Just acquired a 170 Horizon. Assembly required.

[Baylinerchuck]

Looking really good. Won’t be long now!!

 

[chevymaher]

On my smaller boat I glassed in some pieces of plywood after everything else was sealed up to mount terminal blocks, hose clamps, etc so I could avoid screwing into my carefully sealed transom as stringers as much as possible.

That is what i been doing. Like in the gas tank area. Just glassing in little blocks of wood.

Well yesterday was blow your car up day here. Wrecker had just lefy from delivering my neices truck. And my buddies daugher was here crying looking for her daddy. Seems her lexus quit. I got a alt ordered for that. I got the triton back running. She is picking it up today sometime.

It is a T-Storm day today. I Got the trim pump and lines in yesterday before the wrecker got here. I wish my bilge vents and battery tray would arrive. I could put the battery in it and test the electrical. But today I will run wires and try to make it look decent.

Getting close to motor drive time. I need to take the piston and bearings out to see what size rings and bearings I need to order with the gasket set.

 

[CrazyFinn]

Well yesterday was blow your car up day here. Wrecker had just lefy from delivering my neices truck. And my buddies daugher was here crying looking for her daddy. Seems her lexus quit. I got a alt ordered for that. I got the triton back running. She is picking it up today sometime.

Sounds like my place some days. Put new struts in my wife's car last week - started on the job and found a broken coil. That's all fixed now. Then had to help my son get some stuff sorted out on his car. While I was doing that he was driving my dad's '49 CJ3A and the 69 year old original headlight switch died - he had to hotwire the headlights to drive home in the dark. Put in a new fuse panel, switches, and rewired the dash in the old Jeep and it's all good now! My dad's car started having cooling issues - put in a new rad, but waiting for some hoses.

Everything is now running happily other than my dad's car. Parts should arrive soon.

 

[chevymaher]

Well I need the battery tray and the vents to come but other than that the boat is done. I am sure I will have to fish through some wiring issues once the motor is in. But it got tarped up and will be for a while.

I spend several hours cleaning the garage and putting up fiberglassing supplies.

Next adventure is see what size rings and bearings I need are. Make a parts list and take the head to have it surfaced.

 

[chevymaher]

Well yesterday was more a day off than anything. Took the tarps off and put the top on. Had a car and boat show. Washed the van.

My buddy who is a retired machinist came over. He looked at the work I did to the hull. He saw it gutted. He made reservations for him and his wife to go out in it when it is done.

We sat and chewed the fat and mulled over the engine situation. Engine has 30 over pistons in it. I took the rod and main caps off and checked they are perfect. It has obviously been done on the crank and pistons recently.

Head had a blown gasket. We took a straight edge to it and a light. It needs surfaced. Cam has chunks missing.

So decision is new gaskets set. New fuel pump, old has a dried cracking diaphragm. It is good but it is time. It needs a oil pump the old one injested metal fragments. New distributor gear. new cam and lifters.

A new outdrive water pump. I just getting the housing it is only 10 bucks more. It overheated in the past so just do it. Couple gaskets for installing all this.

I am going to sand and paint the outdrive. Engine don't need it. It looks like new still as far as paint goes.

I got my list together for the parts and where to get them all. I will order it all friday after the eagle sheets.

Today I am putting a alternator on my buddies daughters Lexus. Cut the grass.

 

[mickyryan]

you know .. if its a 3.0 and its 30 over i would be worried , not to **** on parade but if it was raw water cooled those walls are thin, check behind waterpump they usually eat a hole into the wall right there, if it was a 120 and its 30 over no big deal that's what mercruiser does anyways or at least the machine shop guy told me that. short blocks are dirt cheap

 

[chevymaher]

you know .. if its a 3.0 and its 30 over i would be worried , not to **** on parade but if it was raw water cooled those walls are thin, check behind waterpump they usually eat a hole into the wall right there, if it was a 120 and its 30 over no big deal that's what mercruiser does anyways or at least the machine shop guy told me that. short blocks are dirt cheap

It is a toy I aint worried. I gonna beat on it like a red headed stepchild. By the time it dies I will have a new one lined up. I just looked where you said it looks fine. This engine was the elast of this boats worries.

I been shopping engine and drivetrains since I got it. Like i said long ago I fully plan to have several engines and outdrives over the years. if it makes it the rest of the simmer I be tickled to death with it

 

[mickyryan]

sadly my point was it seems it costs much more to have a machine shop work on it and parts when the short blocks are so cheap
I priced block aligned trued and honed,
head trued and checked pistons pinned to rods and in end after parts it was more then just buying a long block lol

 

[chevymaher]

It doesn't need machine work. The cylinders and the crank are perfect. I am getting the head milled flat. Gaskets are a little over a hundred. Rest of my list goes on any engine I would get anyway.

I look and a 3 liter goes for about 3 grand. Where you getting them cheap?

 

[mickyryan]

i know a guy .... /arms folded looks away all gangsta like

 

[chevymaher]

i know a guy .... /arms folded looks away all gangsta like

LOL yes you do. I will have my guy contact your guy. Sitting pimping in the back of the boat.

 

[mickyryan]

LOL yes you do. I will have my guy contact your guy. Sitting pimping in the back of the boat.

:laugh:

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Y’all are too much with your coy nods and mysterious winks....lol. :lol:

 

[Mad Props]

I have some vortec heads for a 4.3 laying around that I never used if you ever go that route... lol

 

[chevymaher]

I have some vortec heads for a 4.3 laying around that I never used if you ever go that route... lol

Believe it or not I got stock in 4.3 mercruisers. I been running them in my van for years. I use the 181 heads. I got a extra set just in case set under the workbench. The motor in the van now is a modified crate mercruiser I got from a marine dealer.

I been out running paying bills making sure the barge has a secure place to sit. I went to the machine shop and picked the head up. He said it is now ship shape and ready to go.

I got to cut the grass then I am using the B.O.A.T. acronym. Bust out another ........ well not that much But I am ordering parts and gaskets outdrive stuff.

Then I be putting the valves back in while i wait for something to arrive.

 

[chevymaher]

Well that wore me out just ordering all that junk. I remembered the one bumper coupler and the engine alignment tool.

Most of it comes next week. Except the cam. it wont even ship for 2 weeks. Isky cam I guess they got to grind it. LOL who orders 3 liter parts right.

Guy working there be looking at the order saying are you sure?

I am messing with the yard now. Moving things making room. Going to move the boat and boathouse. Put gravel down so I can get this barge in and out of the backyard.

I got to buy a piece of steel for my engine hoist to. Modify it to get the engine high enough to go in the boat.

Going to build a shed in the back to store some of this new found junk I got LOL.

 

[Mad Props]

Be careful modifying your engine lift. . I've had a motor drop from pretty high because I never thought about the center of gravity extending past the wheel base. . If you're going to modify the arm length, you need to also lengthen the legs.

hence me building an overhead gantry :lol:

 

[chevymaher]

Be careful modifying your engine lift. . I've had a motor drop from pretty high because I never thought about the center of gravity extending past the wheel base. . If you're going to modify the arm length, you need to also lengthen the legs.

hence me building an overhead gantry :lol:

LOL I dropped a 454 and broke the crank before. Legs already been extended and welded in place long ago. I measured last year it was barely going tto clear it looked like. I got some time I will figure it out,. I may just rent something for it.

 

[mickyryan]

make a gantry , its safest way just back under it and drop it in

 

[oldrem]

I did the same and built a gantry then sold the hoist. I feel much safer now