steering wheel removal

Arnie,
Your emblems would have been the die cast/chrome plated and are not available. Some do come up on places like Ebay but watch out for the price!! In good condition, they can be around $300.

It's good to hear that the cutwater wasn't hiding any damage or at least damage that you can see from the outside. How long were the screws used to attach it?     

Arnie,
What you do with the cutwater really depends on what you find under it and to what extent the hull was restored. If whomever did the work did a carefull job then it will just unscrew. However, if the cutwater was put on to cover up/secure the hull sides due to problems with the stem or damage, then removing it will force you to address the problem. CC used a linseed oil and talc bedding compound between all their wood joints and laminations. This dries out in time and you are left with a hull held together with screws and in some cases like their laminations (stem, spray rails, etc.) nails!!! Some may feel the cutwater looks good but others like myself feel it looks out of place on a CC Atom. In a judged ACBS show, it would be one of the first non original items spotted.

What is the condition of the hull? Have you taken a close look at all the seams? Any signs of epoxy simply used to fill bad seams? Any signs of fiberglass on the bottom? Did Merle tell you anything about the work done and who did it?

Arnie,
From the only picture that Merle posted, I can tell you the windshiels is off a Chris Craft and CC never put cutwaters on the Atoms.

Arnie,
I forgot to welcome you to CCfan! You have found the spot for Correct Craft's but by now you should know that.

Make sure you get photo's posted of the project and of course keep it original!! Are you planing on removing any of the non original items Merle put on the boat?

Arnie,
On a 57, you should still have the "Sheerer" wheel and gearbox. They were automotive surplus that most of the boat builders used. The throtle lever (actually the spark advance when used on a car) is fastened to a shaft that runs all the way down the center of the collum. You need to remove the linkage at the bottom of this rod first and then the lever and rod will slide up and out.

Which Atom did you get? What are your plans for the boat?