TOPIC: Now that I'm a year into it...what is it?

Lurked/read this forum for a year, finally signed up. Picked this up last summer, and it the seller told me it was a '72 Thunderbird. No plate, and it has no HID (pre '72), just a hull serial number.

This doesn't look like any of the T-Birds I have seen on line, but I went ahead and registered it that way in Virginia.

Here's a recent pic of it redone/painted/with the hull sides sanded for polishing.



Anyway, if anyone can ID this by manufacturer and model I would really appreciate it. I have enough money, blood, and sweat into it now where I want to know

Thanks,

Dave
Manassas, VA

DAVE: WELCOME , Nice looking ski boat.. Seems there was a same question a few days ago, & lower thread about FORMULA = Thunderbird.
Today in the Library there is a 71 FORMULA brochure for a 1700 that looks quite close to your rig. www.fiberglassics.com/library/File:Formulaa71001.jpg

Yes, welcome aboard Dave. I agree, nice looking rig you have. Have you started on the interior yet?

Holy crap, you guys rock! THANK YOU. I have spent HOURS and HOURS trying to figure out what the heck it was!

Some other pics, befores and afters.











I don't have any full interior shots right now. It's had about 10,000 holes and cracks filled in, painted, the floor's painted gray for now with some anti-slip, and I'm keeping those cheap fishing seats until I get this in the water and sorted out.

I'm finally at the "almost there" stage, doing the impeller now. I had hoped to save the tach and speedo but they are dead, I'll have to replace them with something. I've struggled with the motor forever, replacing and cleaning, rewiring, new belt, retiming, etc. I got seriously ill last summer and still poked at it once in a while, and even though I've had some times where I have almost given up I'm now determined to take this thing out on the Potomac!

I have someone lined up cut me new motor decals and I'll probably do a single white pinstripe around the bottom when I've figured out what the heck I am doing in terms of polishing.

edit: and yes, this is my very first boat, and my first "restore," although it is pretty amateur.

Dave

Welcome Aboard .. Nice looking boat and a Merc Tower to .Hope your feeling better now and just keep on her and youll get her done ..
Larry

A year? That is nothing, it took me 5 before mine hit water.
Now I could never part with it, mostly because it isn't worth anything and it is now 1/4 full of very good memories.

Keep at it. It is a classy looking boat. I like it. Mercs are not for me, but it looks great. Post some shots when it hits water.

Did a lot this weekend. More polishing, over and over. Doesn't help that I have a cheap buffer and not a powerful variable speed one.



Replaced the entire water pump/impeller assembly. Put it all back together and...no water pumping. Took it all back apart and saw that one of the impeller vanes was twisted. In trying to wedge it out I stabbed myself in the palm with a sharp screwdriver and took a hunk of skin out Put it in correctly and put the lower unit back on again. Started and....no water. Took it apart again. I blew out the water line with a hose and noticed I forgot to put the slinger back on before. Re-assembled again.

Started it up and it pumps water like a boss now, but...there was gas literally shooting out of the top carb this time. While taking the float bowl cover apart my hand slipped and I left a peel of skin/cuticle on the sharp edge of the carb shutter and bled like a stuck pig. The float in this carb was total garbage. Old foam with a broken down outer "skin". Thing was just stuck in the bowl and would not budge so it squirted gas out the overflow hole.

Ordered: new float, anchor, steering cable boots for transom

edit: what I'm doing with the paint is 1000 grit, 1500 grit, 2000 grit, then Scratch X, then Meguiar's #7 on my cheap orbital. It's getting better but is still a bit cloudy. Maybe this is the inevitable price of having a cheap buffer, I don't know.

edit: what I'm doing with the paint is 1000 grit, 1500 grit, 2000 grit, then Scratch X, then Meguiar's #7 on my cheap orbital. It's getting better but is still a bit cloudy. Maybe this is the inevitable price of having a cheap buffer, I don't know.[/quote]

You almost have to have a regular buffer not a orbital ..That would take forever ..Run down to Harbor Frieght if they have one near you .They got them for $29 .. Boats looking nice . Keep it up ..
Larry

Thanks - I will check out HF. My elbow is killing me anyway.

On a side note, any recommendations or advice for putting a proper bend back into the top windshield channel? Mine has obviously been damaged and bent back "straightish", but it should have a nice curve in it. I'm at a loss as to how to accomplish that.

Looks like you're doing good to me, certainly a much better paint job than mine, and mine took 4 years to do! Good luck with it.

Frank

www.powercatboat.com/Group/FA_14t/FA_14t01.html