TOPIC: 1971 Glasspar Newport Cruiser - Rejuvenation

I introduced this boat in the Main Forum back in October.



It's a survivor that has a seized Mercruiser 215E (Ford 302) engine.


My plan is to repair the engine and rejuvenate the boat, keeping originality in mind, while adding some subtle modern touches making the boat reliable and comfortable for my family.

I'd like your help/advice as I make the journey to get it back on the water again

During September, I carefully stripped the boat of all mechanicals, interior and bright work, and cleaned and cataloged everything. I created a workbook of items I need to rebuild and or replace and have been seeking parts accordingly.

The floor and transom are in excellent condition.


I gave the hull a good cleaning



The boat has been delivered to a local fiberglass/gelcoat artisan to help restore one of the side decals and repair gel coat bumps, bruises and modifcations from owners in the past.

After trading ideas with my fiberglass guy, I've decided to have him cleanup the floors and interior transom and put a layer of fiberglass on it to seal everything up.



First couple decisions I'd like your advice on:
Would you apply some paint or gel coat to the interior floor, transom and sides?

It was originally equipped with a rubber/vinyl type flooring which is worn out around the engine housing. I carefully removing cleaned and boxed it up for use as templates.

Can you still find same or similar versions of this floor covering?
Would you reinstall the floor covering or would you just use a painted/gelcoated interior?

Since you asked...I'd tear that floor out of there, remove any/all foam, re-foam, re-deck with 1/2" marine plywood sealed top and bottom with CPES...THEN fiberglass everything.

Pressure wash the entire interior and paint the bulkheads with a good marine paint, two coats.

You may want to consider Marmoleum flooring. ( www.greenbuildingsupply.com/All-Products/Sheet ) I've used it several times...great stuff. There are a few wood grain samples but I'd go with a neutral light solid color. I'm using Marmoleum Mica #3729 for my current restoration.

I'd also buy a marine standard rotation crate motor for $2,645 from Atlantic Marine... www.atlanticmarinestore.com/ford-5-0-302-engines/
Recycle all your bolt-on engine parts. Repairing your old engine won't be cheap. Crank, rod and cam bearings will need to be replaced, rings, rebuilt heads...new everything...even a full gasket set! Might as well buy it all done for you...done and done right...with a guarantee.

Thanks for all the information and advise Nautilus. This is exactly what I was looking for. You have a great reputation on this site.

I had a couple boat shops/marinas look at the boat once I removed the interior. One place pulled out a moisture meter and was surprised at how dry everything was. Is there a benefit to modern/fresh foam? Or is this a 'better to be safe than sorry' piece of advice? With all your experience, considering ease of maintenance, do have a preference for flooring? (painted or carpeted)

Related to the engine, mechanicals are probably to part of the boat I'm most comfortable with. I agree, it will be difficult to to have the block/crank/heads cleaned, inspected and machined (replace guides/seats, pistons, rods, camshaft, rockers, bearings) for less than $3K. Still, it's original to the boat, and although perhaps foolish, I like the 'numbers matching' block with Mercruiser serial number. It supposebly only has 400 hours on it, which looking at the internals, I can beleive. If the engine turns out to be cracked, I will go your route.

Took a look at the 'Convertible Top' frame as the sales literature defines it. It's a fully enclosed stern cover in which the sides can be removed via snaps and the rear panel removed via zippers and snaps leaving a bimini style top. Of course it can all be unsnapped and removed if desired. I like having options depending on weather conditions.


Unfortunetely it was left to withstand the central Canadian winter the last couple years. The ice and snow piled on, bending the frame and tearing the zipper out of the rear window panel.


I determined the frame tubing diameter and created a set of blocks that I could screw to the outfeed table of my cabinet saw.
The blocks were created by routing 3/4" 'round nose' into some 1" x 2" wood


I used the blocks to securely hold the frame to the table and placed a bottle jack in strategic positions to straighten it.


The results although not 'like new' restored the frame to near original shape


Once I get the boat back from my fiberglass guy, I'll send it over to a shop with the original top and frame for a refurbish.

Great work! Also some great thinking going on there which translated to great results. Fine example of the 6 “P”s… prior proper planning prevents poor performance. Some call out the 7 Ps, but I am keeping it family friendly rated G.

Nice work. I wudda put it in the crotch of a maple tree and leaned on it. Eyeball it and then finesse.

Chuckle....this is where the problem starts with me.

I've never had the finesse of many of the other craftsman of this community.

Finally got back to my Cruiselog Hour meter.

The bezel had taken quite a shot at some point and has a good size dent in it at the top of the gauge.


I found a 2 inch Oil Pressure gauge from the same era on eBay shipped for $34. Using a piece of scrap 1/4" masonite, I cut a 2" hole into it and glued it to a piece of scrap 3/4" plywood. I then took an old, small flat blade screw driver, placed it in a vice and bent it to about a 75 degree angle


The jig held the gauge bezel fairly firmly so I could carefully work my way around the donor gauge using the screw driver to pry back the bezel lip and ultimately remove it. (apologies for the blurry photo)


The match looks pretty good to me.


Cleaned up the original gauge glass, gasket and gauge face with some Griots glass cleaner (mild stuff) and a few q-tips.

I applied a very thin layer of RTV black to the lense gasket and gauge lip and then slipped the replacement bezel over onto the gauge and clamped it back into my gauge holding jig. Using a 1lb ballpeen hammer and a 'relieved' square chisel, I slowly worked my way around the qauge several times, carefully rolling the bezel lip back over onto the gauge body.


The results turned out pretty well. If you examine the underside of the gauge, you can clearly see some small tool marks as opposed to the clean finish a die or rolling wheel would leave, but this is all hidden when the gauge is installed in the helm.

I appied 12 volts to it as a bench test and it happily ticked over in 6 second increments. Success!


Installed back in the helm.

Took a look at the signal system. (horn) It is a 13" Sparton.


The horn button was sticking and the horn itself made no sound.

Intersting that the horn button was made in Japan.......


Disassembled the switch by carefully prying each of the 4 tabs back which held the cover on. Determined nothing was broken, so just gave it a good cleaning.


Applied some dielectric grease to the contacts portion of the switch. (got a little carried away initially) Used an acid brush to smooth out and a cloth to remove the excess grease and then reassembled. (took lots of pictures so I knew how to put it back together)


Functions very smothly now and passed the bench test with flying colors


When I applied battery power to the horn, nothing happened.
(my bench top power supply doesn't provide enough amps to trigger the horn's electromagnet)
Decided to take a look inside by removing the two mounting bolts and drilling out 4 rivets


Determined some old friends had moved in previously and setup house.


The electromagnet and plunger/diaphram looked pretting good for being over 50 years old! The red arrow points to the contact.


For those interested, the principle of the electric horn is fairly simple and ingenious. When not energized, the contact, which also acts like a spring, is closed (touching) and the diaphram/plunger is in the out or extended position.


When energy (12 volts @ ~5amps for this horn) is applied, the contact which is closed, allows energy to pass to the electromagnet, which pulls the diaphram/plunger in (elctromagnetic field). As this happens, the contact opens/seperates, cutting the energy to the electromagnet, which allows the diaphram/plunger to spring back out.


The cycle repeats itself rapidly, producing the annoying sound we all rely on.
When the hornets moved in, the soil home they constructed eliminated the abilty of the horn diaphram to move.

Cleaned everything up with some brake cleaner and some light 3M pad scrubbing. (be careful not to damage the diaphram)


Purchased (4) 8-32 x 3/8" stainless allen head screws and nuts at my local hardware store, to replace the rivets. I put a thin layer of RTV clear on the gasket surfaces (both sides) of the diaphram and used Loctite 'blue' on the nuts when assembling.

I then used my grinder with a Norton cutting wheel to carefully grind back the outside edges of the four nuts. This allows the rear cover to fit back on securely. The red arrow points to the adjustment screw.

I initially turned the adjustment screw in/out until I achieved ~3 ohms.
0 ohms likely means the contact is not closed. (back your adjustment screw out)
Many ohms points to a failed electromagnetic coil.


I applied battery power to the horn again in couple second blasts and turned the adjustment screw in small increments until I received the loudest sound.

Aside from some polishing, ready for reinstallation.

very cool, and very informative posts. Most people would be looking for replacements in your situation. I am sure that someone will benefit from the info like this that would normally just try to toss the parts and replace. I come from the same place, If it is broke, tear it apart and see if I can fix it. This mindset for me started as a child. I was always curious how things worked and would disassemble my toys when broke to see. This got worse later as I started to dissemble the toys before they broke LOL but there was many times that I would make repairs of my own so I could continue to play with the toy instead of tossing it out. Now this has got even worse as I have a hard time tossing broken items saving them for parts for future repairs. you never know what you might need. I can see how hoarders get started.

Thanks Lenny!
Like you, I get a lot of satisfaction out of returning older neglected and unwanted things back to service.
The hardware and accessories on our older boats were engineered during an era when things were built to last. The replacements for many of the these items are flimsy and engineered for lowest cost production and disposable. Can you buy chrome anything for your boat any longer? Much of it just needs some good maintenance.........

I've been following your restoration thread and admire the patience and resolve you have to strip all those layers of paint off your boat. It will be a great accomplishment when you complete this dingy phase of your restoration!

Thanks for the horn information. Now I have some great information for a spring project… darn insects and critters seem to always be causing more work. I would rather try to fix my original 1965 dual horn rather than replace it.

Thanks Doctor.
I sincerely hope your project goes as well as mine did. These old horns seem to built very well, so I think the odds are likely very much in your favor! Rather do it now than during boating season...........

(disclaimer: I'm not an Electrical Engineer)
Took a look at the tachometer. It was mentioned it may not be accurate.


It's a stock 1971 Mercruiser and appears to be manufactured by AC. Haven't been able to find too much information on AC. (AC Delco??)



Started by measuring the gauge bezel which was 3 5/8". Dividing that in half, set my hole cutter to a radius of 1 13/16" and cut a hole in some 1/4" fiber board to hold the gauge.

This style cutter works well, but even at a low 540 rpm, if find it a bit unnerving.

Studying the gauge, there is no clear way to adjust the scale from the outside, so will have to open the gauge and investigate further.

The Blue arrow points to ground. Red arrow to 12V power. Green arrow is the coil signal supply. (brown wire on my Mercruiser harness)

I carefully pried the bezel and face off the gauge and determined it's entirely Solid State electronics.


Doing some research I discovered there are a couple ways to bench calibrate electric/solid state tachometers.
It's easy enough to supply 12 volts to the tach using my bench top power supply or a battery. The more difficult part is supplyiing the signal provided by the ignition coil when the engine is running.

Enter the DDS Signal Generator and some math.
I purchased this on Amazon for $29.99.


So here's the concept. The Tach listens/reads ignition coil pulses/discharges. On our older engines, one ignition coil supplies spark power to all cylinders via the ignition distributor. (modern engines have an ignition coil for each cylinder) I have a V8 4-stroke engine. For each revolution of my engine, the ignition coil needs to supply 4 pulses/sparks.....4 cylinders fire/go through their power stroke.

Here's the math:
4200 rpm (my target peak revolutions per minute)
divided by 60 seconds (determines revolutions per second)
divided by 2 (4 stroke engine meaning each cylinder only fires once every 2 revolutions)
multiplied by 8 cylinders (determines sparks per revolution)
4200/60 = 70/2 = 35 x 8 = 280 Hz (Hertz equals the number of cycles per second)
You can adjust the variables to meet your engine as needed

Using the DDS Signal generator set to Square wave, I can create signals that simulate an ignition coil.
280 hz = 4200 rpm
210 hz = 3150 rpm
140 hz = 2100 rpm
70 hz = 1050 rpm

I pulled the needle off my gauge and will replace when gauge is working at a predetermined rpm.


I connected my bench top power supply to the ground and 12V terminals on the gauge.
I connected the DDS signal generator to the ground and signal terminal on the gauge.
Next I set the DDS signal generator to Square Wave, 280 hz, and energized the circuit by pushing the run/stop button. I slowly turned the AMP dial on the side to full power and the gauge began reading the signals.
I then carefully pressed the needle back on with a tweezers at the 4200 mark on the gauge scale. Took a couple tries to get it accurately placed. I want the gauge to be most accurate at 4200 as that's recomended power peak.


Checked at 210 hz


Checked at 140 hz


Checked at 70 hz


Once I was happy with the guage's accuracy, I carefully cleaned it and reinstalled the bezel


It took a little time to research and aquire the DDS Signal Generator, but this was definately one of the more interesting projects I've completed recently.

It looks good.

Does your engine have conventional ignition (points/condenser), or aftermarket electronic ignition?

Mercruiser had electronic "Thunderbolt" ignition on some of the V8s. They used an identical tach but it was labeled T-Bolt instead of 8 cyl. (There were also 4 cyl & 6 cyl tachs). I have an NOS T-Bolt tach if someone needs one.

Thanks Jim.

Yes, the engine currently uses a stock Ford single point distributor with the igntion coil mounted on the intake manifold. I will be replacing the points and condensor with a Pertronix solid state ignition module which will still use the stock ignition coil.

The tachometer is stamped '8 cyl' on the back of the gauge.

I understand the Thunderbolt ignition is excellent. I'd think your spare gauge would certainly have value to someone. I like the way they look.........

Alright, no rum reviews here today....I'm more of a single malt scotch, whiskey, martini or beer snob.

Took a look at the exhaust manifolds.


Perhaps further evidence of what caused the #4 exhaust valve failure. (starboard)
After removing the elbows and end caps, was shocked the find a large amount of sand/gravel packed into the manifolds just below the elbows. Here's a picture of the Port manifold and its contents.

The starboard manifold was worse and nearly fully plugged. The previous owner mentioned cooling challenges, but the shop he was working with had him focusing on the raw water pump because they felt not enough raw water was being fed to the engine. He invested in a more robust full brass pump from a specialty guy in California. I have the Canadian import paperwork for it. With this discovery it seems he could have saved himself some money by just cleaning out the manifolds.

I'll be adding a strainer to the bilge and converting the manifolds to a closed/heated setup like is done on the slightly later 888 version of the engine. I have purchased the recirculation end caps already. They're just like the end caps that came original on the front of the manifolds. I'll also most likely install a closed cooling system. Talk more about that in the future.

After cleaning and flushing out all the debris, I finished breaking down the manifolds by removing their studs. This is a fresh water boat and they came out pretty easily.


Into a bath of vinegar and salt for a couple weeks at which point I'll rinse and neutralize them and let them dry out before finish. Not sure if I'll get them coated by a specialist or media blast them myself and just paint them in my shop. Appreciate any thoughts/advice you have.......

Quick update.

Last week sent engine off to a couple different shops for refurbishment:
Cylinder heads went to Randy at Brzezinski Racing Products. National reputation for working cast iron heads/intake manifolds.
Short block (block, crank, rods/pistons, flywheel, pressure plate, damper, drive pulley) went to Scott at NVR Racing.

Both guys are local and have been great to work with initially.
Both vendors will initially clean and inspect the components. If viable, machining will take place.

Plan for Cylinder heads: mild porting, hardened seats, valves, cut down rocker pedestals to accepts screw in studs and guide plates

Plan for Short Block: bore block, check main caps for alignment, polish crank/champfer oil passages, refurbish rods (i supplied two used factory replacements but may need to use after market), new pistions, rings, bearings, balance all to within a couple grams.

I will reassemble.

Been working on the cockpit windscreen, transom and leg drive components. Updates shortly.

Previous owner noted the Port fuel tank wasn't being measured at the fuel gauge.


The first time I met the boat I noted the selector switch felt broken.


Prying the sides of the switch cover back and over the 4 ears of the lower switch body, I was able to access the internals.

Two of the detent springs had come unattached.

Turns out a former 'maintenance man' apparently tried to modify the switch to resolve a solution looking for a problem.

Doing a little research, these switches were used in other applications including Triumph Motorcycles. It is a 3-position switch, Right Off, Center On, Left On. When in the center position, a contact in the center of the switch is meant to bridge with a contact on the left of the switch. The center tabs were bent down and away, and the 'Rube Goldberg' metallic tab and screw pictured were added to the switch with no effect. Additionally, by bending the center tabs down and away, one of the position detents was eliminated making it a two-position switch which could only read one tank. I was able to remove Rube's work and discard and return the center tabs to their original positions. With all three detent positions restored, I was able to figure out how to wire the switch to read both tanks. I removed the senders from each tank and wired them to the switch, gauge and bench top power supply.


All Off


Starboard on


Port on

Everything works great!
Notice how the amps drawn change as I reposition the floats on each sender.


I applied a couple pieces of measuring tape to one of the tanks and was able to get a good picture of the painted label. I submitted the picture to www.replacementdecals.com/ and was delighted to get a response within a couple days. I’m happy with the quality; appears to be an exact replica.

Tempo Long Cruise 18 Gallon Gasoline Fuel Tank Decal Sticker - Style 2 1970's
$29.95
Item #: F-TNK-TL18-S2
I received a pair of decals for the $29.95 price
As the weather warms up, I'll media blast, repaint and apply the decals.

Can any of you offer advice on paint shades/numbers?

Additionally, do you have any suggestions for mat material I can use to create a small air gap under the tanks when I put them back in the boat?

Tempo (no longer in business) made this kit.....
Includes brackets that grab edges of tank, stainless screws & plastic straps to space tank off floor. Plastic is UHMW.

Thanks for the response....would you happen to have a picture or part number......perhaps this is somthing i might be able to recreate....I'll have a look on eBay

Sorry, I thought I had attached a picture

Sorry, I thought I had attached a picture

Thanks very much Jim.....eBay seller had a pair, new in the package for $20 shipped!! This should work out great!

Been a little while since I posted. My job has been getting in the way of boat projects.
I've been advancing work on the outdrive and cockpit windscreen, which I will share in the next couple weeks.

Exciting news for this week is that the guy helping me with the hull completed his work. The finished results are beyond what I imagined.
Some before and after pictures. Pardon my finger in couple shots, it was 15 degrees with 0 degree windchill and very bright....couldn't see what i was doing and too cold to care too much.

Floor was ground, sanded, fibergalssed and gel coated:





Inner Transom Board, 1" thick plywood, was removed (was screwed in with lag bolts) New board was bonded to the transon and completely fiberglassed and gel coated.



I also had him remove the engine mounting board in the bilge (red cricle) which was used for inline engine mounting. This tidies up the bilge nicely and provides additional space.

Continuing the last post, I am floored with the results: (he was also surprised how well the gel coat was preserved under the grime)
I believe his ability to fill imperfections, mix/match and apply gel coat and restore the remaining original gel coat is that of a true artisan. He's close to hanging the career up, and suggested he's unlikely to tackle a project like this again. (his bread an butter is insurance work) He apparently chose to do it, because the boat was in such good shape for its age. (kept mostly indoors)

Transom was riddled with holes and patches:



Dock rash including marring/gouging is gone:



The winch had do battle with the boat several times also. (now gone)



The deck was completely transformed.


He used a method of scotch bright pads, scrubbing and cleaning to bring the anti-skid and simulated vinyl top (fiberglass) back to life. A lot of patient work.

Okay...next steps. Have to replicate the port side decal. Also, contacting local marinas/boat shops to identify and reserve storage rack space. I like to store it indoors on a rack for a couple months, especially while it's still cold and make a run at restoring its original Holsclaw trailer.

Looking great! Good luck with trailer restoration. I learned a lot from other posts in the trailer section. I was lucky and found a great powder coat company 2 miles from the house that tumbled the whole frame instead of sandblasting.

Thanks for the comments Doctor. I've never considered/heard of tumbling items other than nuts/bolts.

I do have a powder coating connection and received Power Coat brand/color code advice from Mr. Moreau of FB.
Apparently I may be blazing a new trail by trying to fit modern electric brakes to a Holsclaw boat trailer

I sure liked the results I got from the Powder Coat professionals. I am sure traditional sand blast and paint would also get nice results, but I didn't have rust - just mostly several coats of miss-matched paint to get rid of. Good luck blazing the trail installing your brakes...I enjoy learning from trail blazers.

Family found!!

Over the past year, i've been able to find some sales literature on my boat, but no siblings.








Not too long ago, this boat was for sale in California. Same hull, hull color, windshield/bow rail, upholestery and flooring as mine, but open top and called a Sealiner 20.














Nice to know other relatives exist..............

Larsspar,
Thanks for pointing me over here...I don't usually venture into the 70's. So THAT'S your boat. A real beauty. I wasn't even aware of the Newporter. I admit I know little about Glasspar beyond the Seafair series, and even less about the post 1967 Larson years.

Does this cuddy have an open cabin or are there bulkheads and a door? I was surprised to learn that many early cuddy cabins were open to the elements, like the Cruisers Inc. 370 and 570, and also the early 60's Delmar. Also, do you have those cool stern rails and engine cover shown in the ad? Looks like a great place to catch some rays!

Even more impressive to me than the condition of your boat is the methodical and CLEAN way you work on things. I'm usually a total mess, tools all over the place, tripping on and losing them. I need to take some lessons from you!

Keep up the great work, and good to meet you!
Eric

Hello Eric,

thanks for kind words. Helps keep all us of moving on our projects.

I was originally shopping for a Seafair just like you own. I agree with all the feelings relayed in your posts when you were on the hunt. I stumbled onto this boat and was smitten. Appeared to be a true survivor and the Mercruiser drive line was right up my alley. Biggest selling point was its originality and completeness. Even has the optional Pilot Seat. My boat resembles the model in the Black/White advertisement with the simple engine cover and stern seats. Agree that the stern rail and sunbathing platform in the color advertisement look very cool. I appreciate the Larson products are not as loved as the original Glasspars, but I do like it's lines and features. (linear 70's)

If you scroll to the bottom of the Gallery list, you will find a couple dozen pictures of the boat as purchased.
Yes, it does have a cabin similar to yours with its original porta-potty. The bulk head is made of veneered plywood with a simple slab door that swings out. I was studying the thread on Seafair cabin doors and believe I'll be making some upgrades. I like how the Seafair doors fold down and in. Instead of mahogony, I'll likely use Elm, which the veneered plywood is meant to simulate.

Some of the boats cokpit resembles 70's Coleman camper. It has an ice box and water tight compartment under the pilots seat. All the original vinyl upholstery is in pretty good shape.

Finally the brightwork is in complete and serviceable...just needs some polishing. I was blown away by the finish you acheived on your boat's trim pieces!

I hope to pick the hull up from a sign shop tomorrow, where I'm getting help with restoration of the port side decal, addition of the cabin accents in the black/white advertisement and registration numbers. Update to follow shortly.

Exciting day today......the outsourcing of hull exterior work is complete! Worked with Tucker at Oconomowoc Sign.
He helped recreate the Port side decal, cabin accents and and hull identification numbers. (all in the same color blue as the original decals as requested) Although not requested, Tucker threw in a Starboard side decal, which I was able to take home, if I want to replace the original in the future.

I'm happy with all the results! Wish I was closer to getting back on the water.








I do notice a slight 'wave' created in the Port side decal when it was applied, which I think I can live with.



Very happy with the way the registration numbers turned out.



Tucker and his crew were able to turn the work around in a week! Great service. Great to work with.

Next step in my plan is to turn my attention to the trailer. After the trailer I'll begin reassembling the boat.
I wanted to have the boat placed on a storage rack at one of my local service providers. (plan 'A') When I inquired, each one quoted me season rates for on-demand put in/take out services. (to my dismay, they didn't offer flat rate rack storage per month)

So, plan 'B' is to build wood horses for the stern and keel towards the bow. Something like this that I found on the web via YouTube.

Looks sturdy and safe enough where I won't inadvertantly crush myself.
The idea is the to build the horses several inches taller than the height of the keel of the boat on the trailer.
1) Lower the trailer jack so the tongue is touching the ground. This raises the stern up in the air.
2) Slide the stern horse under the keel/stern
3) Raise the trailer jack up. As the trailer levels, the boat rests on the stern horse as opposed to the trailer
4) Use my engine crane with a strap through the bow ring, to lift the bow off the trailer.
5) Roll the trailer forward enough to place the bow keel horse under the boat
6) Remove crane and drive trailer away
Sounds simple enough.......I'll breathe a sigh of relief if successful.
If successful in my driveway, I'll rent a 10 x 25 storage unit an leave it in their until the trailer is complete.

What do you think....is this rational??

That method worked for me a year ago so I could roll out the trailer for restoration. It sat cradled until I restored the trailer and reversed the process to get the trailer back under. Smile and sigh of relief for me. I did it alone, so I took my time and thought every step through a few times before each step… and I reminded myself not to get under or between any possible pinch points if something unexpectedly broke or weight shifted if I overlooked anything. I try to be careful, because in my 20s, I lost an older co-worker a few years after working with him as I read where he had put cinder blocks on their side when bracing his car for an oil change at home which is not how they hold their load. It cracked and settled enough to pin him under against his chest. He couldn’t call out for help and suffocated in the garage while his wife was making their lunch. That sad story really sticks with me and I never want something preventable like that to happen to anyone else. Your plan seems thought out and has been duplicated before, so I am confident you will play it safe and get it done. Great progress and love the pictures!

If I may make one suggestion. After you get your braces placed and the trailer removed put cross tie 2x4s connecting the bow and stern braces. An "X" pattern would be strong and keep your braces from sh----ing out. During the course of your trailer work you will on occasion want to "check out" the boat and sturdy bracing would prevent any unforseen ooooops.

Thanks for the validating my plan Doctor.

Always hate to hear stories simimilar to the one about your co-worker.
Truly tragic and a situation we all want to avoid.

Sabre, good idea on the additional cross bracing.......I'll likely have to build a little courage to slide under the boat!!

Update for those boaters who are also motorheads......(appreciate this is a boat site)

I have my cylinder heads back from Randy at Brzezinski Racing Products, Inc and they look great!

If you recall, I wasn't sure whether the Starboard head was still viable as it dropped a valve in cylinder #4 which destroyed the piston and beat the head pretty good before the whole thing bent a rod and seized.




So Randy dissassembled, cleaned, pressure tested and magnifluxed the heads and determined all looked good.
The results are awesome!
He shared that Ford castings are generally more robust than say GM/Chevrolet castings of the era, which helped the components survive the event. (Randy primarily works Chevrolet heads)


The Mercruiser 215 is an interesting engine. Mercruiser took a Ford 302 (Windsor) short block and topped it with more freely breathing 351 Windsor heads. Mercruiser also added a Ford cast iron 4 bbl intake manifold and topped it with a Holley 4160 carburetor. 1969 351 Windsor heads are not easy to come by, so I'm glad they were not destroyed.

Randy asked for specifications of my planned engine build and then rebuilt the heads around those specifications.

My goal is to build an engine that idles smoothly, and gets out of the hole and on plane quickly, while providing slightly higher top end. I'm also choosing modern components such as a roller valve train to lower friction and increase reliablility especially when cruising at 3K rpm or higher. (not cheap)

I have chosen to use a Comp Cams SK31-412-8 Magnum 206/206 Hydraulic Roller Cam. (retrofit kit)
This is the most tame roller cam made by Comp Cams for the Ford small block.

Using the cam specifications and understanding it's a marine engine., Randy performed the following:

• Deburred the castings
  Replaced the valve guides
  Installed brass plugs
  Slightly blended the combustion chambers
  Removed press in rocker arm studs
  Machined the rocker bosses down .300"
  Tapped the rocker bosses for 7/16" screw in rocker studs and pushrod guide plates
  Surfaced the heads to 61cc combustion chambers
  Installed hardened exhaust valve seats
  Ported the exhaust valve pockets
  Ground valve seats
  Installed new valve seals, Manly Intake Valves, Ferrea exhaust valves, Iskey Springs, BRP retainers, Manly valve cups
  Setup valve spring heights to match my chosen camshaft

I've purchased the following components to complete the top end of the engine:

• ARP 7/16" Rocker studs
  Comp Cams Guide Plates
  Comp Cams hardened push rods (specified per the camshaft)
  Comp Cams Magnum Roller Rockers standard 1:1.6 ratio

Between the roller valve train, strengthened and balanced short block, and the as adverstised, Mercruiser 'Jet Thrust Exhaust', I'm hoping that if I ever run into Jan (Nautilus) and one of his Big Block Chevy boats, I'll be able to keep up with him.

Heads look great… you certainly are not compromising on this build. Can’t wait to learn more as you go. I can see where an experienced machine shop can make sure every detail is supporting exactly what spec’s you are trying to achieve. I will sit on the pier with popcorn and cold refreshments when you and Jan take over the lake for a few spirited runs! My understanding is those small cc pinch chamber heads give good compression and also good quench to ward off pinning and provide a great burn for more hp as you increase compression. What are you expecting for compression? This engine should sound very nice!