Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

[Triton II]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

New Gauges.

Not my first or second choice but decent looking, a great price, and Faria gives a limited lifetime warranty. I hope they look good on the Mahogany dash. They won't fit back into the Mercruiser panel. I have some thinking to do. Maybe an Aluminum insert or Stainless. Then mount onto the Mahogany dash. I don't know, I'm artistically challenged.

The shot of two gauges is on a piece of stained pine. Just a piece I had laying around. Have not bought the mahogany yet.

They look great BD... classic and not over the top retro. Can't wait to see them fitted into a gorgeous wooden dash. As for being artistically challenged - join the club mate! :

 

[lonemust]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

If you you don't make a thin metal template to ground the new guages, you will have to run a ground to each guage then. Black on mohagany should look real good. I've seen guys do that on custom dashes in cars and it would look great. Chrome not so good. Oh ya, the metal template will need to be on the backside of new panel. New guages should have come with directions on how to ground them. And again Don thank you

 

[starcrafter65]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

If you you don't make a thin metal template to ground the new guages, you will have to run a ground to each guage then. Black on mohagany should look real good. I've seen guys do that on custom dashes in cars and it would look great. Chrome not so good. Oh ya, the metal template will need to be on the backside of new panel. New guages should have come with directions on how to ground them. And again Don thank you

I have the same gauge set -up - I do not remember the old gauges being grounded via a metal plate. They we were wood with a plastic plate.

Don - we have the same set-up going....but I want to use the old gauges - I may have a cracked block......but I got my gauges unscrewed successfully!

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

Sorry I've been a recluse lately. I have been working on the boat here and there. My wife faked a heart attack and it took two trips to the emergency room over two days (no ha). Planted flowers to compete with the guy next door, family commitments etc...

Well I'm going to catch up on my picture taking and story telling. After all I need to pay my dues to the Starmada, I am a member in good standing.

I replaced the gages and added a couple of gages. Added were fuel and speedometer.

I now have;
Tachometer
Ammeter
Trim
Temp
Oil pressure
Speedo (added)
Fuel

I made a tracing of the old drivers-side dash on plywood and cut it out. I made some gages out of paper and layed out a pattern. I need to find pictures now, bear with me.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

double post, sorry.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

First proto-type from MDF.

installed in boat.

second proto-type made from pine. lengthened for additional gages.

 

[jspano]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

from this day forward a boat flop shall be known as a "I pulled a Jasoutside"
ja your famous it will be as common as asking for a "kleenex" instead of a tissue

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

from this day forward a boat flop shall be known as a "I pulled a Jasoutside"
ja your famous it will be as common as asking for a "kleenex" instead of a tissue

Jas is famous for many things. One of the most notorious members of the Tin Can Alliance. I don't know if I should be honored to live near him or afraid. A little of both I think.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

Dash with gages loaded. The shifter control will need to be moved back several inches due to clearance problems.

Brand new spanking piece of Mahogany. Waiting to be made into a new dashboard. Cost $21.00, not too bad.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

Tried to start the trim pump. The trim limit switch is no good. I did an ohms test and it's open. It needs to be replaced. The three button trim switch checks out, it has continuity on all legs. I had to jump a wire across the trim limit switch wires. The middle button is not 100% though, you have to really press to make a connection.

After researching trim switches and limit switches, I think I understand how they work. Replacing the limit switch involves a lot of work, and some money. I need a 3 button switch and a trim limit switch (2, port and starboard???).

I decided to bypass the limit switch and omit the whole trim switch thing. Also eliminate the trim gauge. While I'm cleaning house, the speedo goes too. I grew the dash extra large to accommodate the additional gages.

The whole trim thing is, well broken down into two schools of thought.
a) It came with the boat and prevents over trimming while running (trim limit), a good safety feature that prevent pulling the out drive out of the water while running. Damage or personal injury will occur if over trimming happens.

b) Not needed. If you can't tell when you've pulled the drive up too far you don't have a concept of trim. The gauge just takes up space on the dash, you drive the boat by feel.

Most of the guys in the I/O forum go with plan b, not needed. Some don't but most do. I'm going with plan b, I'll get a return to neutral switch and wire it up from there.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

I bought a single pole, double throw, return to neutral, toggle switch. Found a piece of scrap aluminum in the shop and fabbed up a mounting plate.

Engraved it on the Fadal, up and down. I'm sorry fadal is gone, I really like their CNC mills. Made in the USA, not many left.

Wired up the trim pump. Red to the middle terminal, blue to the top, and green to the bottom. The pump goes down but won't pull the stern-drive up. It's probably a corroded terminal connection or maybe a bad solenoid. I need to pull out the multi-meter and start checking.

I geeked the trim pump started up at all. The pump appears good, and that's great news.

 

[jspano]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

i'd like to mount one of those on the mtr ( less trips to the console, leaning into the boat at wash down time)

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

You guys are too funny! Well I am glad you appreciate my goings ons, most think I am a great big doofis!!

Liking the forward motion Don!

Cheers Fellas!

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

You guys are too funny! Well I am glad you appreciate my goings ons, most think I am a great big doofis!!

Liking the forward motion Don!

Cheers Fellas!

If you're a doofis I'm a doofis. You've done nothing I wouldn't try myself. I admire your determination. I have no doubts you will finish the Islander and it will be awesome.

Unfortunately my work on the Offshore is electrical right now. Lots of work and reading, little to show for it. Once I make it over this hump, I can start posting some pictures that show progress.

Right now it's; read the I/O forum for 4-6 hours on trim pumps and limit switches. Made a decision to omit the trim switch, trim limit switch and the trim gauge. That was a big decision for me! Altering from stock/factory is something I am cautious over. Hot Rods I know, boats I know zilch about.

Well, nothing at all planned for Memorial Day, I shall become one with my multimeter. Oh yea, maybe I'll sand the mahogany board a little too.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=401647

Trim pump problems, or reverse lock valve stuck. Help if you can.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

Outdrive goes up and down now. I need to replace the solenoid and it looks like as is well.

 

[system-f]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

You probably already know this but just in case.

In order to get the trim/tilt on my 71 to work with only one switch I had to:

Tie blue to purple (this bypasses the outdrive trim "button" or switch) and do everything else you did. The way my system was design was only to allow full tilt up by holding down and pressing both the top two buttons. I really only have a continuous all the way down and all the way up, but it seems to work great.

 

[ts]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

Outdrive goes up and down now. I need to replace the solenoid and it looks like as is well.

Geez, I feel like an idiot for not suggesting the solenoid last night...but I didn't want to look like an idiot for suggesting it. :redface:

Sorry Bwana, next time I'll just blurt it out and try to be more helpful.

Is yours the kind with two solenoids? I'm guessing so, and one was sticking, right?

Well, glad someone was able to help you as fast as they did!

Cheers!

TS

-

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

Hey Don, read through your thread. Keep plugging along. Hope your wife is feeling better. The trim gauge elimination.......I like your school of thought there. You can tell when its up to high, cavitation begins. Also, you'll find out from reading, i think, that the trim sensors located in the bell housing are quite proned to failure. So, you'll be avoiding that headache. Hey, we are neighbors too. Quite a SE Michigan contingent here!

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Starcraft; 1971 V-Offshore

Thanks 83muligan, the wifes feeling better. 20+ years of marriage/dating to me is starting to take it's toll on her. Ton's of boaters here in SE Michigan, love Lake St. Clair. I think we can amass quite a flotilla for a day trip, we could call it Mitt Stock.

TS, I knew the solenoid was bad. The one leg (only one solenoid on my pre-alpha trim pump) wouldn't do anything. What got me was, assuming the toggle switch was connecting the red & blue wires (up). It was actually connecting the red & green wires (down). Stupid me.:redface:

The drive was down and I thought I was raising it, when actually I was lowering it. It was already down, so the pump would start and the strain after 4 seconds. I thought it was locked up or stuck, and wouldn't raise. I was trying to push it to China!

Oh well, I'm glad it's diagnosed. Need to buy a solenoid now. Lot's cheaper than a pump etc....