1989 Chaparral Transom Repair

[Tnstratofam]

That looks real classy and looks to compliment the interior/exterior colors nicely.

 

[rad1026]

Thanks guys! Can't wait to get back on the lake.

 

[rad1026]

No Title

I have NEW EXHAUST MANIFOLDS!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!

Guess you all know what I will be doing this weekend. New aluminum manifolds and risers from

https://www.perfprotech.com/

I ordered these August 2, and they said they had just run out. Great. Anyway, they are here now and I might just get one or two more weekends on the lake before she has to be put away.

 

[alldodge]

I to get ticked over vendors advertise something and when you go and buy they say, sorry we just ran out. IMO that is BS

Glad to see you got them

 

[Baylinerchuck]

That's a great upgrade to the cast iron anchors. How much weight do you recon that saved ya? Can you PM me what you paid. Just curious.

 

[rad1026]

No Title

So here is my review of the installation on Saturday. I started with the port side. Just wanted to do one side at a time so I didn't have the cylinders exposed for any longer then I needed to. Port side came off no problem. No stuck bolts or anything. Removed the 90 degree elbow at the bottom of the manifold and went to install it on the new manifold and guess what, not the right size. I had a 3/4" elbow and the manifold had a 1/2" threaded inlet. Also, the 1/4 X 20 bolts that held on the ignition bracket were not the correct thread for the new manifolds. The replacement bolts they included were too short to go through the spacers. I had to run around town and reduce my 3/4" elbow to 1/2" and go find new metric bolts that were long enough to reattach the bracket. Not a huge deal, but a little frustrating. Got back from running around and installed the manifold. New bolts and gaskets were included, not cheap paper gaskets either. So then went to install the risers and the new bolts were not catching threads. the coating they use is thick and I had to tap the holes out so I could get the bolts started. Okay, again not big deal, but it would be nice if they had some installation instructions on their web site so you could be prepared with the right taps. Done with the port side and move on to the starboard. Remove the old manifolds and removed the 3/4" elbow and guess what, the other manifold had a 3/4" inlet. What the heck? They sent me two different manifolds? I went ahead and continued the installation with no problems, but it certainly could have gone a lot faster.

I have to say the quality of the coating and the new anodes they included, along with the gaskets and bolts were all first class, very nice. I started the engine and ran it up to temp and everything was great. Had to tighten one anode a few turns. They turned in much more easily after the engine was warmed up. The old manifolds weighed in at a hefty 125 lbs. The new manifolds were right at 40 lbs. The old starboard manifold had been leaking for a while. You can see it had a crack in it. I'm really lucky I didn't have any water intrusion.

I can't imagine that the different inlet sizes are going to cause any concern, but I'm waiting for you guys to chime in. I haven't called PPT yet.

So I'm off the the water this Thursday for a few days. The weather is supposed to be great. I will report back after this weekend and hopefully will re-title this thread as SPLASHED!

 

[Baylinerchuck]

That's a great weight savings. Thanks for adding that to your post.

 

[rad1026]

I have done a lot on the boat since I posted last. Mostly just elbow grease. My entire bottom was coated with a nasty calcium build up so I have spent probably about 10 hours cleaning and waxing the bottom of my hull. Just nasty work. Not like grinding fiberglass but not fun either. I guess I'm going to have to start wiping down the underside of the boat when she comes out of the water. I don't know how that kind of build up happened.

I installed a keel saver and pulled the stock bow cleats off and replaced them with Attwood pop up cleats. I also removed the bow light and am installing TACO led rub rail navigation lights instead. I covered the hole in the bow with a white stainless steel sink hole cover I found at Home Depot. Worked great. I will come back at some point and fill the hole and gel coat the bow when I get a chance, but for now it looks pretty good. I also acquired new tires and rims that really updated the look of the trailer.

I have also been trying to determine if I have excessive play in my outdrive. When I had the complete transom assembly off the boat I tested the steering lever and upper gimble ring pin to see if there was any slop and was surprised to find it very solid. I figured an old boat like this was going to have some play but it didn't at all. But now once everything is back together there is a 1" play, side to side on the outdrive. It looks like there is a slight play in the bottom gimble ring pin or maybe the side hinge pins. I know there should be a slight play at the bottom that is adjusted by the large nut on the top pin, but I don't know how much is acceptable. I tried to make sure the torque was good on the hinge pins but I can't find my hinge pin tool.

Also I can turn my steering wheel probably close to a quarter turn, 1/8 turn side to side before it even catches any resistance. I know that tightens when the engine is started and on the water but again, I don't know what is acceptable. Maybe I'm being overly concerned about it.

I know at some point I will probably have to change out the upper and lower gimble ring pins, but I just want to enjoy the boat for a while before I have to pull the motor again.

Supposed to be mid 80's this weekend and my first mate has me doing a flooring installation and painting. Its killing me. Have fun guys!

 

[alldodge]

It's looking real good.

So far as the steering I don't see anything that stands out as an issue. I have a brand new transom assembly, and about a 6 years old helm and cable, and have as much play in mine as you have. Once the motor starts there is a tad less but not that much

 

[rad1026]

Thanks Dodge. Its time to just go have fun.

 

[AShipShow]

Agree... I have about the same amount of play.. it's just the backlash of all the components..

 

[rad1026]

Thanks for the replies. This weekend I found my hinge pin tool. It was in the very first place I looked. The place were it should have been, I just wasn't paying enough attention. The hinge pin torque spec is 95 ft. lbs. Mine weren't even close. So I removed the pins, put some loctite on them. The book calls for loctite 35, which I think is just like superglue? Anyway I didn't have any 35 so I used red loctite. It didn't make any difference in the steering play but I'm glad I did it. I didn't get to installing the dual battery switch, just too much other stuff going on. I also finished up new trailer guides and took a couple pics. Its still going to be a couple weeks before I get her in the water.

 

[rad1026]

Finished up the TACO Marine rub rail Nav. Lights. I think I'm done cleaning up the bow. They really are a quality product, but they really should include warnings on their installation instructions about not reversing the polarity on the wiring. Just so you all know, which of course I didn't really think about, DO NOT reverse the polarity on LED lights they will fry. Trust me.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

I like those Navigation lights. Sweet.

 

[rad1026]

Okay, this is probably it guys. I feel like after many hundreds of hours of work, upgrades, maintenance and testing the old Chaparral is classified as splashed. Four days out at Lake Havasu. She started right up the first day at the boat ramp and ran like a champ. Had a little run-on the first day that I took care of by lowering the idle just a tad. The lower altitude might have had something to do with the idle being a little high. Ran about 60 miles a day for each day and had no issues at all. I may need to prop up a degree or two for that lower elevation. I felt like I could over rev the motor rpm's, but didn't want to push it. Got her up to 45 mph at 4,000 rpm and figured that was enough. Of course there were only 4 people on deck at the time but that is the fastest she has ever gone. The new flooring was great, the clean bow made it easy to board and exit from the bow, the upholstery looked great. Not a drop of water in the bilge. I think another 30 years of enjoyment are to be had.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me over the last couple years. You guys are amazing!

 

[alldodge]

Always good to see great work

 

[kcassells]

:encouragement: Congrats!

 

[Tnstratofam]

Very nice! Congrats now it's time to enjoy!:encouragement:

 

[mickyryan]

great job missus looks thrilled , thats a win in my book

 

[JASinIL2006]

Congratulations! Looks great!