Just acquired a 170 Horizon. Assembly required.

[chevymaher]

I got a question. When I finish this tower brace deal. Next I will be replacing wood some or all of the lower box. It is fiberglassed inside and it is insulated. What is this insulation. The pour in just put in there with a trowel or would a can of the spray stuff be better for doing this part.

I am open to either but what is the preferred method among the collective here. Or is there something else i am not seeing. I looked online like i usually do first but this seems to be a void in this particular part of the restorations.

It is so nasty and cold the garage is down to 55 degrees or so. I hate to go down there. I need to get kerosene for the heater down there.

 

[chevymaher]

Todays adventure was attaching the top of the motor compartment to the legs. I put a screw in the old motor cover bottom. So when I glued and screwed it. It was the right size.

Maybe i am being a little anal but i am going to put CSM at the top. I made plugs for the gaps so the CSM would lay down well.

If you knew me personally then this is no surprise. I said replace what needed replaced. Well I am just remaking the whole bottom. I cut the pieces. The top piece in the pic i left the center in it for strength while assembling it. So it doesn't flex and get silly. Once it is glassed in I will make the engine cut out correctly like it was.

Then I needed to see how the factory had it put together so I ripped out one side. second pic.

When i quit i was assembling the parts. Hot glue and trim nails untill i am happy it is perfect enough. Then add the bracing and glass it in. I am just going to pick up a gallon of waxed resin from autozone for finishing this off.

 

[chevymaher]

Well after getting all the pieces to magically balance with out exploding like a house of cards. I put a bunch of small CSM tabs in it to hold it so I could move on. I did fiberglass the top of the brace for the hood real good. It is a brick now no side movement whatsoever. Once the bottom hardened I made and put in the braces like it had originally.

Then once everything was hardened enough to handle the parts i made a mock assembly to make sure everything was functional when together. I still have to cut the engine hole but that can wait till all this cures. It is sitting together so nothing moves while that goes on till tomorrow. Got the heater in it the garage is still a little chilly for glassing. Trys to stay about 60 when it is this cold outside.

 

[chevymaher]

Well upholstery is finished now. I forgot to do the teak. So it is soaking in teak oil right now. Then tomorrow if it is ready I will put those on and wrap it in plastic so it stays nice till it goes in.

Cut the motor hole out and sanded the edges. I put the plastic over it as is was. Cut and sewed the vinyl. Put all the vinyl on. Attached the hinges. Temporally attached both halves to make sure it all lined up. It will come apart for glassing and insulation and carpet going on. It will wait till I get glass in the spring to finish the hull and carpet when i do the deck.

But for now it is complete. Opens and closes does what it is supposed to. Fits all the connecting pieces. And boy the new vinyl sure makes the cup holders look like azz. Got to get a new set for everything.

Then I will clean the wreck I call a garage a couple days. Put all the tools up. Then I guess sand the outdrive for paint and work on the motor a while. Put the 100 amp alternator on and do the wiring change. Get the shopping list of parts and where i am getting them for the motor. Cam, gaskets, ignition, distributor gear. And anything else I run into it needs.

Patiently wait for warm weather. I will figure out something to do that is for sure.

Back to doing what i was doing before I found out this barge was a planter complete with mulch inside.

 

[oldrem]

Everything is looking great. Looking forward to seeing it all together.

 

[chevymaher]

Everything is looking great. Looking forward to seeing it all together.

Thank you. You and me both. I can't wait to see this done.

 

[kcassells]

Thanks for the work and pics....weather is killin me.

 

[chevymaher]

Welcome. I wrapped up everything in plastic now. After i mounted the teak. Extra vynal is wrapped up and put away.

I am slowly replacing the stainless screws anywhere i can with stainless bolts with the same head so it looks factory and a washer with a nylock nut. I am not so much into a screw holding things long term.

My chevelle and van were a mess. Sawdust all over them. Van had salt to and looked hammered. I washed them both. Now I am cleaning the garage. Putting tools up and cleaning sawdust up. Can't have that getting in the engine when it start coming apoart for inspection in a day or so. Work bench is thick with the sawdust from making the interior.

I am in the garage where i cant post pics. I will post the teak when i get upstairs after I finish working.

Back to cleaning for now get ready for the next stage.

 

[chevymaher]

Okay looked at the time after posting and said I am done and came upstairs. Here are the teak and new hardware pics. I will insulate over them when I do the bottom. Patch the holes I made.

Here are 2 of my other 3 babies I washed. Truck there isn't room so it sits outside LOL. A durango affectionately called the Dragon.

 

[chevymaher]

I put in 6 hours today switching hats so to speak. It may not look like much but it took 3 hours of cleaning to get the engine cover over there. I am scrapping buckets seats chain saws got to make room for this thing.

Got all the sawdust swept up. Went through and separated vynal scraps threw what I would never use away. Wrapped up and stored what I will use later on other things. Top, bow cover.

Then I moved the outdrive parts to the bench and pulled the engine out of the corner in front of the bench.

So now I am ready for the next stage. First clean all this sutff real good. Then clean all the electrical connections. Sand the chips out of the outdrive. I will have to wait for warm weather to paint it tho but it will be ready. Get the box and clean all the assembly bolts and grease them have that ready.

Then take the engine apart to inspect. Carb cleaning and gaskets. Looks like that is all it needs it is in pretty good shape. Head off so I can see the cylinder walls. Cam out it is going away even if it is good. I am getting a new one. I got a set of 510 lift valve springs from the 4.3 mercruiser i hear will fit. Going to see if that is true, Save me a little there. They don't have that many miles on them. Clean up the combustion chambers in the head and passages.

Believe it or not I couldn't help myself I already polished the stainless prop. LOL to put in the ohio river dirtiest thing in the world.

Basically just gat all the mechanicals pardon the pun. In ship shape. Moving onward can't be standing around.

 

[chevymaher]

I still out here kickin. It don't belong in this part of the forum so I am just doing my thing.

I been cleaning engine drive parts basically taking a break of sorts a minute.

I took a bunch of the engine apart today. Then I went junking a while with my buddy.

I looked up the head casting it is the big port 1.94 intake 1.6 exhaust 3 liter head that tickled me.

It has zero ridge in the cylinders so it was a low hour motor as was on the hourmeter. Lifters all good. Haven't got the cam out yet.

Now the ugly. I knew number one cylinder wire was bad from inspecting the motor when I got it. Head gasket blew between number 2 and 3 cylinders. So it needed to come apart.

No cracks no ugly I forgot to winterize it stuff. It is actually in real good shape.

I am just checking in where i been. I am still doing the boat thing LOL.

 

[chevymaher]

There is a 4 acre fishing lake next to me. Mile away. It is trolling motors only. I called the woman at the park dept. She checked with her supervisor. She said I can put in there to check for leaks, That makes it easier. Nobody ever uses that landing and nobody hardly is there fishing. And she said I can do it anytime i want to no opening day just go anytime., She took my name and number and type of boat so they will be expecting to see the wrong kind of boat in there this spring LOL

 

[chevymaher]

Just checkin in for any one interested in progress.

I got the engine apart as far as it need to go now. Cylinders are perfect. took rods and mains off crank is perfect. Wear indicates it has low hours as the hourmeter says.

Now my question is what did the original owner do to this this to tear it up so bad LOL.

Took the oil pan off and there was chunks of metal in there never a good sign. I went through the motor and absolutely could not find where it came from. Checked piston skirts everything.

I fished out some of the larger pieces and whiped the oil off of them. Ah timing gear. Okay took the oil pump off to see if it sucked any up and that is why the distributor gear sheared. Yep it was wasted inside.

I had a conversation on marine part differences on another section of the forum with another member. So I found a online seminar basically on the difference in parts of all the marine coast guard approved parts. What they do and problems with out using them. Help me parts shop. Make sure i am getting what i need to.

Well a oil pump for the mercruiser is almost 300 bucks and it is 34 dollars at summitt racing for the 153 64 nova kind of stuff. Gasket set is 300 bucks or get a set of bearing rings and gaskets for 170 bucks. I been doing some shopping for parts to get it back together for less than the cost of a new boat.

I got the head ported and resurfaced against the block. Top of the block resurfaced. I am plodding along here.

This is still preliminary I got more cussing and discussin to do with myself as I clean the rest of these parts and get them ready for assembly.

I am thinking so far new cam and lifters. I am going to use the isky one with 216@50 duration. If it is good enough for the guy selling high output 3 liters for boats. It is tried and works in a marine application. Cam was wasted at the distributor gear. New gasket set. Since I got to get the bearings to get the gaskets for less than the cost of my new born first male child may as well throw them in never hurt. I need a new distributor gear. I rebuilt the distributor before i got on the forum last spring. First thing i found wrong with it. I need a new pertinex and coil.

So about 600 bucks or so to freshen up the ol boat anchor i got. I got a bunch of part cleaning to do before i worry about that.

My brother is getting with the program now finally with his fire breathing Baja he has. He made a engine cover and is working on making a new back seat at the moment. It is looking good same quality work I did. We are related and grew up together go figure.

Today at 10 or noon or so is our first big dump of snow we getting. So I will be standing guard at the boat knocking the snow off of the carport as it comes down all day. 60 degrees now rain and temps are going to drop. Ground is warm. So this gonna be a mess. It is going to snow for a 24 hour period with predicted 6 inches by the time the ground cools off freezes into a sheet of ice then snow accumulates on top of that. So I be using my boatmobile until I can clear the driveway to get my van out. Boatmobile is the durangos new nickname since it is the tow vehicle and 4WD.

As I said before I still doing the boat thing just the winter version of it. It is getting restored every bit of it. Wont be to long i be messing with the trailer redoing it.

 

[chevymaher]

I aint done nothing since the last post. I been fighting with the snow LOL. Shoveling the drive and walks. It just keeps snowing and snowing. It says it is over for a week anyway now.

But Jross the question with the car port. Oh yea it can handle snow. It says it isnt rated for it. But I just get under it and hit it and it all slides off. 4-6 inches on it dont seem to phase it. The ice storm made the tarp sag but it din't hurt it. Sun came out melted it same as it always was.

 

[chevymaher]

Having the winter doldrums. Cleaning parts for the engine rebuild. Driveway is dry now so back to motor.

It is chilly but not cold down there now so that is a motivation killer feet getting cold.

Took the chunks of metal out of the oil pan and put them in a jar and set it next to the rotted stringer i saved as conversation pieces.

Then I just relaxed had a year in review. Looked at the hull and uncovered the seats. Wrinkles are coming out nicely over time. That gave me a better frame of mind.

Still out here kickin. Just a slower pace because of the cold and got snow duties to attend to with all the ice snowstorms.

Is it 65 degrees yet is all I want to know. Well this bear going back into hibernation the rest of the day and dream of summer.

 

[oldrem]

Supposed to hit 40 here this weekend - as long as my foot behaves I hope to finally get the carb off the 40 for rebuilding and take down the rest of the outdoor Christmas decor

 

[chevymaher]

Supposed to hit 40 here this weekend - as long as my foot behaves I hope to finally get the carb off the 40 for rebuilding and take down the rest of the outdoor Christmas decor

I already got the x mas stuff down. It is 40 today barely. It is supposed to rain tomorrow and the next day. Then drop as it is raining start the cycle of misery again LOL.

I just hangin in there till it warms up and that garage door can sit open again. The good times in life.

 

[chevymaher]

It got to 57 degrees today. And with all the snow blowing around it was on top of the boat. During the storms. So I opened up the tarps got in and inspected everything for water intrusion. In the spots water gathered when I got it nothing the dust was undisturbed.

I haven't had it open and in it since I finished buffing the gel coat in there. I sure miss getting in that old tub as part of my daily routine. I felt the motivation returning to my body. Come on spring.

I been preparing the admiral for what i am going to do. Retaining wall in the back and rock level the whole yard out where all the garages will be. This tent car port can stay where it is. I am going to make a pole barn/garage of 4X4's with a real shingle roof and walls. Make a actual boat house that is in alignment with the driveway. SO I can get this barge in and out easily this summer.

LOL she was wanting to get me a new Lazy boy chair this one is falling apart over the years. I said no hun Boat boat boat.

I also was on google maps looking up and down the river for things to do, There is a Hooters that aint happening if i want to live. I did find 2 waterfront resturants with outside docks we can have dinner at. Looks nice open area seating where the view is of the river while you eat.

And there is a park with a lake 25 minutes from here that has camp sites Concrete pads for things picnic tables and grills. Perfect for the van. One site has a dock with it I can tie to for the weekend while i camp.

Here we are past the worst of winter now. It will be a while before it is warm enough for glassing. But it is to the point where it only gonna get better not worse.

Just the snow being gone is a real motivator.

 

[kcassells]

Beware the Ides Of March and winter forecastes. Shhhh Here we are past the worst of winter now.

 

[chevymaher]

Beware the Ides Of March and winter forecastes. Shhhh Here we are past the worst of winter now.

I been here my whole life I am clued in LOL. it will be decent but way below glassing temps a month or so. Then your right usually it dips down below freezing in march and snows again. 40's highs in the daytime for weeks.

BUT the death zero and below zero stuff is over. My not be boat weather yet but at least you can got outside and not die. Frostbite warning should be over for the year. That all by its self make my mental state better.

That is why our landings dont open till May 1rst. All through april it is possible to get a freeze at night that would crack a block. But it is 60's or better in the daytime as a rule. They don't want people unwinterizing the boats till it is for sure safe out.

I got a call about a engine that just came out of the machine shop. He wants me to assemble it. Cool more boat money LOL.