1959 Lone Star El Dorado "Project Texas Tornado" - Winner 2016 Resto SOTY Award

[Woodonglass]

Yup, almost any engine enamel is formulated to withstand gasoline and oil. I also agree with LS7 about the use of ClearCoat. I just wanted you to be aware of the option. Most Boat people don't use it since we often get ding and dinks that need touch ups and it's much easier to do them when clear coat's not involved.

 

[Luke000]

Sounds like I am going to pick up some paint after work today! Maybe painting will start this weekend! I think 2 cans of primer (and some duplicolor self etching primer for the bare spots leftover from the transom) and 3 or 4 of the white should be enough.

 

[Luke000]

Well I got the paint applied today- it took 2 cans of primer and 5 cans of white. It was going ok- the white does not cover all that well- but I got to my final coat and opened up my last can and started to spray and it came out really globby, rough, and full of propellant bubbles and it ruined a few spot on the engine that I will need to sand and re-coat in a week when the paint cures. The only other thing I noticed was it did not seem to have very even gloss on the hood. It looks good from a distance at least! And the small parts and mounting bracket turned out great!

 

[monriverguy]

Hey Luke i got a quick question for ya i am trying to make my side walls for mine , what you going to use for yours? is the side panel in the deck area one piece? mine came with two piece from the PO......

Thanks again for your help wish the rain would stop here i could get a lot more done,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Woodonglass]

Ahh Man, too bad about the Globs!!!! Some wet sanding and a Fresh can of paint will take care of that!!! The rest of the motor looks GOOD!!!!

 

[Luke000]

Hey Luke i got a quick question for ya i am trying to make my side walls for mine , what you going to use for yours? is the side panel in the deck area one piece? mine came with two piece from the PO......

Thanks again for your help wish the rain would stop here i could get a lot more done,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I am going to use 3\8 plywood I think for the sides then cover them in a foam backed vynil. That is my plan for now...but just like you the weather by me has not been helpful in getting this boat done!

 

[Woodonglass]

You might want to consider adding a layer of 1/4" or 1/2" foam to the side panels as well! You can get it free by getting a "Donor Couch" from Craigs list and then use a Band Saw with a Metal cutting blade to slice off 1/2" thick pieces for the panels. It works GREAT!!!!

 

[LoneStar7]

The boats just originally had masonite as the sidewalls, and it was one long piece on each side up until the cabin, and then smaller pieces around the built in pocket storage area until it switched to aluminum as sidewalls of the seats in the very front of the cabin got wider. In 1959 the biggest Evinrude / Johnson was a 50hp and the biggest Mercury was 70hp, so I m sure the masonite was used to help reduce some of the weight for performance and probably would have saved roughly 25 pounds I assume. The only issues I would see using plywood to replace the sidewalls is that you will have to tweak the rear seat cushion width of the wood and/or cushion. The cushions are quite snug with the original masonite on mine. The other issue is with the stock pulleys for steering, if you intend on using that set up, it will be very tight with anything much thicker than the masonite and they all may have to be moved around. I just painted both sides of the new masonite I put in mine and just traced the original panels to cut them as original. I figured if the original stuff lasted this long, then it can't be too bad of an application for the boat. I'm sure the foam backed vinyl will look great! but you may not need to upgrade to that thick of wood reguardles. And the masonite may save you a few dollars and definitly some weight. Something tells me you will end up with a custom cover on this boat when its not in use so I wouldnt stress over the durability of the wood as compared to masonite. Just another option for you, Keep up the work man! your trailer work inspired me to restore my Lone Star trailer, but like you guys the rain has slowed me down, hoping to finish painting it this weekend.

 

[Luke000]

LoneStar7, I don't think i am going to have any issues with steering if I run the thicker sides because i am not going to use the cable and pulley system- a modern teleflex system will be installed. Plus when i rework the seats I can adjust them to fit.

Today was in the upper 80's but the humidity was only around 60-75 percent so it was within my engine paint's acceptable conditions. I got the engine sanded down with 400 and put another coat of paint on- this one turned out a lot better- still not perfect (the paint does not go on nice, lots of splatter in the paint due to trapped propellant, I don't recommend the duplicolor engine enamel for anything! very hard to get an even gloss and does not cover well) But I think it is acceptable now, mostly because I don't want to spend any more money on the paint!

I am waiting on a few parts to start putting the engine back together including a new cowl gasket I purchased from North York Marine, a new fuel connector, and a new tilt bushing. I still need to order some decals for the engine, I have 2 choices I am torn between on eBay. What do you guys think will look better?

Option 1
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Evinrude-19...ock-/110996234811?hash=item19d7e4223b&vxp=mtr

OR

Option 2 No VRO (Cheaper= Luke happy!)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Evinrude-Outboard-Hood-Decals-70hp-/371358268044?hash=item5676ad7a8c&vxp=mtr


I was going to get ready to purchase a new prop because the one I have is kinda chewed up and unbalanced- But then i realized it was a stainless prop painted black! I dropped it off a prop repair place today to get a quote on reconditioning it. I am going to find out early this week what it will cost and make my decision on if I want to get mine tuned up or just purchase a new aluminum one.

 

[LoneStar7]

I have never used the Dupli color engine enamel, I have always just used the automotive paint, so I m sorry that your results were disappointing with the engine stuff.

 

[Tnstratofam]

I'll weigh in on the decals. I think I like option 2 better. It's easier on the wallet, and seems a little nicer to me anyways. Also on your prop if you can get the stainless reconditioned for close to the price of a new alluminum, that's the better choice. Even if it's a little pricier the stainless will be worth the redo for the better performance. At the very least keep the stainless to be reconditioned later, and buy a cheap alluminum one for now. That's my .02 cents anyway.

 

[Luke000]

I'll weigh in on the decals. I think I like option 2 better. It's easier on the wallet, and seems a little nicer to me anyways. Also on your prop if you can get the stainless reconditioned for close to the price of a new alluminum, that's the better choice. Even if it's a little pricier the stainless will be worth the redo for the better performance. At the very least keep the stainless to be reconditioned later, and buy a cheap alluminum one for now. That's my .02 cents anyway.

Great advice! I just ordered option 2 for the decals! It should cover up the crappy paint on the cowl nicely haha.

Still waiting to hear back about my prop today.

 

[Luke000]

Heard back about getting my SS prop refurbed- $180. At this point I am going to hold off on it and might either get it done next year or keep it as a back up. I am not even sure that it is the right prop for my boat. So when the boat is getting closer to slash time I will do some more research on the proper prop to get.

This is what the engine came off of before I bought it at the estate sale...

 

[Corjen1]

Luke, I got my decals off of evilbay as well...

http://www.ebay.com/usr/decal-fx?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

I am happy with them, Dont have any long term opinions (UV fading), but there were fast delivery, very thick mills and went on great.

 

[Watermann]

I ordered my Johnny decals here.

http://cutnupvinyl.com/catalog/c5_p1.html

 

[Luke000]

I ordered my Johnny decals here.

http://cutnupvinyl.com/catalog/c5_p1.html

Looks to be the same place I bought mine from!

 

[Luke000]

While waiting for the final outboard parts to get here I decided to make a run over to the boat today and finish in most of the rivets that hold the transom in. I got them all in except for 8 at the bottom of the knee brace, for that I will need to lift the boat off the trailer so I can get the pneumatic hammer in there. All the rivets holding the side braces to the hull were dipped in 5200 to ensure a tight seal. Next step for the boat is to get the port holes repaired and installed.

 

[Watermann]

For doing the riveting on the knee brace, just leave the winch strap attached to the to the bow eye and push the hull back until it clears the trailer frame and don't forget to flip the latch back over to lock.

 

[Tnstratofam]

Everything is looking pretty good. I have one question though. In the second pic it looks like your transom wood should go all the way to that lip or bracket that is about 3 inches off the bottom. It looks in the picture like that is the lower rest for the transom, and the side braces ( I believe ) should have the transom wood extend all the way from top to botom. I may be wrong, or maybe I'm seeing things wrong in the picture. Did the old transom extend all the way down to that lower brace? Or was there any transom wood in her when you got her? I can't remember.

 

[Tnstratofam]

Or is it the rear deck support?:facepalm: if so then it is probably fine and I'll go stand in the corner for an hour for pointing out what everyone else will know is okay.