big boat project. need some advice

[solareclpse2000]

ok guys first off im new to this and a little young for this from what i have seen so please excuse me if i ask a stupid question that everyone but i know. lol im new and learning to work on boats right now. i know cars inside and out, i can build a chevy 350 eyes closed no problem, which lead me to chosing a boat with a mercruiser 5.7. yes, i kknow they have the main "marine" differences aside of the block, heads reciprocating assembly, so on.


as for the boat. im gona be gettin a 1987 wellcraft 220 xl soon. it needs major work. mercruiser 5.7 260, alpha 1, i think, 260 OD. this thing has been literally sitting in a guys driveway 3 years, with no cover, no dog house and is a disaster inside. my budget is somewhat restricted but i am planning a 10 - 12 month build time for it. i have lloked up all of friscoboaters videos on his sea ray and man did he do a great job. thats what im looking at though. resto on stringers, deck, transom, motor mounts. the whole 9 yards. thanks to friscoboaters posts and videos though i have all of that understood, and some pretty nice plans for the full rebuild.


the problem.... the engine has been completly open for 3 years. so naturally im goin to be doin a full re-ring bearing and seal kit on it. no problem, gm 350, i got that much. its the small details along with budgeting im worried about. P/S pump will be rebuilt and powder coated along with most medium heat engine parts. timing cover,intake exhaust and risers.ect. ect. the only one of these which is a problem is the water pump. i want to powdercoat most of the parts candy coat,blah blah blah. the circulating pump can not be baked in the oven to cure however.


i keep sayin water pump. sorry bout the whole car term thing. my thought is gettin a new circulating pump and pressing out the shaft, brass impellar, seal, so on, so that i can have the bare houseing to bake for powder coat. if i carefuly press the shaft seal out can i reuse it and put it back in? what do yall think about that? if not where can i find a marine acceptable impellar shaft seal kit? the bearing race shaft impellar and back plate will be fine to reuse. the seals however leave me a little puzzled. i have looked everywhere and just cant find them. i plan to do a whole rebuild and tutorial for this as others have done in time but trying to knock out my research and start a build plan. i have many more questions and would greatly appreciate some help in building a building plan. this is long enough for now thogh. thanks in advance guys.

on edit: i forgot to mention the hull is in nice shape, old needs a good re-gel but couldnt find any dents,major scratches or soft spots in the main hull. on a side note i was told the engine was replaced 3 years ago, and seriously it looks like they left the fresh motor with no dog house just open. the engine is a gm 350 truck enigne with the marine accesories and exhaust.

 

[Struc]

Re: big boat project. need some advice

I'll comment on a couple of things. First off, if you want responses, you might want to edit your post and split it up into proper paragraphs and sentances. A lot of people (including myself often) will look at a mess like that and not even read it, because it takes too much time. Not trying to nit-pick, but just being honest.

Don't know much about pulling a water pump apart I'm afraid. I doubt many people will, sorry to say. Maybe you'll get lucky.

As far as the engine, only thing I see you missed is the carb, which must be marine grade. Oh, and the brass core (freeze) plugs, although there should be no need to pull the current ones. Oh, and distributor cap.

That's what comes to mind at the moment.

Good luck - sounds like a huge, but fun project.

 

[solareclpse2000]

Re: big boat project. need some advice

ok i split it up so its a little easier to read. looks alot better that way.

i know how to get it apart and rebuild it but i cant find a new seal to put in it. so im wondering since im going to be doing this on a brand new pump do you think the seal can be re-used and put back in without causing problems

as for the other parts thanks. i think i got the differences well understood then.

so does anyone know where i can get a waterpump impellar shaft seal, or complete re-seal kit?

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: big boat project. need some advice

so does anyone know where i can get a waterpump impellar shaft seal, or complete re-seal kit?

Howdy, Welcome aboard!




Water pump kits are available for every water pump made! You could start here: http://waterpumpkit.com/waterpumpkits.html

They rebuild tractor/truck equipment water pumps but will probably know where you can get "regular" automotive and marine kits.

There's also probably people out there that will rebuild your pump and powder coat it any color you like (or sell you one)

There's more......Internet search is your friend!!
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/KSE-Water-Pump-Rebuild-Kit,1824.html http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/226.cfm http://www.thefind.com/cars/info-water-pump-rebuild-kit



Also, I guess you have done your homework.....Even if you get that boat for nearly free, being an 87 model, depending on what you do to it, you could end up having more money in it than it's worth.


Good luck,


Rick

 

[Me1stBoat]

Re: big boat project. need some advice

Good luck on your resto, another great source is Oops hull extension thread, everything you ever wanted to know about fiberglassing and foaming but was afraid to ask!! lol Here's the link.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=234392

As for the naysayers, don't go into this thinking your going to recoup all your investment, build it the way you want it, then use if for how ever long you want to get all the ENJOYMENT EQUITY you can out of it, then sell it or trade up for a bigger boat!!

I'm in the process of restoring a 1985, i know i aint gettin my money back but would much rather screw something up on this and learn from my mistakes so further down the road i might decide to resto a Cris Craft or something and more than anything, i want something built the way i want it and i can look at it with admiration and say "Yep, i built that!"

As for the water pump stuff, can't help ya there but i'm sure someone on here will be able to, great bunch of people on here!!

Good luck, welcome aboard and have great fun!!

 

[littlebookworm]

Re: big boat project. need some advice

There are rebuild kits available, or you can contact an auto water pump rebuilding company. Unfortunately, you can't reuse the seals; they'll leak, which is not something you want on the water. be sure your engine rebuild uses a marine gasket set, particularly the head gaskets, and brass freeze plugs. The coil is the same as an automotive one, but the distributor, alternator, fuel pump, carb, and starter are not. They are marine specific. The power steering pump is a regular GM one; get a used one at any salvage yard. Just make sure the one you get has American-thread fittings, not the later metric-thread fittings. Before you consider powder coated the enhaust manifolds and risers, make sure they are good. Exhaust systems have a limited life span on a merine engine. About 10 years ago, I had followed some of the same path you're on, rebuilding a 24' cabin cruiser. I didn't powder coat any of the parts, but did rebuild or replace all the mechanicals, the seats, upholstery, steering, shore power, and canvas. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. Good luck. Hy

 

[solareclpse2000]

Re: big boat project. need some advice

yea i know by the time im done i will likely have more than its worth into it. but thats not really the point. im not looking to build the boat to sell it.and a project you put money into it along the way to have it how you want it. instead of a large up front price to get a production craker jack boat which is built from the factory to fail as soon as possible. just how it is nowadays i guess.

 

[series60]

Re: big boat project. need some advice

It's the small details one gleans from this forum that will make it as you say "how you want it." You will need some special tools to work on the Alpha like an alignment tool - this is a must - a bellows tool - pricey but worth every penny. You will need to make a decision on which "glue" to use - polyester or epoxy. I say this because "1987 wellcraft 220 xl" will need some wood replaced. I would be very suspicious of the transom and the deck. Be diligent when you inspect the transom and decking for rot or soft spots. There is some very good advice on hull rebuild over at http://forums.bateau2.com/viewforum.php?f=10

I have touched very lightly on some points but if you care to read more click over to my rebuild listed in my sig. I don't want to discourage you because I have enjoyed every (except for the sanding and grinding) minute of my rebuild and there is no way in hell I will ever recoup the cost. What I learned here and doing the project hands on is as they say "Priceless" and I now have a very strong dependable boat for ocean fishing.

 

[solareclpse2000]

Re: big boat project. need some advice

yes im planning on a full restore. stringers, transom,deck. everything thats wood and full interior. friscoboater has a great build up post with pics and videos. and pretty much what im going to do as well. the engine i will likely rebuild for good messure. im not looking at recouping my cost. i know that is not a reaility. but i dont have 6 or 7 grand to get a nice water ready boat. but i can build this one and put in the 3-4k over the time of building it,also giving me the ability to do some custom stuff how i like, such as putting in in-floor storage hatches and such. and i love having a project. im a car guy, i have built a few cars ground up. enignes are my specialty, chevy 305-350, 454 and ford 302,351w specificly. im not worried bout that. but gona be lots of work getting all the wood replaced and sealed. but im ready for it.

im planning to use polyester and 1.5 CSM with either 1708 or 24oz roven for the main glass on the stringers and transom and just 2-3 layers 1.5 csm on the deck.

overall though i am not expecting to get my cost back. just a project for me to work on and build a nice boat.