72 Thunderbird Formula w/twin 165hp Mercs

[WOEISMEIGOTTA470]

Congrats Mark!!! Very exciting stuff! That console really turned out nice!!! Awesome job, I want to do the same lighting under the gunnels as well. I have a roll LED SMD rope I'm going to use throughout.

 

[kcassells]

Cool Beans Mark!!!! Good vid and nice sounds. Pulling it together!

 

[Mark72233]

Spent the day cleaning the aluminum on the windshield. Did it almost the same as rub rail. 80 grit than 220 than wet sand 500 than 1000. They turned out pretty nice and they are back on the boat. I had to have the wife come out and help get them on. That's the first time in 21 months I needed help but this thing was a pain. [/URL[URL=http://s46.photobucket.com/user/maviles3/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-05/BFC98DB7-AFA5-418C-892A-704F17A10758_zpsjtzq07ep.jpg.html] ]

Pretty cool having them back on the boat

 

[ahmincha]

Well congratulations on some huge milestones looking great!!!
You'll be splashed before we know it

 

[Mark72233]

Haven't done much in the last week. I have a question on aligning the two outdrives. I am hooking up the steering rod that joins the two outdrives. Any recommendations on how to measure and assure I have adjusted the bar correctly and that both legs are in the same position. Also any recommendations on adjusting the aluminum tube attached to the steering cable as far as how far should I screw it in towards the center line or out towards the port gunnel.

 

[alldodge]

Since your drives turn the same direction you should adjust them to zero toe. This would be measured from the bullet nose to the cav plate end. There is a good write up on OSO and is posted below. If it gets deleted, send me a PM and I'll look it up for you again.
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/drives-lower-units/181780-align-outdrives.html

Don't know about the aluminum tube adjustment, but my thought would be for the center of the turns port to starboard

 

[Mark72233]

AllDodge thanks that's what I was trying to figure out I hadn't even considered toe in or out thanks for educating me there. I still have the issue of how can I know I am at zero other than eyeballing it. I can think of complicated ways like drawing a grid on a piece of cardboard set stationary under the outdrives. But I looking for simple like me. On the tube I wasn't sure. The one that came with the boat was destroyed because it was all locked up and corroded it just seemed shorter than this one.

 

[Mark72233]

I gave it my best guess and the legs looked lined up and all the steering gear is connected. Now I just need to order 2 brackets so I can mount the power steering pump and hook all that up. Now my next concern is the the hoses that connect to the steering ram are right up against the aluminum tube that has the steering cable attached. The tube moves and as it moves it is hitting the hose and tweaking it. I hope it will not move it enough to break it.

 

[Mark72233]

I managed to mount the anchor light, a dual USB charging plug by the helm and a stainless steel VHF antenna mount.

 

[alldodge]

The hydraulic line looks like problems later, any chance of having it bend a bit more?

Your all around white is legal but turn that on and your not going to be able to see very well. A single at the stern or use two lights 225 degree front and a 135 degree stern light.

 

[Mark72233]

AllDodge I was going to wait until I got the other hose threaded in and than see how much tweaking I was going to have to do. On the anchor light good point. I was just replacing the old one with a new one the same style and length but now that you mention it I do remember the old one blinding us and not being able to see towards the bow while we were anchored up at night.

 

[Mark72233]

Nothing awesome to report like a Splash, still just plugging away at a lot of different things some getting done and some just causing more issues. I got the power steering pump attached after buying 3 different brackets that cost me almost $200 and still having 2 issues. The first is no matter how I attach the brackets and arrange the spacers the belt just touches the outside bottom edge of the front motor mount.




My failing old age memory kind of remembers the old motor mount have a spot worn on that motor mount but all that stuff was scrapped 2 years ago and no pictures to confirm that. Again take lots of pictures as you tear stuff down. Anyway the engine runs and the pump turns, its just rubbing ever so lightly on the mount so I need to do something with that. I have put the longest belt I could but now I only have about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch of space for tightening the belt as it stretches with use before I am at the brackets limits. The second problem is the pump doesn't seem to be doing much of anything so either the pump is not working or the ram is not working or the hoses rubbing up against the steering cable guide from post #1008 is limiting the movement and not allowing the ram to be activated. The steering still feels like manual not power steering. Anyway One step forward and two steps sideways. That's the boat restoration version of that saying.

 

[Mark72233]

I am also working on the forward bulkhead in the cabin. I had to cut the old one out to allow access into the rope locker. The old one was not tabbed onto the under side of the deck and not really tabbed all the way around. The new one is a little beefier and will be tabbed all the way around and have two built in cubbies that are about 12"x12"x7" high. They are fiberglassed boxes that will provide so dry storage up in the cabin. I have also done some work on the dog box replacing some rotted wood, sealing holes with PB and adding some sound dampening sheets. No pics so it didn't happen. The dog box and two hatches are the last things that need sanded, primed and painted.

 

[alldodge]

Not sure, been looking around but, this might be one of those Homer Simpson Doh moments.
I think you should find a shorter belt and run it from the water pump pulley to the ALT, don't go around the crankshaft.

 

[Mark72233]

AllDodge maybe that's why the old one was so screwy. I don't have any other pulleys so I will have to do some more shopping unless I have something buried out in the shed in one of the bins. I will have to go look tomorrow. Any parts numbers on that pulley that you have. And thanks for coming up with the obvious solution. Going to call you Captain Obvious after that TV commercial.

 

[Mark72233]

AllDodge by the way your motor looks awesome. What's your address and when will the house be unoccupied

 

[alldodge]

Beers in the frige but that's not my motor , just a pic I found showing the power steering pump. You already have a double pulley on top right? This one showed 3 but shouldn't yours work the same way?

 

[Mark72233]

No I have single groove pulleys on both engines. I went out to the shed this morning before work and dug in a bin that has a bunch of old parts like harmonic balancers, oil pumps, fuel pumps and found two different diameter pulleys that have two grooves on them so maybe one of them will work.

 

[Guest]

Capt. Mark

On the issue of your "Anchor Light" my old "74 Hiliner Gypsy has the same light in the same locale. But from what you describe, its seems your boat may have had the wrong light installed since you Dad's days.

My boat has a light that looks similar to a regular anchor light, but what it really is, is a "Masthead/Anchor Light"

It has (2) separate bulbs in one globe. When you are underway, your red and green side lights are on and only the "Mast Head (forward facing) portion of the light is illuminated, (its not shining in your face), when you switch to the anchor light, your red/green lights extinguish, and the Masthead portion remains on AND the rear (anchor) portion of the light is illuminated is illuminated. (this will shine in your face)

On boats like ours, the transom light is our stern light when underway. This light also extinguishes when the red/green lights go off. I use a Cole-Hersee 2 position switch for this. 1 click out - Nav Lights, 2 clicks out - Anchor Light.

I've been trying to find a new Masthead/Anchor light like the one you need for years, but like you, I can only find the Anchor light alone with that mounting configuration. Perko may make one, but you'll have to check out there master catalog on their website.

If I find one, I'll let you know where I got it

 

[WOEISMEIGOTTA470]

Beers in the frige but that's not my motor , just a pic I found showing the power steering pump. You already have a double pulley on top right? This one showed 3 but shouldn't yours work the same way?

That would be my motor hehehe! You beat me to it, but Mark needs the correct multi-groove water pulley. It's actually a triple groove, but the middle groove is unoccupied.





I sourced mine from a 3.0L equipped with power steering.
Good luck, check flea-bay!
If it helps, I'll try to track down the part number for it, and also give you the correct belt sizes you need.