Thanks guys!
Jim, I've heard very good things about Awlwood. But I've got some MS1 leftover from the toe rail that I'll use on wood that's exposed to harsher conditions.
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Thanks guys!
Jim, I've heard very good things about Awlwood. But I've got some MS1 leftover from the toe rail that I'll use on wood that's exposed to harsher conditions.
For me, so far, it's holding up admirably. Mind you, it's not cheap, so if you have something EQ to it, better to use it up. But, so far, AwlWood is the most durable coating of its kind I've seen.
I've got all of the paint/varnish materials I need to finish up the refit. Once I'm in maintenance mode I'll be looking at alternatives, like Awlwood, that are formulated as brush applied rather than sprayed products.
With almost all of the remaining aft deck mahogany pieces cut and dry-fitted, I finally got around to varnishing them with six coats of 2-part ICA base coat. I did it in two sessions of three coats each, and sanded with 220 between the two sessions. While waiting for the dust to settle before applying the second round of ICA, I installed some of the aft deck mahogany pieces I varnished a while back. As more and more of the aluminum framing and spray foam insulation gets covered, this just keeps getting prettier and prettier.
1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Varnishing the Last of the Aft Deck Mahogany
Cheers,
Q
Six coats of ICA catalyzed clear varnish
https://i2.wp.com/1969chriscraftroam...9/DSC06041.jpg
Installed aft deck mahogany pieces
https://i0.wp.com/1969chriscraftroam...9/DSC06049.jpg
This is the best part.... when it starts coming together.
Definitely.
The ribbon stripe mahogany plywood across the transom, the big mahogany door frames at the helm doors, and the zigzag floor boxes are permanently installed! That turned out super nice!
I also decided on some major shifts to make life more sustainable while I'm going through the discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination complaint process against my former employer. I moved my former knockabout/liveaboard boat in the Swamp to a much more pleasant and cheaper location far away from the nastiness in DC. That boat will be going up for sale in the spring and the Roamer should be splashed shortly thereafter. Please keep your fingers crossed that the goddess of the seas doesn't decide to haul back and kick me in the nether region again for getting too far ahead of myself.
1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing Pretty Aft Deck Mahogany
Cheers,
Q
https://i0.wp.com/1969chriscraftroam...0/DSC06152.jpg
https://i0.wp.com/1969chriscraftroam...0/DSC06137.jpg
Q, what is your plan for the deck itself? Just curious. Work looks great as always.
Not all 427 Ford blocks can be Cobra or GT40 engines- the preferred version of the block is called a 'side-oiler' as the priority oiling is to the main bearings. I think the S.O. blocks also have four-bolt pain caps that are cross-bolted. I'm not sure if all the 427s have those; there was also a version called a 'top oiler' which was not the preferred block for race engines... and anyway, you don't want someone taking the engines out of your boat to build Cobra engines...
For the deck I plan to do as light a sanding as possible before coating with Cetol.
My 427s have the main cap side bolts, down by the oil pan, but I'm not sure if that's the defining feature for side-oilers. I'm no expert on these motors, but I believe all of the 427 FEs benefited from Ford's 427 development program, which I linked to in my blog. But apparently there were lots of different heads and intakes used even for Ford cars and trucks, depending on the application. Some of the Galaxy 500s were reportedly scorching hot, though I'm not sure how they'd compare to what went into the GT40s or Cobras. I'm guessing the race program 427s in GT40s were in a class all by themselves.
What I've read (but claim no expertise in whatsoever) is that side-oilers weren't just rerouted oil galleries, there was reportedly a different casting that included an oil gallery 'bump out' running near the main cap side bolts down the length of the block. Neither of mine have that, so I believe I've got the top oilers.
Either way, everything I've read supports my position that the 427 development program benefitted all versions of the engine. And whether you're running up to 7,000rpm and trying to survive 24-hours of LeMans (with appropriate internals) or 300hp in marine configuration with a max of 4,000rpm and 3,600 sustained, these are all very tough engines. What's necessary to survive 7,000rpm for 24 hours may not be worthwhile at 3,600.
Unfortunately, one of mine has developed a smoking problem and low compression on two cylinders. Cylinder 1 is near an oil passage, which I believe is where the smoke is coming from and the compression is going to. So one of my fall projects will be to rip off the top end and do a valve job/head gasket replacement. It's obsurd for an engine with less than 800 hours on it, but when we first bought the boat it had been badly mistreated by former liveaboard owners and had low compression on those holes. For the price, it was worth it. But before selling it I want to make it work right.
They are amazingly robust engines. If you've had one apart and seen the differences between them and a 427 Chevy-- it's quite noticeable. The main bearing bolts, the caps, etc, it's all huge. The LeMans engines were actually detuned from what the NASCAR engines would do.. because they had to last a lot longer. And the drag motors were really outrageous, because they only had to run for ten seconds at full throttle.
Even the non-side oiler blocks are valuable, now, because they are original Ford 427 FEs. And no one drives them flat-out for 24 hours anyway. And there are reissue side-oiler blocks. But people want original ones... when I built my Ford performance car, I looked for a long time for a vintage block.
Boat looks great, as always. I keep meaning to make a trip down... would love to see it in person.
you need a really strong back for that intake manifold.Quote:
Originally Posted by q240z
it is a bear to work with, especially putting it back on. 2 people is helpful.
you get 1 shot to set it because if its not level it has a tendency to move the gaskets.
very quirky motors but they are beasts.
Thanks guys!
Yes, indeed, that intake manifold is heavy. I already pulled it once so I could plug the exhaust crossover. In retrospect, I should have done the head gaskets at the same time. Ah well...live and learn.
On the Roamer, there are just a few jobs left and the aft deck will be done. One of those involved making moldings for the transom threshold/step-thru. I goofed up when I was >this< close to being finished with one of the more complex pieces, and had to start over. But they ended up looking really nice.
1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Transom Threshold Moldings
Cheers,
Q
Before
https://i0.wp.com/1969chriscraftroam...DSC06127-1.jpg
After
https://i0.wp.com/1969chriscraftroam...0/DSC06103.jpg
https://i0.wp.com/1969chriscraftroam...0/DSC06158.jpg