1970 Correct Craft Mustang

[MountaineerMiner]

Many of you may have followed, commented, or aided me while I attempted to resurrect a 1987 Glassport bow rider. Although I did spend a considerable amount of time, effort, and money on this project I decided it was best to take my losses and move on. Prior to starting the project I had no real experience with this type of boat. I grew up working on sail boats and jet skis; completely different than wrenching on an I/O. The OMC Cobra drive displayed many of the ?run as fast as you can? problems; the biggest was the fact that it was an OMC. After having the boat sit unprotected from the elements all winter (I was 300 miles away and it was a bad winter in WV) and being vandalized and looted it was clear that this boat would never see water again.

To make the dismantling a little easier I picked up a new toy that in my opinion is worthy of spending a little time to make right; a 1970 Correct Craft Mustang. This boat is not original or mint but it runs strong, handles well, and sounds great. In addition to this many might consider it a classic; it is 16 years older than I am! What made me truly want this boat over the others I had looked at was its previous owner. The gentleman I bought it off of had owned the boat since 1984 and was very straight forward about any problems he knew of and shared the boats history with me. Many times you can call BS on stories like this, but I do not think this was the case.

I plan to run the Mustang as is this summer and enjoy it. This will also give me a better idea of what faces me during the rebuild. I plan to tackle some projects over the course of the summer that will help simplify my work this fall/winter.

My first project was to get this thing on a road worthy trailer. I am going to start where most finish and show the steps I have gone through to convert an I/O trailer to a direct drive trailer. I promise to finish this one!

This is a pic from when I first brought it home

This poorly lit pic is after I remove "mustang" from the side. I hope I did not offend the previous owner too much but I could not go the whole summer with that plastered on the side.

 

[Tahorover]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

Cool boat, what does she have for power?

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

302 Ford Interceptor, i see your a gar wood owner...jealous.

Before I bought this boat I had started a Glen-L Malahini. I really wanted an older boat but could not afford what I wanted (Chris-Craft, Garwood, Larson, etc.). By started I mean bought, copied, and cut out plans...

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

The trailer that this boat came on is pretty scary. I am assuming it too was built in 1970 and it appears this was the last time the tires and wheel bearings had been changed. I decided to use the trailer that my old Glassport project once rested on. The problem this arrangement presented was the drive configuration of the Mustang. The trailer was built for an I/O or outboard boat, not a direct drive or v-drive boat. There was not enough clearance at the back frame channel for the rudder and drive shaft. To develop a plan to modify the trailer I visited a few local boat shops and took mental notes of different trailer designs.

I started by making a few cardboard templates and taking measurements of the current trailer. I then cut out the rear section of the trailer. I wanted to mount this section several inches lower but still tie the two sides of the trailer together. To accomplish this I cut up some 3 inch c channel.



To make all the cuts I used an angle grinder with a cut off wheel and then finished the edges off with a belt sander. I then had a buddy weld this up for me at a local off-road shop. This shop was pretty cool, not only did they do some sick customer builds they also have a Baja race team.


I also added a bracket to the front to bolt the drop down wheel too. This was a feature I saw on many of the newer trailers.


I Then removed all the rust and loose paint with a flap wheel and a twisted wire brush. I got to every area I could with it still sitting on its wheels. I then removed the leaf springs, axel, and tires. This lightened the load a little so I could flip it over to get to the underside.


I found considerably more rust on the underside, not that this is surprising. It had been parked in a field for many years, my guess is the high grass held moisture in these areas or they were not properly protected from the factory.


Mike

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

302 (ford) Pleasure Craft Marine (PCM)...i see your a gar wood owner...gelous.

Before I bought this boat I had started a Glen-L Malahini. I really wanted an older boat but could not afford what I wanted (Chris-Craft, Garwood, Larson, etc.). By started I mean bought, copied, and cut out plans...

I'm going to build the same Glen-L boat.....how is it going?

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

The Malahini is on hold for right now. I will pick it back up after the boating season winds down a little. I just dont have the time or money for two projects/pits at the moment. Where did you plan to buy your marine grade ply? Is it available in the Charlotte area?

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

Yeah a couple of places here in Charlotte, The Plywood Mart, and Mecklenburg Lumber, it's not cheap but worth it in my book.

I see your in Bristol....I was born and raised in Knoxville.

Guess we should move our part to PM's as we're not really helping this thread....

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

Since I have been trying to catch this build up to real time I will cover about a weeks worth of work here...

After cleaning everything up I did a final wash with purple power. I elevated the frame in the air so it would dry better.


I then cleaned out the garage and put down drop cloths and hung plastic to protect from overspray.


In the rusty areas I spot primed with high zinc primer and the bare metal areas got self-etching primer. Prior to painting I wiped everything down with Prepsall


I then sprayed everything with single a single stage primer.

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

Then the tornado hit?.The $500 boat trailer was safe and sound inside?the trailblazer was not?.

I was lucky though, at first I was mad at myself, but the next morning I realized how minor my problems were compared to many of my immediate neighbors; none the less those in Glade Springs.

After cleaning up fallen limbs all day I managed to paint the underside. I used Tractor Supply/Valspar enamel with the hardener. It?s pretty much just Rustoleum. It took about 8 hours to dry. I figured the slightly lower temperature and higher humidity caused this.


I flipped everything over last night and painted the topside today.

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

I need to update my thread soon. I have been very lazy about posting pics, but i have been doing some work. I finished the trailer, tunned the carb (first time for me, im young), build speaker boxes, and replaced the glovebox with a stereo. I did not cut anymore holes in the boat than where already there. I think this winter when I do the stringers I will fill the void that holds the stereo and mount it out of site. I really want to keep everything factor as possible.

 

[jones01m]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

So... MM are you going to post some pics???
When I get to my dash I will be doing the same thing: side by side glove and stereo behind a lid. If I get the dash back to original I think both will fit.
The stringers are definitely out this winter???

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

I never did update my thread, I have been crusing and posing over at correctcraftfan.com lately but still check out iboats a few times a week. correctcraftfan is a great site for me because there is a ton of information about the Mustang there...for instance my boat is not a 70, but rather a late68-early69 Mustang SS (by S/N; I guess the center console was removed). I will confirm the year is I ever hear back from Nautique/Correct Craft.

To bring anyone reading this up to speed; I finished the trailer, installed the stereo, build speaker boxs, learned to ski, smoked an alternator, fried a voltage regulator, blew a head gasket and bent a prop. Replaced the alternator, voltage regulator and did a ducktape job on the HG (no machining). Its now labor day weekend and I have decided this will be the last weekend on the lake. The water level has dropped alot and there is a ton of debris as a result; I have found it way to easy to tear up a direct drive prop to risk it with the water level any lower.

The good news is now I have a full on project. Stringers, engine rebuild (still debating at home or pay to have it done), possibly gelcoat or awlgrip 2000 (undecided) for the cap and hull.

I will for sure be doing the stringers and engine, everything else will be dependant on how those go.

http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/...ft Mustang/?action=view&current=VIDEO0018.mp4

 

[jones01m]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

Good to see you enjoying that boat.
"learned to ski"... funny you say that. When I came out from the cloud of dust after 12hrs of hull sanding the first thing I told my wife is that I am learning to ski as soon as the boat hits the water. Well... maybe after a few mechanical checks!!!

I hope you have the rebuild thread here on iboats.

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

Ok,

So these pics where mostly taken in the fall and early winter. I set the boat on a cart that I could roll in and out of the garage to work on. Without the engine it was quite easy to move by my self.

I used CAD to model the stringers and plotted a pattern of the old stringers prior to cutting the bad one out.

After what seemed like months of grinding I was ready to set the stringers. To do this I lifted the boat off the cradel and set it on blocking and jack stands. The jackstands at the front are only keeping it from rocking left or right; most of the weight is on the keel.

I have completed a significant amount of work since then, but the pictures are on my work computer. I will try and get them up tomorrow.

-Mike

 

[jones01m]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

Looking good Mike. I love the lines on that boat and the work you have done looks very clean. I have to say I am a bit jealous of the tablesaw in the background, especially the rip fence. Looking forward to recent pics.

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

Thanks Jones!

The table saw was my go to for about every cut on this build and my last until I picked up a decent band saw on CL. I still make all my straight cuts on the table saw, but for cutting out the angled pieces you can?t beat the band saw. It just seems much safer to use and when adjusted right is just as accurate.

I finally got my pics from work. From what I posted earlier in the week to the end of this set was about 5 months of relaxed work. I hope to have the deck installed next week. I will then be moving on to the gel coat. I?m not in any hurry finish, but would like to at least see it float this season.

The outer stringers where set by using temporary blocking clamped the main stringers. These actually sat off the hull about a 1/4?. I used the bag technique to squeeze PB into this gap and a spoon to create a fillet with the excess. I used this same technique on the main stringers and the cross blocking. It worked out well for getting everything very accurate.

Both the main and secondary stringers where layered with 2 layers of 1-1/2oz CSM followed by 2 layers of 1208. I have found the 1208 to be much easier to wet-out around a tight radius such as the ?? secondary stringers. I feel the 4 layers will be more than strong enough for a 16? boat.

I had very few micro bubbles using a fiberglass roller and keeping the ambient temperature at 65*, even over a 3/4? radius. A heated garage was worlds better for working in than my last driveway build, the only down side was having to wear a charcoal respirator the entire time you were in there.

The transom and exhaust blocking was also replaced. The transom was surprisingly dry, but that is probably pretty common on a direct drive. I made a clamp using 2x material in an X fashion that bolted through the 2 exhaust holes (bottom) and 2 thru hull holes (top). This worked well for applying even pressure.

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

Here you can see the exhaust blocking, transom, and steering block after they were set in PB, but before they were glassed. For the steering block I wrapped it in epoxy and e-glass to make sure it was sealed top, bottom, and center hole. This was one of the soggier pieces I removed. I used PB to fillet all pieces.

Here everything is glassed. I used 2 layers 1-1/2oz mat and a single layer of 1708 on everything. Also replaced but just out of this picture is the 2 water pickup thru hull blocks.

This picture shows the stringer job as of last night. I have set and filleted multiple cross blocks that I plan to glass in tomorrow.

 

[MountaineerMiner]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

While I was working on the stringers I also removed and replaced the ?thru-deck? blocking (not pictured) and the dash backer. I then filled in 5 of the gauge holes and 3 of the switch holes (I filled these holes because I will be constructing this boat as an SS replica and mount the gauges in the center console). To fill these I beveled the holes as wide as I could with a die grinder, then I filled them with PB, followed by 2 disks of 1208. These are now less than 1/16? shy of the surface and will be brought level with fairing compound.

 

[jones01m]

Re: 1970 Correct Craft Mustang

Fantastic! She's really coming along and looking great.
Your method for setting the stringers by gapping and PB is what I finally settled on also. I tried the PL and didn't like it a bit.
By-the-way from a suggestion you gave me months ago, I started using the ZipLoc bag trick. Its like a homemade caulking gun.

I am interested in your plan for paint? Are you going back with the gray? Spraying? I was eyeing a grey with a slight blue tinge for some details on mine.

Again, looks great.