Help with Aristocraft 19 repairs

[Thomas73]

Hello! I just bought and old 73 aristocraft 19 with the merc 165 and am trying to bring her back to life. Im going to start small and replace the bellows and gimbal bearing but i dont know where to start and i want to be sure i get the correct kit, how do i tell which one is the correct one? Also the o/d trims down but wont go back up and the steering cylinder is stuck, any ideas there? Any advise is greatly appreciated.

 

[achris]

Hello Thomas and :welcome: to iboats.

Firstly, hold off on the bellows and gimbal bearing replacement until you know it's worth doing. Pull the drive and just put it aside. Stuff a garden hose in the water intake hole in the bell housing and get the engine running. Once you're happy with the engine, then move onto the transom plates (steering, trim system, bellows and gimbal bearing, etc). Once they're good, service the drive (water pump and pressure test, etc)....

Chris.........

 

[Thomas73]

Oh i guess it would have helped to say that ive already had the engine running. Runs a little rough but im pretty sure the plugs and plug wires just need changing.

 

[Boater31]

Have you investigated the structure. Make sure there is no rot or anything else that might change your mind on the project. The stickies on top of this section are a great read and sure will help you as they did myself.

 

[kenny nunez]

One thing I remember about Aristo Craft boats. If the steering cable is really frozen the best way to replace it is to get a right angle cut off wheel and cut the cable about 3? from the retaining nut. Then remove the guide tube and work the rest of the cable out. Or replace it, sometimes the cable is so frozen you end up damaging the tube. Attach a strong piece of twine and pull the cable toward the front of the boat. Do not try to re use any of the helm assembly, new steering kits are easier to work with. There are some loops glassed into the underside of the gunnal that you want the new cable to pass through.
Since the gas tank is mounted in the rear it is easy to remove and clean or just buy a new one .

 

[Thomas73]

The structure is still good. The boat is 100% fiberglass including the stringers. Only structural wood is a small 1.5 ft x 2ft piece where the outdrive comes through and it is solid. As for the steering, it seems to be that it is the rear cylinder that is stuck since i can turn the wheel a little and hear the cable moving through the tube when i turn it back and fourth.

 

[Thomas73]

Im having trouble figuring out which drive i have. Pretty sure its the mc-1 but im not positive. Ive tried looking up the serial number on several different places but cant figure it out. No. is 3698089. No letters or anything

 

[Thomas73]

Can anyone help? I cannot get an exact id on my sterndrive so i can order a new water pump. I dont understand the id charts from mercruiser, according to them my s/n falls in range of 4 different models?? This dosent make any sense to me and im at a total loss. Other than the stuck steering tilt tube which is soaking in peretrating oil, this is the last important thing to repair before doing a water test.
Thank yall

Edit: I just realized i might be in the wrong section, i thought in was posting in the restoration section. I do this mainly on my phone and it gets confusing to navigate sometimes. I apologize if i did bad

 

[Bondo]

Can anyone help? I cannot get an exact id on my sterndrive so i can order a new water pump.

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,... It should be an MC-1, 'n the only question 'bout findin' the right pump is whether it has the ole flush screw, or not,....

You can see it, We can't,....

 

[Thomas73]

Thanks for the welcome! Alright, sorry for the delay but i got the lower apart again. What exactly am i looking for to determine the model pump ket to order?

 

[Thomas73]

What/where would this flush screw be that i am looking for?

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... On the side that can't be seen in yer 2nd picture, 'bout center/ aft of the pump body, 'tween the cav-plate, 'n the ridge above that in the flat area,....

 

[Thomas73]

So it has been a while, almost a year to be exact. School, work n weather slowed work on the boat. But now things are picking back up. I got her on the water earlier this year, after replacing water pump, bellows gimbal and upper shift cable. And she ran great several test trips, until I decided to take a few friends and the carb started flooding so bad it wouldn’t start so had to get towed back, long story short, got a whole new carb and she purrs like a kitten. Now im in the middle of replacing the old soggy foam, ordered the 4lb density stuff for extra support of the hull. Next on the list is the rest of the lower shift and throttle cables. Also going to be getting a compression tester as eventhough it runs good. It has 1050 hours on it. After that will be new roll on nonskid for the decks. Other than what im doin now, any other major stuff I should be checking? Transom is ok