1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

[Galentheboatkiller]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Hilton, I hate to see you having these troubles...wish I was there!

Galen

 

[Silverbullet555]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

You're doing great work and you were smart to stop where you are and then figure it out from there. When we get tired and frustrated, sometimes we try to force things and make it work.

 

[mnskier]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Hilton,

I picked up my Brendella from storage tonight and snapped some pics for you... Here are two of the stringers where the engine mounts...

This view is passenger side looking forward (toward the bow)... notice the notch for the engine mounts... I think you are close!


This view is passenger side looking back (toward the stern)...


Hope these are helpful in some small way.

-Mark

 

[mnskier]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Also, snapped a few interior pics for you...

Driver's Side Front


Driver's Side Rear


Passenger Side Front


Passenger Side Rear


Rear Bench


Front

 

[HiltonFerg]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Beautiful boat and the pictures are an inspiration!
Thanks.

 

[HiltonFerg]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

I have cut down portions of where the motor mounts and adjusted the mounts to get a decent point of contact from the transmission output shaft to the propeller shaft.

It took me about 3 hours to get to this point:



Of course that's not good enough, just a progress picture.



Better:


Better:


Now I have to lift the engine *(again) and reglass the areas to which the motor mounts attach. Then line it all up *(again), bolt the shafts together, then bolt the engine to the boat.

My concern is this: The port side of the engine is tipped up slightly and is slightly higher than the right side. If I raise the right side and lower the port side; it makes sense that as long as the engine pivots in the center, the shafts will remain in alignment. This is not the case. It gets all "wonkey."

I hope that there isn't a problem with the engine being tipped up slightly on the port side. The only foreseeable issue is the transmission fluid.

Any thoughts or suggestions before I go further down this road?

Happy Memorial Day everyone. I am going out to do some *(moderately unsafe) boating on a different boat!

 

[Rick-101]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Hey Hilton, ive been following your restore from day one. Great work.
Stumbled upon this that might help you, ive been thinking of doing a inboard ski rebuild once my I/O is done

http://forums.iboats.com/other-bran...ives/malibu-gm-vortex-where-start-521427.html

 

[HiltonFerg]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Thanks. That's very useful information.

I may be jumping the gun just a bit, but I just ordered marine vinyl!

Keep in mind I've never done this before.
My rear bench seat will be 58" wide, 18" tall with an 18" seat.
The front, rear facing bench is 35" wide, 22" tall, 18" seat.
The engine cover will be wrapped as well as the side panels.

I ordered 10 yards of white and 5 yards of gray; both 54" wide. That MAY be the right amount. As earlier in this thread revealed, I tend to over buy supplies.

 

[LorenHaus]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Lookin shnazzzzy!!!!

 

[HiltonFerg]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Engine is mounted and hooked up to prop. fuel tank is in, electrical is hooked up, and exhaust is hooked up.

The engine turns over, but won't fire.

Coil is new, plugs are new, carb is freshly rebuilt.

I replaced the points and condenser in the distributor with a solid state device.

It won't fire. I've sprayed starter fluid in the carb, and I can see fuel dripping into the carb as it should.

I'm pretty hot and also a bit discouraged.

There seems to be no spark at the spark plugs. I put a volt meter on the ends of the solid state wires coming out of the distributor. There is no voltage.

red and purple wire to + side of coil
black and grey wire to - side of coil

solid state device came with a feeler gauge to go between the piece that slips over the cam and rotates and the piece that reads the signal. It fits in the space and drags as I think it should.

 

[Piratehooker]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Don't get discouraged, it should be a simple fix. What brand of device did you install, im sure we can help get you going. You've been doing such great work, dont stop now. The water is calling

 

[xpllaketapps]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

I checked my connections and they are correct or at least match mine red from the distributer and purple from the harness to + and black from distributer and grey from the harness.

I could never keep the stock coil working in any of my ski boats (1991 Brendella and 89 Sport Natique, still own both). I use an aftermarket Accel super Coil on both boats.

I believe the purple line is 12 volt + and grey 12 volt - and the red and black from the distributer makes it fire. Got to solve the spark issue first, then timing / fuel.

 

[HiltonFerg]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Thanks for the encouragement.

I bought one of these.



The coil is new and is an Accel. I wrapped it in tape because it was loose in the bracket.









And a short failure to start video. (you have to click it)

 

[xpllaketapps]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Looks exactly like mine. I took a picture, but it is on my phone...

When you check spark are you checking it at a plug or the center main one. I would start with the center, about 1/2 inch from a ground point (bolt or nut on the motor). It should spark up to an inch and half or so with a pretty big snap.

I did run into an ignition switch problem once where when I turned on the key, the 12 volts would go to the coil, then when I turned it to crank, the 12 volt stopped, and I had no spark.

The other thing I've never really figured out, is my stock setup had a resitor inline going to the coil (on the purple lead I think). On my brendella I left the resistor in, on my nautique, I broke it so I don't use it inline anymore. My guess is that it will make my coil burn out sooner, but I've been running it 10-15 hours per year for the last 4 years. Its pitiful how little I use it since I live on the lake...

 

[ACrazyCanuck]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Sure seems to turn over fast......do you have good compression?

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Take it one step at a time...
Don't assume anything, especially when it comes to boats...
First off, get a test light...check for power at the coil, both, with the key in the run and start positions...
Also, invert your test light connection, put the ground clip on the positive terminal of the battery, and check that you have a good ground...
Check for a good spark at the coil and at the plugs...
Check that the carburetor "injects" a stream of fuel into the venturi when you operate the throttle...
Put the engine on Top Dead Center on the Number One Plug and verify that your distributor rotor is pointing to the Number one Plug Connection on the cap...
Check your compression...
If you have all three, spark, fuel and compression...the engine will start...it may need further tuning and/or adjustment, but it will start...if any of three are missing or inconsistent, you will have problems...
Let us know what you find...
BTW, great looking restoration so far...
GT1M

 

[xpllaketapps]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

I agree 100% with GT1000000.

That is why I've only concentrated on the missing spark. Once you have spark, he has layed out the next steps nicely. Once I have spark I allways get it to run, not smooth, but I get it to run.

If you are off one tooth on the distributor, it will not start most of the time... Remeber that the rotor must be pointed right at the number one cylinder. Its seem like everytime I put the distributor in without the rotor on, I assume something with the flat spot of the distributor and get it off by 180 degrees... But of course distributor aim without spark means nothing. The distributor can be off 90, 180, 270, 10 degrees any degrees, and it will NOT STOP the spark, it just will not spark at the right time for the motor to run.

 

[HiltonFerg]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Great news everyone!

I'd just about given up on getting the engine started and was looking at possible expensive options.

Yesterday while I was at work, my buddy Jack came over and looked over the boat's electrical setup.

Apparently THIS:



Is a resistor.

It was actually resisting all current, as none would pass through it. Jack took another one from his Uncle's tool box, installed it, and the boat runs!

From my uncle in response to the picture I posted above:
[Uncle]
"GM commonly used the resistor you have pictured. Ford used a special resistor wire. The instructions for the solid state point replacement should have been to replace it." [/Uncle]

The instructions did mention a resistor, but only said that if there were one to leave it there.

I'm very happy about this.

 

[Piratehooker]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Hilton, thats great news. Now when are we going to see some pics of it in the water?

 

[Rick-101]

Re: 1989 Ski Brendella (boat restoration progress)

Congrats! Nothing like getting the engine in and hearing it run. Are you planning on doing the seats yourself? Did you keep the old vinyl for patterns? helps alot if you give it a go yourself.

Best of luck, keep at it!