68 Wildcat 440 Project

I,m a new guy starting a new project. Looking forward to learning about CC restoration.I found Wild Blue through a friend of a friend (the Wildcat is blue). W.B.was sitting bow down exposed 30 something years,so as you might guess,most of the wood is mulch.My plans are leave everything I can original.W.B. looks exactly like the Wildcat in the 1968 brochure. After reading about stringer repairs and such for the last month I realize it might take three to five years to finish do to time and $$$$$$, but that's alright because she's a looker and I feel it will be worth it. I hope it's ok if I hang around picking your brains.
To date I now have the 440 unstuck, dist.unstuck,alt.unstuck,starter still stuck, manifolds off,cooling system drawn on paper, sandblasting engine parts, and am stripping everything off I can to catalog. It took some time to get the title to the boat straight, and am still trying to get the title to the trailer LOL. Hope to pull the 440 this week. Look forward to looking inside the oil pan and under the bearing caps. I'll keep you posted. Please share your thoughts. Mike S. @ Smith Mtn.Lake Va

This may be a dumb newbie question, Here goes. When you say archives, are you referring to searches on this site, or some closet at the factory, or both?
   This pic is where I found her. Kinda like a new birth photo. I have started jacking the trailer out of the ground.
Mike S @ SML

wild blue wrote: When you say archives, are you referring to searches on this site, or some closet at the factory, or both?

I am referring to the Search option within this site.
Key word searches work very well.

wild blue wrote:      Hey Air206,can' believe it but we are lake neighbors. Out of 500 miles of shoreline I,m at Grimes Creek as well (R39). My dock is straight back where you must make a U-turn. Green roof and orange pontoon boat docked there, or it was before the rain 2 days ago. Give me a shout if you see anything like that float by. Thanks for the offer to help out extracting 440 however Wild Blue is away from SML now. My son-n-law has a grade-all at work that can pick it quick. I made a stand to set the 440 on to jack it up to drop the oil pan. Has wheels so I can move it. Thanks again though. I'll catch you with E-mail soon. Mike S @ SML

No way Mike! There is another CCfan member wayyyyyyy down by the damn. Glad you are close.... we are building a house on our property... the point lot with the the mosaic retaining wall and beautiful street lamp near the water (I love that lamp!!) . The 206 is in the single lift. Walk up and grab a hammer and some nails!

I'll call ya soon........ BTW - just came back from the lake tonight... water was over the stationery docks and the floaters are higher than the catwalks..... crazy sight (It has apparently already dropped 8.8 inches from it's max and looks like that!) Good News - no Orange Pontoon floating along.........

Steve

Hey Steve,
Checked on things today, and felt lucky it quit raining when it did. Lots of trash floating and the water is stained. Someone lost a green and white stingray up around R42. Got within 1 inch of covering the deck of my stationery dock. Pontoon is floating fine. If tomorrow is as nice as today was (72),Sunday traffic running through all the debris up our end of the lake
You have a real nice place. Makes me want to get my ringer washing machine off the front porch. Talk with you soon, Mike S @ SML

The Wildcat was a high end boat like the Barracuda. Unlike our 66 Mustang which had the commercial wall papering for flooring, our 67 Barracuda and my friends 66 Wildcat had a rubber like foor. I have not seen that material for sale any where. I know of a '68 Barracuda that still has some of the orgianl flooring in it and it has nautolex type flooring which is still available in some colors. My friend bought his Wildcat new and I remember it well as a kid. It had padded white side panels and seats same as the Barracuda. I think they started changing the seats from the wood bases to the metal frames in 68. If you look in the brochures, the 68 seats look different. The 68 Barracuda I've seen had the newer type of seats.

I've always liked that blue Wildcat in the brochure. I've never heard of one with a 440 in it. That will be a cool boat, well worth the effort to restore it.

Riley/Pete
Thank's for the replies.Sorry I have not been able to move pics to forum. Any hints or suggestions? I'd be grateful.
The seats have an alum. frame like want I've seen for Mustangs, but sit taller. Got 1 weld cracked and 1 weld broken both repairable. The back of the back cushion is 1/4 in. ply wrapped in vinyl with a pocket with a flap attached to the center of it.
The pic of the 68 cudaSS floor covering reminds me of the material that was used in trunks of cars in the 60's-70's. I'm thinking a good weather resistant vinyl with a grain to it (auto top?)might work,and be able to take dye if need be. I guess I'm long range thinking. Need to see the insides of the M440 first. No need picking colors too far before the house is built. So Wildcats w/ 440's are rare. Makes me feel better about investing the $$$$$$$$.
Mike S. @ SML

Mike, I don't know what color that is, but it was popular with Mustangs and Skylarks. You don't see a whole lot of Wildcats of any color, but I've never seen one that color except for in the brochure. Nice color on that boat.

If your seat frames looks like these, I'd like to see some pics of what the seats looked like if you have them.

Look on the kick board, sometimes there's original flooring on it. This is what's left of a 68 Barracuda.

Sopwith??

Mike,
Regarding the posting of pictures, first use the "post reply" and not the "quick reply". In the "post reply". you'll see a icon with a tree and arrow. Click on it and a "browse" window will come up. Click on it and yo'll be able to post pictures that are on your computer. Be careful on the size posted. If too large, it makes the thread hard to read.

Pete'
Thanks for the info about flooring. Saved time I'm sure.
Getting closer to posting images. Tanks to you. Can you tell me how to reduce image size from 1750kb to 500kb?

thanks again,

Mike S. @ SML

Riley,

The seat frame is like yours' except the lower part is taller.
After 30 years exposed the only thing in the floor of this boat was 2 inches of top soil growing weeds and moss. The padded side panels are good for a pattern, Only rotted away 3 inches up as is the motor box.
Think I'm getting closer to some pics. Thanks to Pete.

Thanks'
        Mike S. @ SML

Mike,
The sofware you use for the pictures on your computer should have a resizing feature. If not, then some will use photobucket.com. You can set the photobucket account to automatically resize any picture downloaded into it. Then you copy the picture from it into the thread. If you're are computer savy as I am, then it gets complicated too!!!

Pete,
Thanks for the info on Photobucket. Going to add this task to my Bucket list. I've enlisted the help of someone smarteryoungerbetterlooking .Hope she can figure this out.

Mike S. @ SML

first try.
Fingers crossed !!!!!