1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

[waterboy222]

My Grandfather purchased this boat in 1971 from Hi-Lift Marina on Grand Lake in Oklahoma. It had been custom ordered in red by the previous owner. About 6 years ago, he put a new (used) engine and drive in it, had the transom redone and put all new interior in. He passed away last month and left the boat to my father and I. We decided it would be a perfect opportunity for him and I to reconnect and do something fun together.
So we tracked it down to its home on a half-sunken hydrohoist and wrestled her onto the trailer.

Its in our shop now and we are just now tearing into it. So far, the front deck forward of the windshield is completely rotten, the floor is rotten, stringers (I can only ASSUME) are rotten and the pieces of wood in the gunwale that hold the interior together are rotten.

There appears to be a HOLE in the bottom of the boat too.:facepalm: The bunks on the hoist were gone and it had spent the past few years resting on the steel beam and left a goodsized hole behind.

Ill be updating this thread as we get into it and begging for advice and help. Ive read a LOT of the big threads here on stringer and transom replacement, but have yet to find one on front deck replacement.

We want to do all the structural replacement ourselves, and then send it off to have the final gelcoat/paint work done by a pro because we would like to enter it in a local classic boat show that our lake hosts every year.

Thanks for everyones advice!

I will respond to this thread in a few minutes with some steps we have made so far.

 

[waterboy222]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

She's home in our heated shop and the teardown has begun. Interior is pulled out to the deck level. We are just assessing everything now to see exactly what we ended up with so we can put a game plan together..

 

[waterboy222]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

And now a few pics of the damage..

My grandfather was notorious for beaching his boat on a gravel beach a mile or so up from his cabin. That was his favorite thing to do, beach it and fish all night. The scars left behind are really bad. In some areas, you can feel the cloth.

Also, those stains along the keel weren't there a couple days ago. I assume its because the water from inside the glass is dripping out of the holes in the keel. The floor is wet underneath the boat even though theres a trashcan under the bilge. Its water dripping from the hull I assume. uh oh!

Also, you can see the hole that was left by the hoist. I wont' know anything more about it til sunday when we get the floor pulled out.

Does the engine have to come out before the floor pan and decking come out? We ordered a Gantry crane but it wont ship for another week and would like to get the floor pulled out this weekend.

Its really cool to see the silver and copper metal flakes inside the gelcoat. Is this a cosmetic thing or what?

 

[waterboy222]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

From what I can tell, there is a fiberglass pan that goes over the top of the deck. It fills in the sides and provides the footrest area under the dash and the access doors to the cuddy area. I'm not quite sure how to get this out just yet.

 

[Numlaar]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

Just wanted to say, awesome looking boat! I absolutely love the dash, looks like a mid-late 60's car dash, so cool!

This one is a bit before my time, and while i have seperated quite a full caps/hulls, but dont want to give you bad info...

guessing I would say its like most fiberglass boats, and the "cap" in this case would encompass the hardtop/dash/liner, etc. so would all come out when seperated from the hull.

 

[waterboy222]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

The floor pan screws to the back of the dash it looks like. It was so late last night when I finally got down to the floor, I didn't really look too close into it. I really hope I dont have to take the cap off, the way it connects to the transom looks like it would be a real nightmare to split.
The hardtop is simply screwed into the cap. It shouldnt be too hard to pull off. But you know how THAT goes.. lol

oh, and thanks for the compliments! Its really a cool looking boat. In 1966, a 21' boat was almost unheard of around our end of lake.. It was a "monster"! Now we have 60 and 70 footers.

Every kid in our family learned how to ski behind this boat, theres a whole lot of history here and I'm so glad I ended up with it.

 

[oops!]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

good project bud......good reason for doing it.....

ok.......get the 6 running......and check the drive....if work needs to be done there.....you can have it sent out while you are in gut mode.

you can pull the deck now....you just wont be able to get at the stringers ans mounts till its out. the transom would be suspect as well.

this is a full gut job.......no question about it......that hole in the bottom is serious repair....the keel shots didnt give me enough info to make a suggestion there.....but im guessing a full glass wrap from inside and out.

if you can get pics of the deck.....i dont see it as being a liner style.....just a cap....but it being a cuddy style sedan i could be wrong.

if it is a liner style.....the cap has to come off.

dont panic about that ....its not hard at all......just a lot of drilling.....it will also allow you to either clean or replace the rub rail.

i would also suggest that you tackle the gellcoat and glass your self as it is going to be very expensive to fix that.....easy 5k even with the hull gutted. its not hard.....we can walk you thru it !

 

[oops!]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

actually the link in my sig will be a very good guide for you.....

the boat had the same motor from the factory.....and the full deck replacement is there

 

[waterboy222]

Hey guys! Spent all day on the boat. My laptop is at my office and I'm using my iPhone so I won't be able to post pics til tmrw morning.

I did, however, get the deck mostly ripped out. There's a square liner that goes around the edges and makes up the forward bulkhead and foot rests. I had to cut it to get it out of the boat. There was UNBELIEVABLE amounts of water in the floor. But it went pretty smooth, it was so rotten it just came out with simple tools.

Motor, drive, gimbal is all coming out this week once we can get the trailer ready to take it over to our plant where the forklift is.

I'm glad I invested in a GOOD respirator. I've never been so itchy in my whole life! The rotozip with a cutting wheel has made light work of the floor. Hoping to tackle the stringers and transom next weekend.
I think the transom will be a real pain because it's only rotted on the very bottom!

 

[waterboy222]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

Good Morning, everyone! Just a few quick questions that I can't seem to find answers for with the search button.

1.) The boat has no foam in it right now. Do I need to put foam in when building the floor? I wouldn't need it for the structural benefit, but should I consider it for the safety benefits? It has a pretty high freeboard so getting swamped isn't really an issue. But this is something I'd rather do now instead of later if I decide it should be done..

2.) How long should I go between replacement cartridges on my respirator?

3.) Is there an issue with relocating the battery to the same area ( 1 1/2" away) as the aluminum fuel tank? Right now the battery is in the bilge up against the oilpan and is incredibly hard to get to. The fuel tank is vented, obviously, on the outside of the boat but would there be any issue with the battery sharing the same space?

4.) The areas on the keel that are wet inside the glass, do I need to let them dry before grinding?

5.) How do you take the stringers out? Do you try to keep them in one piece to provide a template? I believe mine are past the point of being able to come out in one piece.

Thanks guys!

 

[oops!]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

1. the foam is your call......but you must make sure the hull can handle the stress with out it.....pre 85 boats can usually do it. that is when the manufacturers started to use foam for structural.

2. if you can smell it......change.......i blow mine off every few minits with air and can go for a week or two depending on the type of jobs

3. no......put it where ever you want.....but make sure there is a barrier between the tank and it.....also make sure it is free of any possible fumes. the best is near an air vent.

4. no grind them.......but if the glass is wet....you have a de lam between the layers of glass.....and you must grind till all the de lam is out.
if you dont...any trapped water will freeze in the winter....and the crack between the layers will get worse.

5. if you can get them all out at once...great...a template is allways good.... if you can cut the glass holding them in....they will come right out.....other wise...just get the rot out. one piece or in saw dust....it does not matter

 

[Pmccraney]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

Very cool boat.. It's going to be a long, but extremely rewarding, journey. Plan on everything taking twice as long and costing twice as much and you won't be disappointed. Most importantly, have fun! What a great tribute to your late grandad...lots of great folks here to cheer you on or help you out. So ask away.. I like that in-line 6... Is it working?

 

[waterboy222]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

Thank You, it has been a fun project. Not attaching a dealine to it is whats making it enjoyable to work on and take my time with. I would like to get as much done by Spring as possible because I can't stand working indoors when its nice and have too many other hobbies!

The inline 6 was replaced with a rebuilt bigger inline 6 in 2007 and winterized. Its not been touched since then. Im trying to find the mechanic that did the work in hopes that he will remember my grandfather and what work he did. It looks like he put in a used/rebuilt motor to replace the omc, put a new bilge pan and transom in.

 

[waterboy222]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

Another question for you guys. I really would like to avoid pulling the cap. But the front deck forward of the windshield is rotten. When you're in the v-berth area looking up at the bottom of the deck it looks like its made out of balsa or some kind of sheet of wood that is made from 1x1 blocks of wood. It has failed miserably. Ive poked holes in it to let it drain so that maybe itll be easier to pull out.
My question is, can I reglass this small triangular area overhead or do I absolutely HAVE to pull and flip the cap?

It seems as if I can pull out all the rotten wood and glass, cut two pieces to fit and reglass it in overhead using some sort of support to push it up against the bottom of the deck. I sure hope so!

 

[oops!]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

glassing overhead is tough.....but can be done....i do it all the time when im working on hull bottoms.

can you please post pics of the area....including entrance....the cuddy area......and then the underside of the deck......it is possible that they used balsa as a substraight then glassed over it.

 

[waterboy222]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

I took some pics but I guess there was still fiberglass dust in the air and the camera tried to focus on it.. I will be working on it this weekend so I will take some better photos.

Here is the cuddy with the port side pan removed and the doors taken out.
this pic is huge so follow the link (http://www.eddelozier.com/.a/6a0148c77c5222970c01543850df48970c-pi)

And here is one with the doors in place. From the bulkhead to the front light is probably 2 1/2 feet and then the width of the boat. And the really crappy pic of the balsa deck looking up at the bottom of the cap.

 

[waterboy222]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

Sorry for all the tons of questions guys. Im a little new to all this. Ive never done a COMPLETE tearout and resto before, just minor repairs..

If I wanted to get away from the 6 cyl and put in a smallblock 350, would it use the same stringer setup as the 6 cyl does? Im about a week away from putting new strings and transom in. Would it utilize the same transom cut out and engine mount areas or would I have to fill in the transom and build my own mounts? I havent decided for sure if thats what I want to do, I may stick with the 6cyl but It would be awful pretty with a set of tips coming out the back..

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

When it comes to these old girls I'm pretty much a purist, so I'm gunna vote for keeping her as Original as possible. For me, that would increase not only the value but the overall desirablilty of the boat. But hey, I'm just and OLD Dumb Okie, what do I know!!!!

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

I don't have an I/O & won't want to comment on it's size & weight replacing the 6cyl, which is already bigger then the original motor. I am not a car/motor guy either. But, there is some weight you can move around to counter balance the added weight of bigger motor. Unless the 1 you have is a 4.x liter Ford Straight Six (had 1 in a mid 80's ford F-150 that was a torque monster & HUGE!). By moving the gas tank (s) forward to under the cuddy cabin and the battery (s) forward as well, you might be able to add the weight of the bigger engine and minimize the effects of the additional weight in the stern. That will of course cause your costs for fuel line & battery/power cables to go up. And forces you to layout & plan plan plan for everything much sooner (BEFORE replacing the decking).

Ultimately, it is up to YOU to decide if you want a 350 & pursue a course that allows you to install it safely. Look to OOPS for out of the box solutions. He wanted his boat, only longer, and has spent a very long time making that happen. It's a matter of what you want your boat to do for you & those you invite aboard. I found a motor I like to replace a somewhat under-powered, but very good looking & cool Johnson 35hp SeaHorse. This 65hp Merc 650 will give me the performance I want, but it forces me to raise the transom to accommodate it, its a Long shaft lower unit & I have been unable to find a short shaft. I am ok with doing that, it raises the back of the stern, reducing transom wash-over in following seas. HOWEVER, as it is my 1st glassing job, it freaks me out thinking about cutting the splashwell out & raising it & the transom. But that is something I am willing to overcome to achieve a boat that suits my needs & wants, SAFELY. I also entertained getting a 2nd exactly the same 35hp motor & running twins. But keeping 2 outboards running & well maintained, the extra 50+ pounds of weight over the 650, and the somewhat crowded transom it would give me, wasn't something I wanted to do, even though I could do that w/ out raising transom.

If you want to pursue the 350, look around & see how much the motor you have weighs, & find some details on marine 350s & weighs. If there isn't too much difference, look for mounting details & motor mount spreads. A 350 may give you a little more deck in front of the motor doghouse, if it's shorter front to back then the straight six. That may be enough of a reason to consider the 350. But not if it crowds the deck left & right of the doghouse.

Others will want details on your current motor & outdrive, & may be able to help you find a motor that works w/ your outdrive, or encourage you to seek a motor that works w/ an XYZ outdrive. I think OMC stringer motors & outdrives are not good combos or easy to find parts for.


Have a great week, & don't be discouraged by any of the above. Progress is progress, and thinking & planning COUNT!

 

[waterboy222]

Re: 1966 IMP Aztec V hardtop restoration

Thanks guys! Part of me is wanting to keep the setup as stock as possible, but the other part of me is having a hardtime NOT putting HORSEPOWER and SPEED as a priority! lol! This coming from my boatracer side! Its hard to switch gears and go with a classy looking setup after all the years of only being concerned about handling and top speed.

More than likely I will just keep the little 6 cyl and be happy with the 35mph ride.. It may be faster than that now that I think about it, knowing how much water that boat has been carrying over the years!