[sandeggo]

I guess I should do a build thread. I ended last season with a pop in the firing that no matter how hard I tried I couldn't tune out. It started the weekend before the avi trip. Well after the season I pulled the head and had a cracked ring land. The boat still did 70 on 7 cylinders. Not bad for a 325.

Come to find out that it is common for a steam pocket to develop around that cylinder. So I figure while the engine is stripped I'll get rid of the flat DOD cam and put a little lump in it.
224/234 @.569 114lsa

this is a standard 3 bolt cam now so future cam swaps will be way easier.
While off of work I got tired of looking at the boat with no progress. (Teacher, 3 months off no pay) I decided to start fixing some cracks. There was a crack on the right rear cap, on both sides of the bulkhead, both sides of the dash, and a spider crack on the bow.
I ground them all out and filled them 100% with glass. I started at the transom and pod. I kept chasing and chasing the crack. It went all the way through in a few spots.

A whole lot of work and glass later I had it filled

just a couple pinholes left for filler.
In between waiting for the resin to kick on the pod and transom I figured I might as well fix all cracks.
The bow, bulkhead, and dash

Then the fun part... The bulkhead
It was cracked completely loose and the wood was beginning to rot.

I yanked the bulkhead out with my handy $15 multi tool. For doing glasswork it kicks ass

 

[sandeggo]

it literally took 15 mins to get the bulkhead out without glass being flung everywhere.
decided I didn't want to deal with wood rot ever again so I decided to completely glass all sides of wood going into the boat. This adds a ton of work. I also used clear laminating resin, surfboard cloth to finish. I wanted the wood to show.

.

 

[sandeggo]

The floors had some checkering and cracks. Decided to fix those and re flow coat and gel the floors. So I'm plugging stringer holes and fixing it all with glass. I flipped the boat to fill gouges in the bottom and made a rotisserie to flip it myself.

Blocked the whole bottom

Filling rock scars

And as of last weekend I poly primed it. Pretty much where I'm at right now.

This weekend ill be blocking the primer. Flipping the boat over and tackling the floors.

 

[blender over]

Wow Kev, nice work, that old bulkhead look pretty battered.
What color are you going to paint it and when will it be done?
Im itching to get out to the river, might go to elsinore for some nitrous testing this saturday..

 

[Led]

)THumbsUp)THumbsUp)THumbsUp

 

[justsquirtin]

damn fine job

 

[jrork]

Beautiful work! I'm feeling the itch all the way from here. Keep the updates coming

 

[wajetboy]

good work, it is nice to see all these swtd builds

 

[ICECREAMAN]

Dude you better get crackin, summers coming fast! Question, why are you going to flip it back over after you block the primer? Why not just shoot the bottom while it's upside down and be done with it? Anyway nice job, I know that's a lot of work!

 

[sandeggo]

Thanks for all the kind words.
Still figuring paint out. Im gonna block it then flip it back over, then trailer the hull to the paint shop. With the rotisserie I made, flipping the boat over by myself is a piece of cake. It takes maybe 10 minutes myself. I would just shoot it but I want the paint done in the booth. I have alot of work left but I am facing the downhill stretch. Well, I guess it will be downhill after I do the flowcoat. Still have alot of stuff to fab so we will see how quickly I progress. I hope to have it all done by may 1st. If everything goes right, I will have the turbo done as well. I will probably end up having just the cam only deal this summer.

 

[brgrcru]

Great job. What color you going with? Back to original?

 

[Last Mohican]

Looking great. Subscribed.

 

[sandeggo]

No gonna try to stay away from the darker colors. My last 2 boats have had dark brown on em and I now have a black truck. To say I'm tired of water spots is an understatement. Still not sure on paint but I got a little time to figure it all out.

 

[Hibbitz]

Looking great. Subscribed.

X2 ...... )THumbsUp

 

[sandeggo]

Didn't get much done this weekend. Friday and Saturday had to go down to San Diego.
Today I did a skim of filler where I fixed cracks on the topside, sanded and smoothed. Then I glassed in the side bulkheads that go in front of the gas tank. I'll do a couple layers of mat and cloth on these this week. Then I'll do the final 2 layers on the bow bulkhead. Gotta finish sanding the floors and all bulkheads. Gotta finish filling the stringers. I hope to be shooting gel on the floors by next Sunday.

 

[sandeggo]

Did another layer of cloth on the gas tank bulkheads. Then took a break from glasswork to mock up the extended column. Gonna definitely need to angle the column and get a new wheel.

 

[jetjunky]

Nothing like goin all in Kev, your glass work looks great. I'm a guessin there's some blue in the future finish paint? Nice rotisserie setup. It's so nice to be able to position the boat correctly for the work your trying to accomplish. Keep crankin on it bud, it's goin to be awesum

 

[holorinhal]

Hey Kevin, who sells that steering col and how long is it? That thin looks good. I would like a little longer one. I have a 6" for the calgo.
Is it a standard col or calgo?
You are doing an awesome job. The glass work looks really good. Are You using poly, or epoxy?....Hal

 

[sandeggo]

Hal I'm not sure of the maker. I got this one from lbzhsbz. The column doesn't spin. Has an extender that goes up through the middle of it. I'm using poly resin but on the wood parts I'm using surfboard resin as I wanted the glass to be as transparent as possible. I'll be gel and flow coating the floors a silver and the bulkheads will show through. I haven't decided on a hardware theme yet, just happened this column was blue and the price was right. I threw the drivers seat in and angled the column down about 1/2" at the dash and its a lot more comfortable. Gonna angle cut the column a bit but it'll be a little tricky as the helm plate fits in a recess in the column.

 

[white tortilla]

let me know when i need to come down and set the flux capaciter up for the small block