1967 Starcraft Newport 16' Fiberglass 120hp mercruiser I/O Project

[wpchrist]

Hi All, I started a thread last year regarding this boat but haven't really done anything with it until now. She's a 1967 Starcraft Newport 16' Fiberglass runabout with an inboard/outboard (GM 120hp I4 and a mercruiser outdrive). As near as I can tell, the boat sat for about 9 years before I got her. Thankfully she was covered nearly the whole time, and well taken care of before she sat.








So far I've installed a new battery, changed the oil, installed new plugs, points and condenser. She turned over enough to fire once or twice but fuel was pouring out of the top of the carburetor with most of the fuel going down the throat so she's flooding out pretty bad.. I've ordered a carb rebuild kit and am waiting for it to arrive (the carb is a Rochester 2GV 2 barrel).

Along the way I've been using the outdrive as my step to get in and out of the boat. I was getting a little ansy waiting for the carb kit to arrive and I remembered the previous owner had put a 2x4 between the foot of the outdrive and the gimball housing to keep the outdrive from coming completely down (maybe this is supposed to help the outdrive when in storage?). Regardless, the 2x4 had rotted out so, since I'm waiting around for the carb rebuild kit I decided to pull the 2x4 out. I trimmed the outdrive up, pulled the board out and trimmed the outdrive down. Or, at least I wanted to trim the outdrive down. I pushed the down button but no-go. Last year the outdrive went up and down just fine. I was hoping it wasn't the motor and I set out to track down the problem.

After a few troubleshooting steps I determined the til/trim switch was the culprit. Alas, It turns out this switch isn't something I can just drive over to West Marine and buy. The switches at West Marine are a little too big to fit in the hole in the dash. Does anyone know where I can get a replacement switch? I prefer to have a switch that fits back in the dash like the original.


Thanks in advance for any help. I'm looking forward to sharing my project with everyone.

 

[GA_Boater]

Hard to see in the pics, WP - Does the switch have any markings for a manufacturer or part number?

In the past I've opened up switches like that and cleaned/burnished the contacts. Often that gave extra time to find a replacement. Looking at the pic, I think the metal tabs in the corners hold the halves together. If you try it, watch out for the springs inside. I do the dissection inside a baggie.

 

[wpchrist]

Thanks for the tips GA_Boater . The metal tabs in the corners did hold the switch halves together. I opened it up (inside a baggie) and the contacts were filthy. You can see in the picture the contacts on the right are as I found them. The contacts on the left were after cleaning. I've got it all cleaned and reassembled and am going to test it in the morning. I feel pretty confident it will work. I may not even need a new switch. Oh, and I found a manufacturer name on the outside. It is a McGill switch. They are still in business so if it comes to it I may be able to source a new switch there. Thanks again. Happy boating!

 

[GA_Boater]

I see the flying part retention baggie. I bet you didn't know it had an official technical name. LOL

Did it have springs? That type may not, but you never know until the switch is opened up.

If you have a meter, you can check continuity from the center post to the either of the outer posts. The outer posts will switch between open/closed as the switch is rocked and both are open when the switch is in the center. Hope that did the trick.

 

[wpchrist]

Indeed, it had a spring that is hidden inside one of the holes in the red portion of the switch. The spring did not fly out but a small "plunger" that fits in the spring hole and activates the contacts did fall out when I opened it. It was contained by the flying part retention baggie.

I also checked the switch with the ohmmeter like you suggested. I just set the multimeter to beep when there is no continuity and connected the probes to the power input and one output of the switch. When the switch was activated in one direction the meter "beeped" one one output (and importantly, not the other). The process was repeated for the other output with the same result. Hooray!!

Now, As soon as the rain stops I can solder the switch back in (i'm a soldering newbie so I've watched a lot of Youtube videos to up my chances of getting it right the first time lol).

And if my Carb kit comes in the mail today I can start on that rebuild rain or shine.

Thanks Again!