73 Skier Restoration

Good news thanks Tim! I was getting a little bit nervous there. Getting ready to take her down to my friends place and pull the motor. Then back to digging out foam. Its all happening pretty fast, but I have not started grinding yet.

WakeSlayer wrote: I would defnintely replace the engine seals while you have it out. Otherwise your nice new shiny bilge is going to get full of oil. Guess how I know... Consider your tranny seals too. Check your timing chain. Mine was loose and just a few bucks to replace. You are already there, and these are cheap easy things to do.

Which seals are you referring to? PO said that the rear main seal needed to be replaced. My mechanic said that the worst one to deal with if it is bad would be the "rope seal". I don't know what that is or what is involved so...

I told him to give me an evaluation and ball park for the work he thinks need to be done. Told him I would like to make it look show room, but if there are problems that need to be addressed first we will do the cosmetics next winter. WHen he gets that information to me I will post it here for the ccf members thoughts.   I don't know much about working on engines, but want to learn and eventually do my own mechanical work. Probably more fun than grinding fiber glass for days!

There is a sweet 70's CC Mustang just rotting away not a block from my house. The guy just wants it of his property. If this goes well I may be repeating the process on that boat too.

Keeganino wrote: WakeSlayer wrote: I would defnintely replace the engine seals while you have it out. Otherwise your nice new shiny bilge is going to get full of oil. Guess how I know... Consider your tranny seals too. Check your timing chain. Mine was loose and just a few bucks to replace. You are already there, and these are cheap easy things to do. Which seals are you referring to? PO said that the rear main seal needed to be replaced. My mechanic said that the worst one to deal with if it is bad would be the "rope seal". I don't know what that is or what is involved so... I told him to give me an evaluation and ball park for the work he thinks need to be done. Told him I would like to make it look show room, but if there are problems that need to be addressed first we will do the cosmetics next winter. WHen he gets that information to me I will post it here for the ccf members thoughts.   I don't know much about working on engines, but want to learn and eventually do my own mechanical work. Probably more fun than grinding fiber glass for days! There is a sweet 70's CC Mustang just rotting away not a block from my house. The guy just wants it of his property. If this goes well I may be repeating the process on that boat too.

be carefull with the while Im at it..LOL you will end up redoing the engine..LOL
I think the rope seal the mech is referring is the shaft seal were the prop shaft goes through the hull..in the worst you can simply replace the whole assy with a dripless seal for under $200...but repacking the rope ain´t a hard task..search and you´l find some threads on the subject

thats why I said "I think"..LOL
but a rubber seal can replace a rope seal or it depends on how the block was casted?

I don't believe you can interchange a lip seal for a rope seal or a rope seal for a lip seal. A rope seal has to have two walls to contain it plus an O.D. to compress against simular to how an o-ring groove is machined and would be used. A lip seal only requires a bore for it to be pressed into.

only simularity is they both ride on a polished journal.

there is a learning curve on everything you do in life, and the second time doing something is a result of learning from your mistakes the first time.

eric lavine wrote: there is a learning curve on everything you do in life, and the second time doing something is a result of learning from your mistakes the first time.

So true! That is why I can see myself doing another CC restoration. Eric I would love to consult with you on a few things outside of the forumn. I have been reading your posts and like your realistic approach to restoring these boats.

79nautique wrote: I don't believe you can interchange a lip seal for a rope seal or a rope seal for a lip seal. A rope seal has to have two walls to contain it plus an O.D. to compress against simular to how an o-ring groove is machined and would be used. A lip seal only requires a bore for it to be pressed into. only simularity is they both ride on a polished journal.

A quick google search revealed many applications where its possible to replace an original rope rear main seal with a new-tech 2-piece rubber/neoprene one.

I do believe either block and/or crank machining would be required if you wanted to install a one piece seal on an engine that wasnt designed to have one.

BuffaloBFN wrote: This site is about sharing experience so here's a little of mine... I had 3 major decisions to make with my BFN. It needed stringers, it needed an engine rebuild, and the tranny was shot. That's what I felt needed doing to have it seaworthy. Stringers-I felt like I was in my skill set and found this site for most excellent advise. The stringers and floor came out well. My point is sometimes it's better to let a pro do his job. The next good 4-bolt core I find will be going to Race City Marine.

Thank you for sharing your experience. That is why this site ROCKS!
My boat basically just needed stringers to be seaworthy but The motor will look really old back in a clean new boat, and probably will need some maintenance work while it is out. I agree- Leave it to the pros!

I want to avoid too many "while you are at it" expenses, but plan on doing a few things like replacing all the electrical wires from the dash back, and running them through conduit. Steering cable was replaced 2 years ago so that is good to go. The fuel line was original so it has got to go.

Keeganino wrote: 79nautique wrote: lip seals are a one piece seal, and yes you have to machine the block to use it in place of a two piece or rope seal. IS there any reason not to use a rope seal? Is this an expensive procedure?

no

unless you want to do some machining and spend more money

79nautique wrote: Keeganino wrote: 79nautique wrote: lip seals are a one piece seal, and yes you have to machine the block to use it in place of a two piece or rope seal. IS there any reason not to use a rope seal? Is this an expensive procedure? no unless you want to do some machining and spend more money

No sir, I just want it to work and not leak in the new bilge.

TRBenj wrote: Chris, the original seal on that boat would be a 2-piece rubber seal. They should be the generic automotive (bidirectional) so theyre readily available. Why would he go with a rope seal? Theyre harder to install and just as prone to leak.

just because it's a molded piece of neoprene doesn't mean it's still not a rope seal, the groove they both go in are exactly the same so use what you can get, now the better solution is using a lip seal aka one piece seal that is pressed into a bore and requires a different bearing cap and block or a machinest that knows what they are doing.

Do you really thing the wick lines on the crank actually ride under the seal, take a close look and you'll find they stop right before the contact area and that holds true for lip seal as well if it has ribs they are only to help push some of the oil away from the contact area.

79nautique wrote: just because it's a molded piece of neoprene doesn't mean it's still not a rope seal

Sounds like inconsistent terminology. Several articles (like this one from Hemmings) made the distinction between three different types of rear main seals- rope, split neoprene and one-piece.

Before

TRBenj wrote: Pete, this may help you visualize:

Since I will be using a different stringer layout than the one currently in the boat. I am thinking of removing all the secondaries and just leaving the mains for measurements. Is that a bad idea? I don't see why I would need the secondary measurements at all if I am going with a different layout. Comments, Suggestions?