Travis' 1984 Supra Rider

[sydneyACE]

Ok everyone. After months of slacking-off (and snowy, cold weather), I finally got out and took some pics of the "new" boat.

Thanks to all who gave advice when I was seeking opinions on which boat to get.

I settled on the 84 Rider in Texas. It's in really rough shape, the motor needs to be rebuilt, the interior is gone, and it's missing a few things. Accordingly, the price was cheap ($1,500), and the guy I bought it from re-did the main stringers from the ski pole back. So all-in-all, not too bad. It's kind-of an unusual set-up as it has a Chevy 350 in it. It was my understanding most of these boats had either a Ford 351 or Chevy 454. It def looks like the motor was transplanted out of a truck/car. I don't mind though 350 parts are super cheap so I can def make it work.

The big expense ended-up being the trip to get it. I'm all the way up here in MT, so it was lots of gas, several spare tires, and a few wheel bearings to get her all the way home. I felt pretty crazy driving all that way, but I just absolutely could not find something in my price-range nearby.

Once it got here, the snow came soon after so I didn't have much time to get anything done. I also used-up all of my boat budget on the trip, so I didn't have any $ left to get to work on it. I'm expecting my tax refund in the next few weeks though, so that should get me goin on it.

Yesterday though I went out to get some pics and take the motor out for the rebuild. I don't plan on getting everything done this spring, just enough to get it on the water and have some fun this summer. My plans for this spring are:
Rebuild the motor.
Fab a temporary plywood floor.
Find a gas-tank.
Get it in the water, and start working-out some kinks...
and of course, lots of wakeboarding!!! :)
I'll post-up my pics as soon as I get home from work.

[sydneyACE]

So without further adieu here are the pics.


Here are a couple from down in TX before the two main stringers were redone:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/grey1.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/grey2.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/grey3.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/100_0684.jpg

[sydneyACE]

Here she is sitting out at my dad's place after her long journey up from TX:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10439.jpg
Note the makeshift "tower" lol! Not sure what was going on here. Poor boat definately saw lots of saltwater use though.


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10443.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10441.jpg
He left the engine sitting on a pallet for me after the stringer job so I could just take it right back out for the rebuild.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10442.jpg
As you can see most of the interior is gone, and what's left is in really rough shape. Some would see this as a bad thing, but I'm thinking of it as a blank canvas, so I can pretty much do whatever I want with it.

[sydneyACE]

Got her hooked-up and ready to pull over to our makeshift "engine removal area".


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10445.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10444.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10447.jpg
Our chainhoist set-up for lifting the engine out.
I was a little sketched-out but my pops is confident we wont pull the trees down.

[sydneyACE]

All hooked-up and ready to lift:


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10448.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10450.jpg
Up, up, up and over. BTW, I didn't know the doghouse was all fiberglass on this thing. Neat.


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10449.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10451.jpg
And setting it back down in the back of the truck.

[sydneyACE]

Ok. Got it home and into the garage. Time to start some tear-down.
As you can see the thing was most-likely used in the saltwater. It came from the Corpus Christi area. Lots of corrosion, some of the bolts are stainless, some are not. It's debatable if this is actually a marine engine or not. I think the carb and distributor are automotive. It does have a Marine engine tag on the intake (last pic), but that could have been just stuck on there.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10455.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10456.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10457.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10465.jpg

[sydneyACE]

I took the trannie off first:


Here without the starter:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10466.jpg


A few bell-housing bolts and a little muscle later:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10471.jpg
Don't forget to take the dust shield off, it wont come off otherwise hehehe...


The flywheel after the "coupler" was removed:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10473.jpg


With the flywheel off. Yep, two-piece rear-main seal.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10475.jpg

[sydneyACE]

Next I took one of the risers and manifolds off to asses the extent of the rust and cracking.


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10459.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10469.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10477.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10476.jpg
The risers are definately toast, but I thing the manifolds are good. I couldn't find any cracking on them.

[sydneyACE]

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10478.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10481.jpg


I'm going to take the other riser/manifold off next, as well as the intake, and heads. Hopefully tonight, we'll see if I have time.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Wow great pics! We will be watching!

[chrisk]

You're a brave man, good luck

[wotan2525]

I'm thinking those exhaust manifolds are probably REALLY full of rust. You'll have to repaint them (probably would anyway.) but I'd probably let them sit in an electrolytic tank for a couple of days and get creative with how you make some electrodes.

I'd get yourself a big plastic bin as this method is going to REALLY help you out with your engine mounts and all kinds of other parts.

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/electrolytic_derusting.htm

[sydneyACE]

Yeah, there is def some rust inside the manifolds. My concern was more with cracks, and wall-thickness. Like with the risers, even if I did some good brazing and fixed the cracks, the interior walls are corroded down to nothing.
Thanks for the link on the rust removal, I'll def be looking through that. I'm planning on wire-brushing then painting everything as it is, but that method might help with the spots that are hard to reach (like the inside of the manifolds).

ngavdba:
As a matter of fact there were several blow-outs along the way, and a couple of wheel bearings. I sent my dad down (cause he had some time off work) with a few spare tires/wheels.

Maybe the XL is Chevy 350... I dunno... It's hard to tell if that's the original motor or not. Like I said, the carb and distributor look to be automotive style, but I'm not 100%. About half of the bolts are stainless, and the rest aren't.

Yeah, this one def didn't have an easy life. I'm not sure what they were using it for, it has this tall pole basically strapped to the original ski pole. You can see it in some of the pics. The pole is made of regular steel, and rusted like a mo-fo. I can't see it supporting towing without ripping out of the floor. So, it's kind-of a mystery unless they had it strapped to the bow or something. Still, I can't imagine the ocean is the best place to board, ski, tube. So choppy... There is lots of corrosion on stuff that isn't even regularly in-contact with the water (motor mounts ect). Must just be lots of salt in the air, and it attacks everything.

It's been sitting outside in the elements here too, but honestly, it can't really get any worse if you know what I mean. So, until I finish the floor, put the motor back in and stuff she'll prob be sleeping outside.

[TitanTn]

Ahh, I love me some boat pics. And restoration pics are the best. I love seeing someone take something old, tired, worn out, and make it good again. Welcome to the Supra club and thanks for the pics. Keep them coming and congrats on your new boat.

[mapleleaf]

the shape of that hull just looks tough, I love that boat, you'll have a great time bring'in her back....

[87SunSportMikeyD]

I disagree with the general concept that a boat must be stored inside to be well maintained. But I dont really want to argue about it. I do not so lucky as to have indoor storage but I certainly do not mistreat my baby.

[wotan2525]

I'm in the same situation as Mikey. My garage isn't big enough for the saltare but it gets covered and lovingly dried out VERY often.

[sydneyACE]

Ok guys. Last night I took off the other manifold, distributor, carburetor, valve covers, and intake. I took some pics and will try to post them tomorrow. I'll be taking off the accessories on the front, and then the heads to see what kind of shape the bottom end is in. Mainly I want to see what kind of shape the pistons are in, as well as have the block tanked. The guy I bought it from didn't know anything about the boat, he just picked it up from some old guy cause it had been just sitting. He didn't know what kind of shape the engine in, he said it needed to be rebuilt, but wasn't sure why. He said he thinks it got overheated, which normally isn't catastrophic but can be. Worst-case I might have some broken pistons, but at the least I think I'll do main bearings, rings, cam bearings, and a cam. As far as the heads go I'm gonna have the machine shop replace the seals and what-not.

[stinky_1]

when you get to the pistons you will be able to tell if it is marine, or marinized. Look for smaller pistons than normal, and bigger rings. Especially your ring end gap will be bigger.

The reason for this is that marine engines run much cooler on the sleeves, and normal temps on the piston face. So to make sure everything fits nice they tended to run them with way bigger clearances in the hot parts.

with the vintage of the boat its possible most of your stuff is not "marine". including your dist and carb. Back in the day to be marine rated the carb just needed a bent tube for the fuel bowl vent. Even then not every boat had that.

There was very very little on my 77 nautique that was actually "marine".

Hopefully you dont find too many surprises in that motor. You can get a new set of manifolds and risers off ebay for decently cheap. I would look at going that route. I have JB welded split risers before and they held up fine. Yours are split a lot more though. You would want to consider stitching them first. There is very little (if any) pressure built up int he system by the time it gets there anyway, so they dont need much. Just the heating and cooling off them will be your enemy.

I have a similar trailer story with my nautiques purchase. Now that I look back on it though that was an adventure that I wouldnt trade for anything.

Have fun

[sydneyACE]

I mentioned it in other threads, but what the heck?

I bought her without the swim platform, and am planning on making one out of teak. What are the chances someone could measure theirs for me? Maybe a couple of pics? Thanks.

Also still looking for a prop if anyone has something... Thanks!

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Sometimes you can find them on ski-it-again.com...

[sydneyACE]

OK guys here are some more pics.
I'm making a list and checking it twice... Some things I'm gonna need to get this thing running and in the water. If anyone can think of anything else I will need please let me know. So far...

Risers
Impeller
New hoses
Propeller
Prop shaft packing? (Where's the best place for this? Maybe a thread on how to do it?)

Anyways, here are the pics.

Removing the thermostat housing. Not much left of a thermostat.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10490.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10491.jpg

Without the carb:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10487.jpg

[sydneyACE]

Here's the carb, Holley 600 I think.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10488.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10489.jpg


Got the intake and valve covers off. My camera brings out the orange/reds and lights the rust-up like a highlighter lol!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10492.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10493.jpg

[sydneyACE]

Put her on the engine stand, and took the heads off. There was some water in a couple cylinders maybe just from sitting. The head gaskets were in good shape, as well as the intake gaskets. Not sure how else the water would get in there. Condensation perhaps.

Looks pretty rough, I think it'll clean up alright though. I'm gonna pull the pan and timing cover to make sure the bottom-end is good. The heads are gonna go down to the shop to have new valve seals installed and check for cracks ect.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10506.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10507.jpg

[sydneyACE]

Here's the raw water pump:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10494.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10495.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10496.jpg

Pully off:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10497.jpg

[sydneyACE]

Bracket off:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10498.jpg


Housing/Impeller removed:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10500.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10501.jpg


Impeller, surprisingly not cracked, but it's "perma-squished" so it'll be replaced as well.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10502.jpg

[TitanTn]

Good luck with the motor rebuild! As far as your question about prop shaft packing, call skidim.com and ask for the packing for your particular setup. It's only a few dollars, and there are instructions that come with it. You simply cut enough to wrap around the prop shaft and push it in. It's not much more complicated than that.

[mapleleaf]

ditto to Titan on the shaft packing, many threads here on its replacement. Looks like that carb is a 4160.....she'll looks sweet all cleaned up...

[sydneyACE]

Ok, so some more work put in.

Did some research, that carb is a 4150 (the 4160 has vacuum secondaries). So it could be just about any size (CFM wise). Got the raw water pump all painted-up w/ some new stainless bolts. Got the thermostat housing all cleaned-up and painted.

I'm gonna drop a bunch of parts off to be blasted hopefully this week. Then I can get them painted-up.

Now for the bad news. The block is in-fact cracked so I've been looking at a few options for that.

The guy at the local machine shop quoted me 200-250 for a bare block all machined and ready for build so I think that's pretty good. I couldn't find a short-block (new) for less than $800, and long blocks were like $1300 min, so prob will get the bare-block and put my parts in it.

I've heard of a technique called "stitching" which is supposedly very effective, for fixing cracks in cast but... yeah prob end-up buying the bare block.

Or there is a guy in my area selling a 383 for $1500 on craigslist. :twisted:

I'll post some more pics soon.

Has anyone thought of some other parts I might be forgetting? I would like to put one big order in a skidim or the like soon. So let me know if I'm forgetting something please.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

I got my longblock 351 on Craigslist for $900, still plastic wrapped from the rebuild factory that had closed down.

[stinky_1]

stitching is a patch job. it can hold up for many many years, and is an acceptable means to do that. But, if your getting a block that is ready for rebuild so cheap you may as well go that way. It will cost you more to get the block that needs stitching repaired and ready.

Hope that helps

[DAFF]

Start looking for another parts boat with a good driveline but bad interior, stringers.... Have seen some for $800.00 on CL. Never a bad idea to have too many parts on hand. NTM marine parts will get pricy very quickly, I bet the maninfolds and odds ands on the exhaust will be more than $800.

When you are done you can sell of all the unused parts and put some money back in your pocket.

[sydneyACE]

It's a good thought DAFF, but unfortunately there are no old Supras in my area. I looked and looked forever just to find this one.
My budget is very limited (I know, not a good boating combination), so I'm trying to save $ wherever I can by puting-in the labor myself.

Anyways, I called the machine shop to see how my heads were coming along only to find-out that they have soft valve seats. So... basically my block is cracked, and my heads are no good... sounds like time for a different engine to start-over with.

[sydneyACE]

After searching craigslist for several days and finding nothing promising, cept for a few used "350s" that turned out to be 305s! (Check casting numbers!)
My co-worker asked if a 400 would work because he had seen a few for sale.
For those who don't know a 350 and a 400 are almost identical. The primary difference (besides the displacement) is the fact that the 400 is externally balanced whereas the 350 is internally balanced. All of the accessories, manifolds, intake, trans, ect bolt right-up.
Long story short, I picked-up a used Chevy 400 small-block which I think is gonna work really nicely!

I decided to buy my own sandblaster ($150) since all the places that quoted me were too expensive ($250+).
I don't have any pics of the 400 yet (it's nothing to look at anyway) but I do have some pics of my carb rebuild. So, here ya go...

Cleaned and Painted the float bowls. Lot's of time spent with a Dremel LOL!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10508.jpg


Completely disassempled the throttle-plate and wire-brushed with the Dremel, then painted the linkages.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10510.jpg


I brushed and sanded the metering blocks...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10511.jpg


Assembled without the throttle-plate...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10512.jpg

[sydneyACE]

Assembled from the top...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10513.jpg


With the fuel lines on... mmm looks nice!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10515.jpg


Here's a couple of "before" pics for comparison...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10489.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10488.jpg

[TitanTn]

Looks great! Keep us up-to-date as you make progress.

[dshaff24]

looking good man. you got a looonnnngg way to go but it looks like your going to get there a day at a time!

Keep the pics coming.. most of us had a running boat that was used every summer and just tore it apart.. Your build is like building an old hot rod that you found in a barn! :cool:

[sybrmike]

Looks great. Although it doesn't look like a standard marine carb - no j-tube vents (skidim has em for $8 ea if you wanna be marine legal), dual metering blocks, etc. I really like how you left the aluminum bare.

I just rebuilt my 4160, but it didn't clean up near as nice even after 4 days disassembled in a bucket of carb cleaner (dang EPA - that stuff used to strip off paint!). I may just hit it with the dremel wire brush & ghetto paint the whole thing.

Again, great job!

[sydneyACE]

Yeah, I tried to just soak it first, but it didn't really do anything.
I spent quite a bit of time on it with the Dremel w/ wire brush. I used some rattle can paint and did LOTS of thin coats. Honestly it will probably flake off after a couple of hours of use but I couldn't just stick a nasty looking carb on there.

I also wire brushed and painted the raw water pump and thermostat housing. I'll post some pics of the pump when I get the new impeller.

If I can find a big enough air compressor I'll be sandblasting the rest of the engine acc. this weekend. I also want to blast and put some fresh paint on the "new" 400 and the trans.

[sybrmike]

Think my carb's staying raw. Never seen a carb paint job hold up too well & flaked paint ends up looking worse than rust and oxidation, but sounds like you prepped it good so hopefully you'll have better luck. Just gonna pain me to put an ugly carb back on top of a new polished aluminum intake.

Sounds like we're working the same schedule. My old 5 hp Craftsman compressor will almost keep up with my cheap a$$ sandblaster using Lowe's playsand. Blasted and painted all the accessories last weekend & assembled the raw water pump last night (had to cut a new thrust plate gasket). Hope to blast & paint the engine/trans this weekend & start reassembly next week.

Keep up the good work!

[Okie Boarder]

My old 5 hp Craftsman compressor will almost keep up with my cheap a$$ sandblaster using Lowe's playsand.

Wait, what? Can you explain this set up for me. I've wanted to figure out a cheap way to blast things. How exactly are you doing this?

[TitanTn]

Wait, what? Can you explain this set up for me. I've wanted to figure out a cheap way to blast things. How exactly are you doing this?

I have a small sand blaster like this one. It does good on small jobs.

http://cgi.ebay.com/PORTABLE-PNEUMATIC-SANDBLASTER-ABRASIVE-AIR-BLASTER-KIT-/280639883413?pt=Sanders_Sandblasters&hash=item415770c895#ht_1828wt_907

I assume that this something like what Mike is referring to.

[sybrmike]

Naw, it's even simpler than that - just connect the air hose & stick the suction hose down in a bag of playsand. I can go 10 minutes or so before I have to let the old compressor catch up and have to jiggle the pickup hose in the bag every now & then. New meaning to the term "ghetto blaster".

http://www.cpocampbellhausfeld.com/campbell-hausfeld-at1226-sandblasting-kit/cbhnat1226,default,pd.html?cgid=campbell-hausfeld-sandblasters

[sydneyACE]

I bought my sandblaster from Murdock's for $150. It's a stand-alone, portable, tank style. Seems to work really well except I had a little compressor that couldn't keep-up.
This is the one I bought:
http://compare.ebay.com/like/330486084179?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

If you wanted to do it even cheaper you could get a hand-held kind with a hopper on it. You would have to reload the hopper more often, and it would get kinda heavy with long use though.

I got some sand media at a local masonry supply store. It was $8 for a 100lb bag.

Mike, that's pretty funny we're working on the same thing. What kind of engine are you doing?
Polished aluminum intake? Should look nice, but too much upkeep for my taste. :p

[sydneyACE]

Dang you guys beat me too it!
Must be prime time on the Supra Forum or something lol

[sybrmike]

Mine's a 454. The polished on the intake was a bonus. Listed on craigslist as used but never installed. When I went to pick it up - it was all shiny. Not bad for a $100. Aluminum valve covers are cheap, but hard to find "short" ones that'll clear wet exhaust manifolds. Got lucky on the water pump as well, short aluminum's are hard to find without paying vintage corvette prices - speed shop going out of business.

I'll have to take a picture once it's all together cause it'll never look that good again.:D

A 400 you say? That's what I like about these projects - make em your own way.

[sydneyACE]

Hold on Mike! You got the intake for $100 not the whole motor right?
LOL! Yeah, I'm pretty excited about the 400 should have more torque than the 350 but hopefully not use too much gas. Plus it'll probably be one of the only Supras with a 400 in it.

I just bought a used prop too, it's a 3 blade 13x12.5. I think with the extra torque of the 400 it should be able to pull while weighted pretty well, plus still have decent top-speed.

I bought the boat without a prop so I didn't have a good base-line to work with but I think the stock props were 13x13's so this should be perfect.

[sybrmike]

Always lots of different opinions on props, but sounds like you should be good to go.

I've seen a 496 and 440 on here, but you may be the first 400. Good luck with the rebuild.

[sydneyACE]

Thanks for all the support guys!

I got some more boat-porn pics for you. Well I guess this is more-like boat-parts-porn. Details, details...

Ok here's the raw water pump with the new impeller installed...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10523.jpg


With the drive portion installed. Used a new o-ring and some blue permatex...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10524.jpg


Here with the bracket...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10525.jpg

And the pulley...

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10527.jpg

[sydneyACE]

Here's the thermostat housing with my new fancy smancy $60 thermostat.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10530.jpg


I'm assuming it goes in like this (silver sleave in the thermostat housing as opposed to in the intake manifold). I'm not for sure cause it didn't have the right one in it when I took it apart.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10528.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/SDC10529.jpg

Anyone know the purpose of the little brass ring in the gasket? It seems really strange to me, I've never seen a gasket with a ring in it like that.

[dshaff24]

Just make sure when you get that raw water pump reinstalled that its pumping the right direction! It sounds dumb but it mounts 2 ways and if you don't got it the right way it pumps Air out the bottom ot the boat and will eat the impeller!

[Hagman]

Also you should lube the impeller thing something. I use Vaseline. It helps on the first dry start up.

[sydneyACE]

Good thinking guys. I'll be sure and squirt a little something down in there and work it over by hand before I mount it all up.

Got some more sandblasting done this weekend. The only things I have left to do are the engine and trans (the big stuff).

This is what I was thinking for chairs:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/SKLZ-Sport-Brella-Chair-DLX/14895573
seriously... They are pretty damn comfy. Just screw-em into the old plywood. The umbrellas will be nice on hot or rainy days... Just kidding bout the umbrellas, but serious about the chairs. Should be more comfy than milk crates and you could take-em out for when you sit on the beach. Heheheh!

I'm thinking end of April, beginning of May-ish for my first In-water test.
Just got my registration done yesterday, my boat is "18ft 10in" cause 19ft and up was like twice as much. You guys wont tattle on me will ya?

[TitanTn]

19' is a funny place to have a cut-ouff point. I think the jump up in price for TN is anything over 26'.

[stinky_1]

I used lawn chairs in my boat for almost a full season. It was nice being able to fold them up and have space to move around. And then you just open up more chairs as more people get on the boat.

[sybrmike]

Now, if I could just find a way to string a hammock!. Seriously, we do use bean bags in my buddies offshore center console. Pretty relaxing during the 3+ hour trip back in after a hard day of fishing (& a few, o.k. several, o.k. a lot of beers).

Careful blasting the engine - there's definitely some places in there where you do not want sand & sand will get there when blasting. I prepped mine by taping all openings, degreaser, power washer, & then hit it good with an abrasive finger cup wheel in a pneumatic grinder and some hand sand paper in hard to reach nooks & crannies. Finally, a wipe down with paint thinner prior to paint (rattle can engine paint). Only time will tell how well it holds up. It may not look as pretty or last as long as if blasted, but the bearings & valves will last longer.

[sydneyACE]

19' is a funny place to have a cut-ouff point. I think the jump up in price for TN is anything over 26'.

I have a feeling, (and I'm just speculating here), we have LOTS of fishermen here. Most fishing boats are under 19ft ish, most ski/wakeboard boats are over 19ish. The fishing guys probably petitioned for a lower rate, and to compensate the county nailed the "pleasureboaters". I really don't know...

All I know is the fishermen around here really hate wake/ski boats. Somehow they got the fish and game to put a "no wake" zone on everyone's favorite riding spot. (Even though the fishing is terrible at this lake.) I'm sure you guys probably have similar issues in your neck of the woods, but Montana is one of those places where people have no patience for anyone having fun if your "fun activities" make noise or disturb anyone in any way.

People typically yell out to me "Go back to California!" even though I was born and raised here.

They want to make dirtbikes, wakeboats, snowmobiles, jetskis, streetbikes, and anything else illegal. They're even trying to shut the mountainbikers down. The snowmobilers are doing alright because they ride in the winter when the granolas are all at the ski hill.

Rant off.
Very sorry guys, I get fired-up sometimes. I love the great outdoors and agree we need to protect it, but there's a limit.
We have this huge multi-million dollar ski-resort on top of the mountain in the middle of national forest land. They built high-rises and lifts and cut these huge runs into the mountain, the granolas are fine with that, but heaven forbid we have a few dirtbike trails to ride on.
Damn I'm ranting again...
Sorry, lol!

[sydneyACE]

I guess Montana didn't get the memo... It's springtime!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/random/0408110857.jpg

[TitanTn]

That's depressing.

[cadunkle]

Montana just moved to the top of my list of places never to live.

[dusty2221]

Montana just moved to the top of my list of places never to live.

Fact. Gross.

[Okie Boarder]

Bummer. Fly down south and get on the water with one of us southern boys. ;)

[sydneyACE]

There are def. some disadvantages to life in Montana. I love the mountains though. I spent some time in the AirForce, and got to see lots of the country, but there's just something about here that I love.
The summers are so awesome here, but the winters last forever. I think you really appreciate your summer more when it's short though lol!

I was trying to move to Cali a while ago, but the job I had lined-up fell through, so... We were thinking about Arizona, but that's so far from family it makes it hard when you have little ones.

It's supposed to be decent weather Sunday, so hopefully I will get that engine sandblasted. That's really the only thing I'm waiting-on at this point.

[sydneyACE]

Alright guys, a long overdue update...

I decided against sandblasting the "new" 400 and hit it with the "wire brush in the drill" method.

WOW! That's a lot of work! It took me forever to get all the old grease, paint, and rust off of that thing.

My camera was out of commission for most of that experience so I didn't really get any good pics. (It's pretty boring to look at anyways.) I took off the oil-pan, intake, timing cover, etc, etc, and changed all the gaskets.

I painted it all up in black and silver engine paint, and put everything together.
I'm really hoping everything works, but that's probably wishful thinking. I really doubt the alternator works, which is why I didn't brush and paint that.

Anyway here is a pic of the "finished" engine:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/engine.jpg

[sydneyACE]

Took the "new" engine down to work and utilized the chain-hoist there to put the engine in the boat on Sunday.
I'm still fine-tuning the alignment, which has been very tedious as the old rusty mounts don't like to adjust very easily.
I think I will take a little break on the alignment for a while and concentrate on getting the engine running, and fixing the through-hull on the exhaust.

List of things to do:

Install Starter
Install Distributor Cap/Wires
Install Hoses
Install Oil-Drain Hose
Fix Exhaust Thru-hull
Install Rudder
Finish Alignment

I was supposed to be doing some in-water testing a month ago, but things have just been taking forever, and It's been next to impossible finding time to get anything done.
I guess as a flip-side to that, we haven't really been having any boating weather, and last weekend was the first day that would have been nice anyway. So I guess I haven't really been missing much.
I have to admit that I'm not very optimistic about it anyways, there are just WAY too many things to go wrong with a build like this.
Hopefully I can get on the water and have some fun this summer without breaking the bank. Wish me luck!

[sydneyACE]

Here's another of the engine taken with my phone:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e9/sydneyACE/Supras/engine2.jpg

I'm too embarrassed to put-up a pic of it in the boat (I'm sure I will eventually) cause it's terrible inside the boat. All you other guys have these immaculate stringers/bilges etc. Mine looks downright awful. (A project for next season)

[TitanTn]

Looking great! I know it's nice to reach some milestones in the big project like this. Go ahead and show us pics of the motor in the boat. We'll understand!

[mapleleaf]

Your bilge is not alone! I seem to have a once a year deep cleaning that is required to bring mine up to snuff....We just can't do everything and play on the water.....great work so far motor looks amazing..

[sydneyACE]

The fiberglass job on the stringers is... interesting... for lack of a better term. Whoever did the "stringer repair" must have been in a hurry. There's lots of epoxy everywhere, some exposed mat material, there are quite a few things stuck in the epoxy etc. I was thinking I would just paint it up with some bilge-coat, but after seeing it, I realized there's no point. So, we're just gonna run like this for a season or two until I can afford to have it all redone.

I was a little worried about the quality of the wood, but when I drilled my holes and tightened-up the lags, everything seemed solid, so I should be good!

It makes me a little sad to put such a pretty engine in that ugly bilge but, I'm ready to get on the water already!

[Okie Boarder]

Nice! Good job.

[sydneyACE]

Been doing a little here, a little there, for the past few days, and if it quits raining, I'll try to run it after work today.

I put the risers on,
starter,
distributor cap,
all the wiring,
hoses,
oil-drain hose,
etc.

I cranked-it, without fuel, a little bit and everything seems to work well. (The jury's still out on the alternator.) The raw water pump pumps without leaking (Yay!)

I was going to prime the carb and adjust float levels etc, but when I put the fuel pick-up line into my gas can, the fuel pump started pumping it all out the small line on the bottom. I guess I should have used the "boat's" fuel-pump instead of the one off the donor motor.

So, I installed the "old" fuel pump and hopefully that will do the trick.

Am I forgetting anything before I do a little test-run on the garden hose?

[sydneyACE]

Got it running last night! YAY!
I just need to get some new hoses here and there, as well as some new fuel-line.

It took forever to prime-up the carb. (Used-up my battery and had to take the one out of the truck LOL!)

I started-off with the timing 180* off (happens every-time I swear). That was pretty interesting, she was spitting some flames! :)

Once I got that sorted, it seemed to run pretty well, that 400 sounds AWESOME!

If I can get the trough-hull exhaust sorted and the rudder installed, maybe I can do a test at the lake this weekend.
Cross your fingers and all that for me.

[sybrmike]

Sounds like real progress. Did the 180 distributor before in an old Mustang - first crank at night & yeah lots of pretty flames & backfires through the carb.

Got my fingers crossed for ya.

[sydneyACE]

Went-up to the lake on Sunday evening to do a little on-trailer, in-water testing. The marine epoxy I used on the exhaust thru-hull worked great. The stuff cures in 50 min, and will actually cure underwater, so it was perfect. I didn't put enough on the rudder thru-hull though, so I was leaking a little there.

I used some clear hose on the water pick-up, and I was concerned because it wasn't drawing any water out of the lake. There's no blockage in the pick-up, and when I disconnect the hose into the thermostat housing, the fresh-water pump was pumping like a banshee. When I put the line back on the housing, it quit drawing water out of the lake again. It seems to me like the engine just wont take-in any water.

I'm getting a little confused because, when I ran it on the hose at the house, water was coming-out the exhaust normally. I though maybe something happened between my test-run and the lake-run so I ran-it again last night on the hose, and it's spitting water out the exhaust just fine.
When I ran it on the hose, it definitely wasn't getting hot, I didn't run it long enough on the lake for it to get hot, because I was concerned that the impeller would burn-up.

Does it matter if the thermostat is opened or closed? It should pick-up and discharge water out the exhaust no matter what right?

[sybrmike]

I'd check the internal passages of the tstat housing. Since you rebuilt the raw water pump & it flows water out of the outlet when disconnected, sounds like you're good there. Water should flow from the raw water intake inlet of the tstat housing to the outlets for the exhaust manifolds whether the tstat is open or not. Maybe the extra pressure from the water hose is enough to get by any blockage.

[sydneyACE]

Yeah, I think what I'm gonna do for my next outing is just put some clear tubing to the manifolds too. That way I can see if it's flowing out that way too.

[sydneyACE]

I had the first, real in-water test on Sunday, and I was pretty happy with the results.

We didn't sink or get stuck in the middle of the lake, so I consider it "Great Success!". ;) LOL!

Biggest issue I had was leaking oil out of the timing cover. I replaced all of the gaskets on the engine, but that aftermarket cheap chrome timing cover didn't seem to fit quite right. I noticed it when I was assembling everything and should have gobbed-on some extra RTV but.... didn't.... Story of my life hahaha!

I think it leaked about a quart, so I now officially have the dirtiest bilge ever.

The cooling seems to be working fine, I expected it to flow move volume, but the manifolds didn't get too hot. (I could touch them for a couple of seconds at a time without pain.) That's my official, scientific test.

Performance was surprising! The thing would go from idling in-gear, to plane in just a few seconds (13x12.5 prop). The carb seems to be jetted just right. I can go from idle to full-throttle instantly without any hesitation/stuttering. I think I got really lucky there, I heard these carbs can be a pain to tune.

Now I just need to fix the oil-leak and put a temporary floor in the back, and it will be ready for chilling at the lake w/friends.

[sydneyACE]

Ok, so it's officially been almost a year since I last posted on this thread here.

I have been super-busy, changed jobs, moved, etc.
Not too busy to play with the Supra, but mostly too busy to keep this thread up to date.
I have been posting here and there about this and that, and it came to my attention that I should try to get a good update going.

Put a temporary floor in the back of the boat, then put some temporary carpet over everything.
I found a sweet, temporary, rear bench seat on craigslist in the form of a rear-bench out of an old Ford van.
It works well for now and it actually matches the boat's color nicely.
I started wet-sanding the hull, but progress is very slow and it's not on the top of my priority list.
Have been playing around with ballast (basically, that means grabbing anything heavy that I can find laying-around and cramming it in the boat somewhere).
More on that here:
https://forum.supraboats.com/showthread.php?11038-84-Rider-Ballast-Fun!

I do have lots of sweet pictures but I don't have a card-reader on my CPU so I have to rely on my GF to email them from her CPU to me.
I'm gonna make her do that tonight, I promise.

Anyway, that's all for now. I will get some pics up tonight.

[suprasam]

I have been on this forum for a while, but I have some how missed this whole thread. Its a perfect thread to watch.....great motor rebuild/paint and what not. My boat I believe was used in salt also, and show some minor rust here and there. I am slowly taking things apart and painting when I get a chance, or when they need to be replaced they get painted. Good luck, and cant' wait for the pictures.
Nice job on it by the way!

[sydneyACE]

I have been on this forum for a while, but I have some how missed this whole thread. Its a perfect thread to watch.....great motor rebuild/paint and what not. My boat I believe was used in salt also, and show some minor rust here and there. I am slowly taking things apart and painting when I get a chance, or when they need to be replaced they get painted. Good luck, and cant' wait for the pictures.
Nice job on it by the way!

Thanks Shane!

I haven't been up-dating it at all, so that's probably why you haven't noticed it.

When you paint stuff, be sure to get all the rust off first. Do a couple thin coats to start, a couple thick coats, then finish with a thin coat.
The reason I say that is because, I don't think I used enough paint on mine. My intake manifold rusted-through the paint down in the little "valleys" where it got wet a few times. It didn't "bubble through" from underneath, but I think the water soaked down through the paint. Same thing happened to my valve covers, thermostat housing, etc.

Maybe look-into getting some of that original PCM paint that skidim sells. Supposedly that's the stuff that PCM uses on exhaust manifolds/risers. Maybe that would be more "water-proof". I plan to re-do some of my parts this fall when I winterize.

Yeah, most my pics from this season are of the wet-sanding/buffing proccess. I just need to poke my GF over and over until she will email them to me.

Thanks for the kind words. My boat is definately one of the roughest/ugliest boats on the forum, but hopefully as I get more and more done, the turn-around will just be that much better! :)