Saving an Square Windshield 'BU

[Woodski]

@2014Skier: very nice and the build threads will be great reading. You might want to do a search on this site for "fuel line hammer" which is where having a hard line connecting the two fuel rails causes a problem. It appears the braided connector line you are using might be either rubber or perhaps Teflon which could offer the proper amount of damping for that condition. Just an FYI if that happens with your setup. Looks great.

[Mullinsracing]

Great read...Any progress?

[2014Skier]

I've rebuilt and hopped up the Velvet Drive, I started a new thread for that so it was there for reference, Rebuilding and Increasing Torque Capacity of a Velvet Drive 71c.

Also almost got the motor buttoned up under Building and Swapping an LSx into an old Skier. So progress is happening...At a snails pace though.

Once the motor and trans are married I'll start posting on this thread again and try to link all three together.

[2014Skier]

This thread is alive again. I got the bottom of the boat sanded, polished, coated with sealer, and then waxed. The sides still need to be polished with 3m finesse it,sealed, and waxed so they will look better. Last night I went over to my buddies shop and we flipped her right side up. It was way easier flipping it this time as she naturally wants to sit this way. There are lots of small things to do first but I'm scheming gelcoat color schemes. I'm thinking basically everything that was white switched to the red metal flake, and anything that was purple now black. The only change would be that the bow would be all black starting where the red flake ends as it meets the rub rail line. I think it would be kinda cool as a tribute to the original pattern. Any suggestions?

Edited June 24, 2015 by 2014Skier

[rugger]

damn that thing is gonna be slick. Can't wait for final results. So much work -- nice job and thanks again for sharing it.

[ahopkins22LSV]

That looks sweet! Black bow would be hot but awesome looking. So hot

[2014Skier]

Thanks guys, I know its not the most exciting thread right now, but good to see people are still into it. I agree the black will be hot, but I'm gonna try to keep it away from anywhere people will be resting their arms etc regularly. I think the black nose along with blacked out windshield should look pretty sinister.

Not a whole ton of progress lately minus getting the hull right side up.

I drilled all the holes for the 4 sets of pop up cleats I'm putting in, along with the pop up bow light. I also drilled the exhaust holes out to fit the 4" tips. Nothing fancy going on right now, just trying to get the hull all prepped and ready for gel-coat. I really don't wanna be drilling into my fresh gel once it's all laid down. I'm hoping to get the top sprayed in the next two weeks or so, I'm off to Vegas for this set of 4 days off so won't be getting any work done.

[Malibu Jordy]

Any progress is still progress steve. Keep up the good work man. Hopefully you strike it big in vegas to fund this project!

[2014Skier]

Slow as molasses in December, but its coming along. I got the gel sprayed on the top, just waiting to get around to sand and polish it, the basic pattern in there, though there is still lots of overspray that will be sanded off so the final pattern will look slightly different. I put two triangles on the bow, in red flake, but I'm not totally in love with them, I'll see how it turns out once the finished product is done, I'm thinking I might just sand them right off and have an all black bow.

If things go the way I hope I'll be fabbing up the engine cradle next week, and that will allow me to finally get the motor in, but the way work and family life is going these days I don't really have a ton of time to work on the boat.

[2014Skier]

I think I mentioned it, but if not, I'm using PCM ZR 6.0 exhaust manifolds for now. They are cast iron so heavy, and wont flow as good as set of headers but I don't have the money for a nice set of Hi-tek's or the like right now, and they were the best compromise I could find. It kills me to throw those things on this motor, cause I know they are gonna choke it up, but such is life for now. What I really want to get my hands on is a set of headers off a pre cat LSA, or any LS3, but they harder to find and more expensive then I thought.

These manifolds don't have a provision for O2 sensors, they way I'm getting around that is this. Using a hole saw, I'm cutting a hole in the outer jacket of the manifold in as flat a spot as I could find. I'm then gonna make a steel ring out of some pipe and cut it down to fit in the hole then braze it in there. Then I'll just drill and tap the hole in the inner wall of the manifold for an O2 sensor, easy peasy.

I'm in the process of making new coil brackets to mount the coils under the manifolds, and then the package will be ready to mount up.

[Malibu Jordy]

Right on man! looks like it should be together for next spring!

[2014Skier]

Thanks, that is what I'm hoping, get it running and rigged over winter and then work out the kinks on the water in time for spring, at which point it will be almost three years....

[Levi900RR]

This is the best thread ever. Oh and you prolly should change your username to 2016skier

Nice job.

[2014Skier]

Ha ha thanks. Maybe it will be 2016 Skier, I never woulda thought that two years ago. I just don't wanna bug the mods with a name change every year?

[Mtn308]

I agree this is a great thread... Really can't wait to see the end result

[Woodski]

@20xxSkier: great solution on the O2's. I ended up making the fiberglass in front of the dash and behind the windshield black to reduce glare. Helped a lot and makes the CFO happy.

[2014Skier]

I finally got time to get the motor cradle built over the last few days, the front tracking fin is in along with the bottom pylon mount. The upper pylon mount, mounts to the engine cradle using some angles and 3M4200 to keep it all tight. The cradle is made out of 4x4 1/4" aluminum angle, and at the front there are two angles bolted on that interact with the original upper pylon mount. At the rear of the cradle are two more angles that will hold the cross member that the hinges for the motor box will bolt to. The cradle attaches to the stringers with 3 3/8" bolts on each side that run through holes in the stringers that are encased in resin, the heads are welded to a plate on the inside of the stinger to lock is all together. On the final assembly I used a bunch of 3M4200 to glue the cradle to the stringers, I hope I never have to take it out. The bolts all come through from the back of the cradle into the bilge, so I had to counter sink all the bolt holes, this makes assembly very difficult, but I can't see these items needing to be removed in the near future, if at all. The motor can be pulled by taking the mounts apart at the big threaded part and leaving the mounting brackets in place. With this cradle system I have no fasteners or holes into wood so there should be no chance of rot ever starting.

[2014Skier]

After the cradle was installed I had to jockey the motor in, it wouldn't just drop in, as the rear mounts had to slide into the middle of the "C" mount and then I could drop the font mounts down on top of the studs. I don't have the strut in so no prop shaft to line anything up to but I think its is close, if there is gonna be a problem its going to be that the front of the motor is too high I think, which I don't really know how I'm gonna solve that problem if that is the case. The doghouse almost closes flat, but not quite so I might have to modify that, the problem is that the throttle body is sticking up and out so far that it hits the top front. I didn't have a chance to really look into it, I ran outta time and I dont wanna try to solve a problem that I might not even have. Next step in my mind is to install the strut, prop shaft, and log, and see about getting the motor / shaft aligned, if I can do that then I'll worry about the intake. I may have to make some sort of a external filter housing that just seals to a plate mounted to the throttle body and is permanently attached to the motor box, kinda like a old shaker scoop. The cold air would be great but the intake noise may be a bit too much. In any event, she's in there.

[Malibu Jordy]

Nice job man! Coming together nicely

[Woodski]

@2014 Skier: nice work. I have a cold air intake on mine, intake air actually enters from the original cup holder holes in the doghouse and routes up to a rearward facing plenum surrounding the spark arrestor. Noise is really only audible at idle and actually sounds quite nice. Probably not a solution you want to consider, but flipping the intake manifold 180 and having a rear facing TB could be a doghouse interference solution.

[2014Skier]

@Woodski, I have thought about flipping the intake but it was because I thought it would be a good place to mount the heat exchanger. I ended up planning on getting a stringer mount style one. Though I do like your cup holder cold air intake idea, and may steal it. You can flip the intakes on LS motors front to back, everything still lines up so I will consider that once the motor is aligned.

[ahopkins22LSV]

The prostar Mastercraft used for the sky fly jump this past august had a hood scoop on it and it looked pretty sweet. I did a quick search for a picture but I couldn't find it. I would imagine if you fab'd something up for yours it would be pretty awesome too.

[2014Skier]

This scoop came on the older Prostars with the BBC, looks awesome to me, and it clears the tow rope, this may be my solution, or something like it. That exact scoop is for sale on eBay but for $350...

Edited October 2, 2015 by 2014Skier

[martinarcher]

^^ That looks so mean and awesome to me.

[Michigan boarder]

So how's it coming? Will she be ready for a test ride in a few months?