engine mounts

[Big block supra]

I have a 87 supra with a 454 big block. I found that the engine is saging on the stringers. I would like to build a steel frame to set the engnie and trans on is this the way to fix this?

[Salty87]

hi big block, welcome to the board.

i've got an 87 saltare, 454 too. what do you mean by sagging? are the bolts pulling out of the wood? that's a common problem on these old boats. it's possibly a sign of bigger things too but not always.

the stringer design itself is good. a steel frame would only be as good as the stringers it's sitting on. you might be able to patch the stringers back together, it all depends on the condition of the boat. the factory didn't incorporate drainage into the design though so water can get trapped on the wrong side of the stringers, can't get to the bilge. not good for stringers.

do you have soft spots in the floor? areas where 2 sections of floor don't match up correctly? hills or bumps?

[Big block supra]

When i got the boat the ski platform lag bolts had been pulled out and water was entering.So i pulled the fuel tank out and cut the floor on both sides and installed stainless steal bolts with lock nuts on the back and resealed around the hardware. I all so had to replace the driver side floor.When i had it all apart the stringers looked good but i noticed that there was water getting under the floor but i thought is was coming from the bad lag bolts.This boat only has 450 hours on it and i would just like to fix it wright. Thanks for the help IAN.

[Salty87]

memories...you're not alone. those are very common issues. my boat did all the same stuff. the real problem is wet foam. once water penetrates it, it never dries out. then moisture can get into the fiberglass and rot the wood out.

starting sooner than later is alot better. i had to split my saltare in 2 and pretty much start over. i let mine go a really long time though. if you catch it earlier, you might not have to re-do everything. stringers can be patched, so can floors.

everything depends on what you find under the floor. wet foam needs to hit the trash.

search 'saltare rebuild' to see some pics of mine. keep in mind it was a worse case scenario...before my rebuild my cover was leaking and the boat sat for about 8 months just rotting on the trailer....bad me.