1980 22ft SS V5 rework

[MNhunter1]

Thanks! Are you finishing the backside of the hatches at all, or just leaving them raw? That's my biggest hesitation with doing my own hatches over the drop in ones...what they look like on the backside when opened. Probably a little OCD, but figured I could probably cover the staples and cut lines with some aluminum flat or something.
I'll be following along on the riv-nut installation. I've considered them as well, just never really seen anyone put them in practice. I put my deck down with the thought process that I'll never be tearing it up again, but I can see there usefulness in many applications.

 

[mattsteg]

Thanks! Are you finishing the backside of the hatches at all, or just leaving them raw? That's my biggest hesitation with doing my own hatches over the drop in ones...what they look like on the backside when opened. Probably a little OCD, but figured I could probably cover the staples and cut lines with some aluminum flat or something.
I'll be following along on the riv-nut installation. I've considered them as well, just never really seen anyone put them in practice. I put my deck down with the thought process that I'll never be tearing it up again, but I can see there usefulness in many applications.

I have no problem with leaving them as sealed plywood. If I wanted a more finished look I could cover them easily enough (Livewell will have a liner, for example, but that's not installed yet.

Already did the main deck and aft casting deck with the rivnut combo. Worked well, once I have up on trying to overachieve with clearances.

1. Test-fit panel.
2. Drill holes through panel + aluminum frame/bracing underneath. I used 10-24 hardware and started with my 3/16 rivet drill bit...but 1/4 was a much better choice.
3. Remove panel
4. Use the initial drill holes as pilot holes for the larger riv-nut hole
5. Install rivnuts
6. refit panel
7. test-fit screws to make sure I didn't screw up
8. goop them up with sealant and reinstall
9. tighten down.

They hold well. Lets you pull things into position in a way that rivets can't (or sheet metal screws which the PO had used and were starting to pop free at times). You can really get things TIGHT and conformed to the sometimes imperfect profiles that inevitably pop up. Easy removal and reinstallation - with that slight alignment tolerance that's really nice (and that I ultimately wonder if some imperfect sealing there is gonna kill my floor panels slightly ahead of schedule)

Had a fuel sender spring a leak and was able to pop the panel off to diagnose, replace the panel after a dab of sealant, then remove the panel and replace the sender for a more permanent solution quite easily. Probably pop either that segment and/or one of my side segments to route hoses for the livewell too.

And my casting-deck motor cover I can open as a hatch for most maintenance, but also remove panels completely if I need to get at something tucked away. I get a more useful (to me) complete enclosure but also the 270 degree accessibility of a doghouse if I really need it.

 

[Watermann]

Nice work, I love working with Al and seeing it used rather than wood framing.

 

[mattsteg]

On the hunt for some walleyes.

 

[mattsteg]

Been a while...been fighting with some power-loss at the top end. When we'd swapped in new ignition components I'd "delegated" the timing (and then dinged the prop the first time out, and life got busy...)

Rechecked the timing last night...and the timing was way off (only advancing to ~12 degrees at cruising RPMs.) Checked the base timing and...it was at 6 degrees rather than the spec 10. And at idle in normal mode it was showing 0 degrees. Corrected that and suddenly timing showing 10 degrees at idle in normal mode and advancing to a 20, 30 odd degrees as Mercruiser intended.

Hoping this is a real fix...all of the TB V manuals/docs that I can find are based on the premise that it's equipped with a knock detection model that advances timing beyond the base curve...which isn't present on my motor. Actual documentation of how the TB V ignition is supposed to behave when NOT equipped with knock sensing is a bit thin. I like that a 4 degree tweak somehow gave me ~20 degrees more advance at cruising RPM and a smoking gun to blame...hopefully not just an intermittent gremlin and something systematic that's fixed.

Somehow apparent timing went from this (but offset by 10 so starting at 0)

To the base curve here (from previous page of service manual) (added to the base advance of 10) and it's not fully clear why unless it was somehow stuck in full retard mode through some sort of interference or a short of the timing lead to ground (which I did not find, but would match the timing that I saw.)

I guess hopefully it's fixed and if not dig in again and see why it's retarding.