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by John DeVries
Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:30 am
Forum: Odds & Ends
Topic: Flip this boat
Replies: 10
Views: 7964

flipping boat

Pete, Here's how I do it. The Carter-Craft was a real feather-weight, so using a couple of 2" x 4"s for the beam in this instance worked fine. The straps are looped through a pair of keel rollers that are through-bolted to the beam. The strap ends are connected with something similar to carbine hook...
by John DeVries
Sat Dec 09, 2006 8:22 pm
Forum: Hull Construction
Topic: Strut Alignment for new Keel
Replies: 16
Views: 13491

Keel work

Noel,


Your idea of pressing the drill bit into a steel tube, rather than welding it to a rod sounds pretty slick. It has to beat welding and trying to keep the joint straight. I'm really looking forward to giving it a try.


John
by John DeVries
Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:10 pm
Forum: Hull Construction
Topic: Strut Alignment for new Keel
Replies: 16
Views: 13491

shaft alignment

Bill, Since you don’t have the fore/aft position of the prop shaft strut, I can only offer an idea of how I would approach this. No guarantees here and if anybody sees flaws in this idea, jump in. Measure the distance from the rear edge of the hull to the trailing edge of the prop shaft hole before ...
by John DeVries
Mon Nov 27, 2006 6:43 pm
Forum: Hull Construction
Topic: Strut Alignment for new Keel
Replies: 16
Views: 13491

strut alignment

Sammy, Using the old keel/garboard pieces, get the distance from the center of rear strut holes to the transom and mark the hole locations on the new bottom. Position the strut using these marks and making the side edges of the strut as parallel as possible to the seams between the keel and garboard...
by John DeVries
Fri Nov 24, 2006 6:23 pm
Forum: Hull Construction
Topic: Strut Alignment for new Keel
Replies: 16
Views: 13491

Sammy, Use the old garboards and keel as templates to determine hole locations for the prop shaft strut and rudder. To make the angled hole for the prop shaft, weld a forstner drill bit to the end of a steel shaft that can be chucked into your drill. The shaft needs to be long enough to extend throu...
by John DeVries
Sat Nov 11, 2006 12:19 am
Forum: Hardware & Rigging
Topic: seeking info on re-chroming on East Coast
Replies: 13
Views: 11294

rechroming

Could the guy who e-mailed me for information on buffing stainless resend so I can reply? The original e-mail was accidentally deleted.


John DeVries
by John DeVries
Sat Nov 11, 2006 12:12 am
Forum: Odds & Ends
Topic: Lifting a boat
Replies: 6
Views: 6406

boat lifting

I agree with Bill Basler that the material should be steel (with welded trussing) if one lifting point is used. I think I've seen an illustration of the lift you're talking about, and lifting with an individual chain hoist on each lift ring (if possible) would be more stable. With only one central l...
by John DeVries
Thu Nov 02, 2006 6:55 pm
Forum: Engines & Powertrain
Topic: Proper Crank for 327F?
Replies: 3
Views: 4531

283/327

If I remember correctly, the 327 block and 283 crank combination was what we called a 301 CI "stroker". It was popular with street rodders in the '60s looking for tons of RPM from a small block Chevy. Rodding magazines from that time featured them regularly. I'm sure the excess RPM reduced longevity...
by John DeVries
Wed Nov 01, 2006 11:19 pm
Forum: Odds & Ends
Topic: Bogart Movie using CC
Replies: 22
Views: 18273

Bogart Movie

Hey Everybody, FYI Turner Classic Movies is showing "Key Largo" this Saturday night at midnight, eastern time. The boat has a short part (about the last 15 minutes of the movie) but the movie is really good. Edward G. Robinson does a terrific job of what he did best - playing the part of a real cree...
by John DeVries
Sat Oct 28, 2006 9:24 am
Forum: Engines & Powertrain
Topic: Reversing the oil pan...
Replies: 4
Views: 4698

oil pan

James, Just a thought . . . Carving up an oil pan on a rare engine may be something you would regret later. If the pan is one of the special fabricated parts for the marine conversion, the engine could lose value from its modification. Maybe you could find a similar pan and modify that to fit, or ha...
by John DeVries
Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:50 am
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Z Spar or Epifanes Varnish?
Replies: 13
Views: 13158

Varnish choice

Tom, My recommendation would be to try both on stained scrap wood and then pick the one y ou like best. I would also add Z-Spar Captains and Interlux Schooner to the test group. Schooner doesn't seem to like lacquer thinner (it reacted like Zip-Strip) for a post-sanding wash, so if you do try it, us...
by John DeVries
Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:07 pm
Forum: Engines & Powertrain
Topic: New EFI engine for old Chris Crafts
Replies: 7
Views: 7593

It's unfortunate that "rustnrot" has such a negative opinion of Hercules engines. They will always be welcome in my shop. Few things are simpler than a carburated L-head six cylinder engine and nothing else can match "that sound". There are a finite number of our wood boats left and I think "restora...
by John DeVries
Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:38 am
Forum: Odds & Ends
Topic: Odds & Ends
Replies: 9
Views: 7253

St. Louis

Al,


Congradulations, Al. I'm pleased for you and the Cards. My team, the Cubs, as usual, came up a little short in the NL Central Division. Wait till next year.

It's going to be really nice to see two of the older teams in baseball with long dry spells finally in the World Series.

John
by John DeVries
Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:16 am
Forum: Hardware & Rigging
Topic: seeking info on re-chroming on East Coast
Replies: 13
Views: 11294

chroming

Hey Guys, Thanks for the kind words. I should have mentioned that the 113 pieces for our 1955 Continental were grouped into about 10-12 photos, with the parts arranged for easy visual identification, and leaving enough room for identification numbers next to each piece. As for the stainless steel ru...
by John DeVries
Sat Oct 14, 2006 6:48 pm
Forum: Engines & Powertrain
Topic: REVERSE - proper operation????
Replies: 8
Views: 8227

transmission

Joe, I'm glad you asked about the trans cover bolt interference problem because our cover is completly flat with all six bolts out in the open. Seems that we have two different models that may or may not be adjusted the same way. The CD your getting has a printable manual for Paragon manual transmis...
by John DeVries
Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:28 pm
Forum: Engines & Powertrain
Topic: cracked block cold pinning vs welding
Replies: 2
Views: 3170

Bill,

Try the site below. A pretty detailed explanation of the different methods of repairing cracks.

The 6 cracks in our ML were furnace welded and it was expensive. The block needed complete remachining.


http://www.aa1car.com/library/ar497c.htm


John
by John DeVries
Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:00 pm
Forum: Engines & Powertrain
Topic: New EFI engine for old Chris Crafts
Replies: 7
Views: 7593

EFI replacement

Ted, When you used the word "heresy" you really hit the nail on the head. Nothing goes so well with the look of a wooden Chris-Craft moving through the water as the sound of a Hercules engine. Remove the sound and you remove a huge part of the aura. I'll give you "efficiency", but would argue "relia...
by John DeVries
Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:19 pm
Forum: Hardware & Rigging
Topic: seeking info on re-chroming on East Coast
Replies: 13
Views: 11294

chroming

It sounds like this might be your first chroming experience. It's a good idea to make two sets of photographs of every piece to be send out. Use a marker to number the pieces on the photos. Keep one set and send the other set along with the parts to be plated. Chromers are noted for losing small pie...
by John DeVries
Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:12 pm
Forum: Engines & Powertrain
Topic: REVERSE - proper operation????
Replies: 8
Views: 8227

transmission adjustment

Joe, Here's a photo of the transmission in our boat. If yours looks the same, try the following. This may cure the jumping out of gear and non-working reverse. It also may be that the transmission has worn parts. Adjustment would be the first step. Jumping out of gear - Bolt No. 1 on the Adjusting R...
by John DeVries
Sat Oct 07, 2006 12:56 pm
Forum: Odds & Ends
Topic: Marine quality Mahogony plywood suppliers?
Replies: 2
Views: 3912

marine grade plywood

Troy, Two common types of marine plywood are Meranti and Okoume. I think Meranti is for surfaces to be painted and Okoume (better looking grain)is for stained & varnished surfaces. Wood marked BS1088 (British Standard) is the good stuff. Contact specialty wood stores in your area with the above requ...
by John DeVries
Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:40 pm
Forum: Engines & Powertrain
Topic: Reversing the oil pan...
Replies: 4
Views: 4698

oil pan

James, If you lowered an original engine on the stringers, the motor/prop shaft alignment would be gone. If you're repowering with a different engine and have a clearance problem between the oil pan and keel, you might consider a dry sump system, rather than modify the existing pan. This way all of ...
by John DeVries
Mon Oct 02, 2006 11:08 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: 1st Restoration of Wooden Boat-1952 18' Chris Craft Riviera
Replies: 11
Views: 12013

1952 riviera

Brian, I just looked in my "Chris-Craft book" and the engines listed for 18' 1950-54 Rivieras were Hercules B, K, KBL, and KL models. These are smaller versions of the MBL that you're thinking about using. The B is a 4-cylinder and the rest are 6-cylinders. The K's are in the lower 200+ cubic inch r...
by John DeVries
Sun Oct 01, 2006 10:07 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Sealing the Varnish Can
Replies: 6
Views: 6898

varnish can

J. William, Might try a little more roughage in your diet. Exhaling into cans has worked for me for quite a while now. Is half a gallon of lacquer thinner (with accumulated fumes) less dangerous than a little propane in a well sealed, half-full varnish can? Also, in my shop, EVERYTHING that's flamma...
by John DeVries
Fri Sep 29, 2006 11:22 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Sealing the Varnish Can
Replies: 6
Views: 6898

Al, For a really inexpensive way to keep varnish from skinning over in the can, try this. Take a deep breath (the deeper, the better) and hold it as long as possible. Then exhale into the varnish can and reattach the lid. Carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen and settles to make a non-evaporative ba...
by John DeVries
Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:47 pm
Forum: Finishing
Topic: Canvasing Cabin Tops
Replies: 13
Views: 14322

Canvas Roof

Al,

It's a little late to bring this up now, but do think a wetting agent (reduces water surface tension) might have helped the borate solution saturate the canvas? As long as it wouldn't compromise the sizing process, it sounds like it would make the job a lot easier.

John
by John DeVries
Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:32 pm
Forum: Cockpit and Cabin Interiors
Topic: Headliner, 64 Chris Cleaning
Replies: 3
Views: 5347

headliner

Try Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I use these things on the white flooring in our boat and they work great.

John
by John DeVries
Thu Sep 28, 2006 7:01 pm
Forum: Hardware & Rigging
Topic: steering column removal
Replies: 5
Views: 5087

steering wheel column

Bill,


We have a sealed bearing in the top of the tube that the shaft rides in. Can't remember if this contributed to any difficulty getting the tube out. It might have. On our boat, most of the things that were hard to remove or take apart just needed some "gentle persuasion".


John
by John DeVries
Wed Sep 27, 2006 10:51 pm
Forum: Engines & Powertrain
Topic: KB series compression issue
Replies: 8
Views: 5819

kb compression

Razz, I read once that 90 lb. was OK, 105 was very good, and 120 lb. was excellent. 120 lb. on our industrial based motors seems optimistic. I'm happy with 95-100 lbs. Does no leakage at the carb, exhaust, or dip stick mean that you did a leak down test? If not, this would be the thing to do. It not...
by John DeVries
Wed Sep 27, 2006 3:26 pm
Forum: Hardware & Rigging
Topic: "volcano" stantion bases
Replies: 3
Views: 4167

John DeVries

I've seen several types of stantions made from stainless steel at online marine stores. Polish the stainless and it looks like chrome.
by John DeVries
Wed Sep 27, 2006 3:20 pm
Forum: Hardware & Rigging
Topic: steering column removal
Replies: 5
Views: 5087

John DeVries

Bill, This fix is probably too obvious, but in our boat the steering shaft is housed in a chromed tube. The tube is secured with a clamp down at the box. If this is the situation with your boat, the clamp can be loosened and the tube pulled out through the dash. The smaller OD of the shaft would pro...