sit on about 4 ft off the ground. then a couple of friend will just help me lift it off the boat and onto the frame.

 

[esimmons92]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

I know I am not at the painting stage yet, but I am trying to plan ahead a bit. I have looked all over the forum and have not been able to find an exact answer what what I need. I would like to paint the hull white and the cap white with a silver flake. The boat will be out of the water 99% of the time.
Hoping someone can shed some light on how much I may need.
What type of paint to use.
If a silver flake will be possible (not a huge deal if not)

Thanks for the help!

 

[73Chrysler105]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

I think that I will just make a frame for the cap to sit on about 4 ft off the ground. then a couple of friend will just help me lift it off the boat and onto the frame.

I built a couple of saw horses to do just that with my cap.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Painting "Flake" is, IMHO, not for a amateur beginner painter especially without a booth. I would stick to either trying to restore the Gelcoat that's there already, or painting with a good two part paint. If you want to paint it "On the Cheap" but still have a durable finish check out the last link in my signature below.

 

[esimmons92]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Wow not sure what happened, but my cap was extremely heavy it took 2 of us just to lift the front of the cap. We ended up using a car jack to raise the cap and built a frame under it when we finally got it high enough. I will post a pic when I get a change. It is soooo SKETCHY and I am sure you will get a good laugh at it but I plan to rebuild the frame when I get a chance, but for the time being THE CAP IS OFF!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Check the bottom (underneath) of the cap for plywood that has been glassed into it, and to see if that plywood is wet/rotten... wet plywood can be very heavy.

 

[esimmons92]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Check the bottom (underneath) of the cap for plywood that has been glassed into it, and to see if that plywood is wet/rotten... wet plywood can be very heavy.

Yes there is plywood on the bottom of the cap and seeing as how EVERYTHING in the boat is rotted, I would assume that wood is too. What is the process to replace that plywood, just rip the old out, cut new to size and glass it in?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Cut the glass that is holding it on and remove it, cut the new to size seal it and bond it in place and glass it over just like installing a transom.

 

[73Chrysler105]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

Cut the glass that is holding it on and remove it, cut the new to size seal it and bond it in place and glass it over just like installing a transom.

Yup what he said

 

[esimmons92]

Re: 1973 Chrysler Fin & Fun Rebuild

here is the frame for the cap to rest on.