Starcraft Chieftain 1972 MK4

[Sc25175]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Made some fun progress this week.

Remove the inner transom bracket and all associated hardware and an now ready to remove the transom. There has been some good discussion on how to bend the back deck material out of the way to actually get at the transom. On the 24's there is a shaped and welded back gunwale in front of the actual decking right above the transom. I think I am going to cut the welds which are about 6 inches on either side and remove the entire back piece which will give me great access when I install the new transom and reinstall the engine and hardware


I have also attached a closeup of the engine and it looks like there is a really large crack along the side of the block. At this point I am thinking I am staying with the 165 so will need to find a donor block if anyone has a lead on one please let me know.

 

[InMotion]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Well... at least you have confirmation that the block is cracked and have know the direction you would like to head with it. Nice work so far there Steve and great progress shots.

j.

 

[wetfoot1]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Im wetfoot1 im a new member and i have been reading thorough your thread,I myself have been redoing a 77' 22ft cheiftain ,I have it about 90% done. the easiest way to get to the transom wood is to measure for anough room to remove and replace transom wood is to measure about 4 to 4.5 inches to snap a straight line across the back cut remove piece of alum. then remove transom wood, after install of new wood then rivet new piece of alum. over the cut.
Look on CL for 165 motor,I like your boat. Mine is nice on big water. Need anymore info. get back to me so you get into the right direction.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

There has been some good discussion on how to bend the back deck material out of the way to actually get at the transom. On the 24's there is a shaped and welded back gunwale in front of the actual decking right above the transom. I think I am going to cut the welds which are about 6 inches on either side and remove the entire back piece which will give me great access when I install the new transom and reinstall the engine and hardware

Sounds like a great plan. The earlier posted Silverline donor boat isn't still in play? Best of luck finding another...

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

At this point I am thinking I am staying with the 165 so will need to find a donor block if anyone has a lead on one please let me know.

Well, the good news is the transplant should be a bunch easier than going with something completely different.

Keep your eye on eBay for a nice rebuilt engine too. I'd bet you could pick something in the $1Kish range and shipping shouldn't be too awful.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Jas/Bondo

Thanks for the advice.

1. The steering rod did slide out but it was so gummed up I had to drive it out with hammer and punch. All is good
2. Soda Blasting, another good idea. Sanding seems much easier and if I can blend in the bad spots so it looks decent I will definitely go that way.

3. Clearly the motor and drivetrain is going to be issue that will require a lot of thought. I went out and looked at rebuilt motor/transom-gimbal assembly/outdrive and come up with between $6&8K. Really can't justify doing that for a boat that is 30 plus years old. I have awhile to figure this out since I am still in demo mode and will need to build the transom and reinstall prior to mechanical work.

Is there place to go and read up on all the different model number/nomenclature stuff? When we start talking Alpha vs Bravo, Gen I vs Gen II I get confused on what will work with what???

Thanks again for the help this project probably wouldn't happen without a resource like to draw upon.

Ayuh,... #3,.... Find a runnin' rotten boat with a 4.3l/ Alpha,....

The 4.3l is Much shorter,..... newer, more efficient, 'n easier to find parts for... great fuel mileage too..
'round here, $1500/ 2000 would give ya a near current production driveline...
'course, I'm bias, as that's what I did...
The doghouse ends up over a 1' shorter, 'n only a few inches wider...

Go to the Mercruiser I/O forum, 'n hit the Adults Only section at the top,...
Don has put more Merc I/O info in there, than you can read in a Year....

If ya insist on the I6,... contact Fishermark 'bout the do's, don't's, 'n Gotcha's......

 

[Sc25175]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

MILESTONE DAY!!! Pulled the transom.


Question on removing the steering cable from the steering wheel, unscrewed the nut and the cable came out so far then stopped. Is there some secret to removing the cable from the steering wheel gear box??

 

[Sc25175]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Bondo - like the idea of a later model 4.3 drivetrain but I live in Minneapolis and haven't really been able to find any donor boats. I guess I need a lesson from JAS on how to hunt out the good deals.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Holy bat-wing that transom is HUGE... No wonder you needed the extra tall ladders.......... Nice milestone! Check 1

No info or any help @ the wheel & cable.... Google any #'s or models you can find on them, might get lucky........

If you've got a smart phone, get a CL app. Or use 1 online, it will likely send you a bunch of leads you don't want, just have to filter them & hunt for what you're looking for....

I'll be back....

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

21' Sea Ray Cutty 1988

Man your right, it's desolate up that way, but between now & start of put back, you can keep looking.

That's probably a bit of a drive from you. But a good trailer, a decent boat might be sellable w/out the driveline. Make a reasonable offer, recoup some funds & it might be sub $2K. Or strip the hull down & sell the trailer w/out the boat & sell off any pieces you can't use and you might get the driveline down sub $1500..... Been for sale for 3+wks if still available..

This is the CL app I use, free, and has enough settings to do what I need it too, and WAY more then the Admiral likes...

 

[Sc25175]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Thanks, I didn't know there was an automate search engine for Craigslist. I will definitely download and set up.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

You can set a radius around your zip & it'll load every CL in that area. But it is a radius, so 90mi from your zip could be a 2hr+ drive....

But if you have a close friend in Chicago or a brother in Phoenix you can add just those 2 cities to your search and it'll load them as well as every CL inside your 90mi radius.

The larger the sweep, the more battery & processor time/power it'll hog..... I can't remember if you can set the frequency that it searches, but on mine it's fairly frequent......

Best of luck w/ your search.

Beware, it is addictive and won't help w/ the overcrowding in the garage or boatyard.... It is most definitely not MBS friendly (unless you want another, then yep MBS 24/7~365

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Bondo - like the idea of a later model 4.3 drivetrain but I live in Minneapolis and haven't really been able to find any donor boats. I guess I need a lesson from JAS on how to hunt out the good deals.

Same over here too Steve. The 4.3 is a tough engine to find in a reasonably priced (sub $3K range) donor boat unfortunately. I had to do some major bottom feeder blood hound style sniffin to find Thumper the Baja. Bunch of phone calls, personal visits to a variety of doods...

It was unlisted, sitting at a marina, behind on storage payments, owner hadn't used it in a few years, totally trashed interior cuz it wasn't covered, ready to be repoed and crushed to cover storage bill...

But, major overhaul completed and winterized every year by the marina with the receipts to prove it. And she was cheap!!!

Keep looking man, and in the meantime, keep building.

 

[spegtoast]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

I use SearchTempest Online Classifieds Search - All the Classifieds. One Search.

It will search all the cl's

 

[Sc25175]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

For many years I have had a land based man cave, now I have a marine man cave. This thing is huge!

 

[Stevens520]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Congrats on the progress!:clap2: The cabin is huge on these boats, but after being on the water with people on the boat I've noticed that the cockpit gets a bit cramped since it's so small. It's my only complaint with my boats design. Was toying with the idea of rebuilding mine into a pilot house similar to Duckworths offshore.

 

[Sc25175]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

I was toying with some ideas as well. My thought was to put one of those aftermarket outboard motor mounts on go to a 150hp outboard. Takes care of my current engine issues and gives a nice large cockpit while keeping the cabin intact. Kinda pricy at about $12K

 

[Stevens520]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

12k for the bracket?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

The motor mount stringers & outdrive transfer energy to (thru?) the hull differently then an OB does to the transom.

Not impossible, Magnumdeke is currently doing it on his: Magnumdekes 1976 22' Starcraft Islander...

But he can fab & weld aluminum... And scored a great deal on an OB to power his rig.............

Need to fab a splashwell of sorts from the transom forward, and re-contour the gunnel to transom transition.......

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Re: Chieftain 1972 MK4

Not impossible, but more involved then plugging the the outdrive hole & hanging an OB bracket off the back....

Check: Magnumdekes 1976 22' Starcraft Islander