87 Sun Sport Overhaul

[NeilMcg]

After seeing the successful outcomes of so many here, I've decided to take the plunge as a DIYer.

OVERVIEW:
* 1987 Supra Sun Sport. PCM 351w w/656hrs. Engine runs great. Will do a carb rebuild and other simple things, but mostly I'll leave it alone.
* Boat ran aground and the prop and rudder shaft are in bad shape. The hull was barely damaged so all things considered, I'm quite thankful.
* Rot is evident in some areas, but I'm taking the "Where there's smoke..." philosophy, so I'll be pulling the deck and redoing the floor and, most likely, the stringers.
* All new uphostery and carpet.

Here are some prliminary pics:

Faded wave, and although the vinyl stripes look ok here, they're all nicked up everywhere else


Bent rudder shaft. Hopefully can fix and balance.


Prop severely damaged


Rear seat frame rot


Many more pics to come, as this will be long Fall/Winter project. I'd appreciate any help you're willing to provide.
Thanks,
Neil

[ngavchris]

Ouch!!!!!!! That looks like a stump grinder. That must have been one heck of a bad hit. Good luck with your restoration. I appreciate the simple things in life.

[Okie Boarder]

Keep posting pictures and information, as well as questions. I'm sure there will be a lot of advise flying around to help you progress. When are you getting started?

[87SunSportMikeyD]

If someone is only slalom skiing or barefooting I see no reason whatsoever to try and turn it into a wake boat. I totally like your ideas if new guages and underwater lights. If you have the money you might really like perfect pass...

Be sure to make sure your motor mounts are tight (but dont turn them) and you may want to drill a test hole to check the color of the wood inside the stringers.

[NeilMcg]

I plan to start this coming weekend.

First thing is to remove all upholstery and then drain and remove the tank. (Actually, I'm not sure when is the easiest time to take out the tank...any suggestions?) I'm using a chain fall connected to a beam to hoist the engine and deck. The engine will go on a caster wheel dolly to get it out of the way and then on to an actual engine stand when I'm ready for work. The deck is next and It'll be supported with 4x4's with a carpeted V-groove. I have hydraulic bottle jacks to raise it up when I'm ready for paint.

Secondly, the carpet will be pulled up gently using a scraper to act as a template for the new stuff. From then, out comes the floor and stringer inspection. I plan on keeping the hull on the trailer, except when it comes time to flip it. Working on construction of a rotisseri.

ALL lag bolts came out of the driver's seat. Learned just how extensive the problem was at that point


Reverse side of the Morse throttle as a reference during re-assembly. If anyone has knowledge of the inner mechanics of this system, or even just a manual, please let me know.

[NeilMcg]

Mikey,
I may have spoken too soon, as I might consider a perfect pass. We were skiing early Sun AM in my Brother's Launch, and his speedo was so fogged in, I could barely see. I didn't even think to look at the Pp readout...Good point.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Neil - I need a new throttle cable too, so I would be really interesting in anything you can find out.

Once you remove the rear bench seat frame (which is just screwed to the floor), you should be able to pull the gas tank. It's even easier if you have the pull out rear-ski-locker.

Around the driver's seat post is one of the most common areas for the floor to have a soft spot. Crossing my fingers for ya there!

When you get new speedo guages, they will be sealed airtight which should prevent them from fogging up. The PP paddlewheel guage is more accurate and replaces one speedo guage on the dash. I wrote up a thread on how to DIY a PP if you choose. WHere are you located?

[NeilMcg]

Rear bench is out, I thought the ski locker was attached to the deck, but I'll check it out.

Regarding the throttle, I'm doing an exhaustive search for everything I can about that system, including a user's manual. I'm not sure, but I think it was made before Teleflex bought them. I'll take tons of pics and pass along any info I can find. By the way, how can I check the engine mount itegrity without actually turning the screws? I assmune they're lag bolts. And if I drill holes in the stringers, what color am I looking for..woody white as apposed to rotted brown?

This stuff is just nasty!



I live in Conneaut Lake, PA which is a 45 minute drive due south of Erie.

[Okie Boarder]

Look for the wood to be a nice brown color, not black and it should be dry. Also see how "stringy" it is. It could be dry, but crumbly. That indicates it is not wet but has still rotted. I bet you're going to find much worse wood and foam the deeper you dig in. Where is that wood from?

Make sure you take lots of pictures and measurements. That helps a bunch for later.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Put the wrench on the bolt and apply some pressure to see if they are snug. If they are stripped or spin easily, that's a bad sign. If they are snug, don't try to apply so much pressure that you turn them.