I haven't posted here for a bit, but things are progressing along. I have pulled all the old wiring, cut and installed the rear deck supports. It looks FAR better. I also had to replace the starter. When I went to crank it, I heard nary a peep. I made sure that I was getting power and determined that the entire starter was toast. I also removed and drained the rear gas tank, which is a portable plastic one. I also replaced the big fuel/water separator spin on filter as well as the inline filter near the carb. I switched the gear selector switch to the back tank and primed the pump to be sure she worked.
What a PIG! The starter was way heavy and really filled the space leaving very little room with which to work. Two bolt, non staggered CW rotation (reverse) starter. I brought the pig over to NAPA where they seem to have a plethora of boat parts. They had a new replacement starter that was a gear reduction. It was half the weight and was far easier to install. The engine cranks easily now. I took the opportunity earlier in the week to wet the inside of the cylinders with Marvel Mystery Fluid and install new spark plugs. The old ones look fairly new, so they will become spares.
I'll be sure to post some before/after pics of the rear deck supports. The prior owner had the old rotted ones and gave them to me. I used them as templates to make new ones out of 3/4" starboard. I also got some vinyl boards from Home Depot: 1X2 and 1X8. I cut them to provide stops to keep the Starboard in place. It looks great! Now the back deck is rock solid, however, I think I will need to add some forward support as well. I think I can toss the old pieces now. I am using stainless steel square drive screws with a bit of 5200 to hold things together.
I also replaced the battery selector switch and the battery cables. I have temporarily mounted the fuse panel to the back of the starboard deck support with screws that are simply too long. I will be ordering the right size (3/4") so I can make the mounting permanent and tight. I threaded the 8 gauge wire from the fuse panel to the stern where I will be tying it into the Battery Selector switch by tying it and a string to the last remaining wire. The string is a bit over twice the length of the run with a permanent loop in the center and will be used to pull wires back and forth. I am anxious to get this baby started so my next move will be to install the ignition switch. There is a lot of clutter on the starboard side of the engine. The fuel vent from the carb is routed through an old filter from when the engine had a mechanical fuel pump. It ends right on top of the starter and its possible that this is what killed the old starter. I will be re-routing this to the exhaust vent and installing a bilge fan to adequately ventilate the engine compartment. Its that or sending it back to the fuel tank. I am not sure which idea is the best. Please feel free to comment.
