Huzzah!
My heavy mechanical work is now complete! It was a long, tough row to hoe, but it's behind me now.
New factory PCM manifolds and risers, new heat exchanger (Lenco Farmingdale), new starter motor (DB Electric), rebuilt the Sherwood RW pump, new Autolite plugs, factory PCM plug wires, Pertronix cap and rotor. Fresh Prestone antifreeze fill. Oil & filter change (Castrol 20W-50 with a half-pint of STP and a Wix max filter) done before the shrink-wrapping last December. Replaced some suss hoses and clamps, re-did my main bilge pump fixturing, had my office 3D print a structural truss for the engine compartment forward bulkhead, removed any rustiness from engine and trans and gave them a fresh touch-up of black Rustoleum. This all took a ton of effort, not to mention a good bit of donated skin and blood, but it's done. Now onto my "normal" Spring prep.
A few new "tricks" I've added this time around. First, it's really tough to get at the 4 rear-most bolts of each manifold and those 4 rear spark plugs too, for that matter. At 70 years old now, not only can I no longer contort my body sufficiently to reach back there whilst laying atop the engine, but it seems like my arms got shorter too. I don't know if that's medically possible, but it is what it is. So, I took out the big stainless motor mount lag bolts and put a "cheapie" Harbor Freight 8-ton hydraulic bottle jack under the motor mount, each side in turn. OMG, why did it take me 30 years of ownership to remedy this nightmare? Dense, I guess.
View attachment 115317
This made all the difference, that's for sure. Just had to make sure that the "down-load" on the inside of hull was well distributed with 1x6 board. Each mount (there are 4, including the trans mounts) carries about 300lbs of weight, so gotta be a little careful with this plan of action. Didn't hear any cracking, so good to go.
Instead of doing the aforementioned near impossible "by blind feel" method, I could now use a simple 12" 3/8" extension, swivel and hex-driver from the side of the deck to R&R those torture-inducing rear-most manifold stainless cap screws. This was huge!
View attachment 115320
And here's the most important (and least expensive) "tool" for this type of work, which I figured out half-way thru the job -
View attachment 115318
That's right, just a cheap pair of cotton work gloves, with the fingers cut off. Again, OMG, what a difference! No more deep scratches on the backs of my hands from wire tie cut-offs and assorted other nasties. Hey, dropping an American V-8 into a boat with an 8-foot beam has some truly great advantages. The other side of the coin is that access to bolts, hose clamps, etc, is at shall we say, a "premium." the glove solution made it MUCH more comfortable to reach down, in, and around all the pain inducing hand-snaggers.
And now she sits, ready to fire. That will happen some time this coming week, as today my wife graciously allowed me to use up "her" day's morning to complete this work.
Fingers crossed.
View attachment 115319
What happens in the Chesapeake Bay eventually shows up in New YorkNew York anglers have learned a hard truth over the decades: when Chesapeake recruitment runs...
Two Ice Fishermen Perish in St. Lawrence CountyTragedy in Clifton: Two Ice Fishermen Perish in St. Lawrence County Snowmobile Accident Meta...