Strut Washer question

Looking at the picture, it looks like you most likely won't need washers/shimming. There's a good chance there's enough play in the bolt holes to move the strut. Get the strut off, clean it and the hull up and then do a dry fit. Do put the forward end of the shaft on some blocking to support it in the shaft "happy spot" in the cutlass. 

Go 4200 and bed the whole base of the strut. 

A sharp chisel will get most of it off. Then the best for the strut base is a wire wheel in a bench grinder A wire wheel in a drill for the hull and then the strut if you don't have a bench grinder. 

I used 5200 since that is what Nautique used.  It is harder, not sure it it is stronger but I think it is.   4200 is easier to work with and not as hard to remove if you ever do this job again.  Your choice on that one.

Finding the shaft happy place is not hard.  You start at the strut and set the angle so it points direct at the center of your output shaft on the tranny.  You will have to lift the shaft so the weight of the shaft does not make it sag and drag.  Many use a short piece of 2x4 for this, about 3-4" long, cant remember.  I cut mine to fit  and added a V cut in the top to set the shaft in.   The floor is sloped so as you slide the 2x4 forward and back you can align it to the engine.  Most important at this point is that the shaft has the least amount of drag in the log.  If you lift or lower drag will increase.  Go left or right, drag will increase.  The spot with the least drag means the shaft is going straight as it passes through the strut.  If it is crooked it drags.   Properly aligned you have the least amount of drag.  Should be able to easily spin your prop with one finger properly aligned.  ( and the log lubricated, spray some WD 40 or a soapy water mix in there so you lower the drag)

It does take time but is not hard.  Good Luck

I used a Automotive gasket scraper to remove all the old 5200 from the strut mount area, with a rubber mallet it comes right off quick and as Pete suggested a wire wheel on a grinder to clean up the strut.  

On install just use plenty of the 5200 or 4200, once it is seated and tight just take a scraper and remove the excess quickly before it sets up fully.  Work quickly as it sets up pretty fast.

Good Luck

Edit:  if you do add washers you will need more of the 4200 or 5200 to fill the gap and seal it properly against leaks so use plenty.  I had 3 washers at the rear of mine to make it right, once the 5200 hardens you are golden, it is glued in place and sealed against leaks. It won't move again till some poor sap bends another shaft and has to peel it off.   We hope that never happens again.

Mark

Got some 4200 today and now I just need to go hunt for some flat washers. Planning on going to the hardware store and getting an assortment to make it more likely that I get the right size. Got in a hurry with the fam while leaving the lake and didn't measure the bolts before coming back home. I'm assuming I should go with stainless steel ones. 

After the strut is off and cleaned up and the hull too, any tips/tricks for checking alignment of the strut when dry fitting or trying different washers? Assuming the shaft will have to come out again for strut removal then go back in when checking strut alignment and support it with wood block in front of shaft log. My new driveshaft was sort of a beast to get pushed through the new cutlass bearings. Maybe needed to lubricate them more.

+1

stainless set screws with LocTite

I'd be taking the set screws out and with the shaft out of the strut, checking to see if you bulged out the cutlass bearing just a tiny bit with the set screw tightening. Just enough for example to make the shaft hard to insert and hard to turn.

Yes, thank you! Will do that. I wondered that as I got to thinking about the extra resistance I encountered when putting the shaft in. Will also recheck my installation on the cutlass to see if I see or feel any abnormalities inside.

Got the strut off and in the process of cleaning it up and the hull. I got some stainless washers in case I need to add any and some 4200.

Thought of 2 questions...

1. Do I put any 4200 on the bolts themselves that go through the hull and hold the strut or just count on the good bit of 4200 that I put on the base of the strut to work its way in there when I tighten them back up

2. I made a mistake and tightened the set screws on the strut too much and I think that was causing my drive shaft installation difficulty. With the set screws out, it move easily and without much effort. I can see a very slight inconsistency in the cutlass rubber where the set screws were. Does this mean that I need to take out the new cutlass bearings I installed an replace them?

If so that's okay. I'm willing to eat the $70 - 80 to replace the new ones I messed up with newer ones 

Perfect. Thank you!

Yeah, the shaft spins easily without the set screws now and I got some medium strength loc tite when I bought my stainless steel washers.

2 washers (1 on each of the right side bolts between strut and hull) puts it pretty close to center in the log.

Off to smear a bunch of 4200 on the strut base and a little on the bolts and get it set up.

Since you have the "not exactly optimum cable" in there now, you can adjust your steering throw to be equal in both directions by loosening the clamp block and moving the guide tube to give you less steering angle to starboard and more to port, tighten things up and then take the boat for a ride.

You'd have to shorten the guide tube to the same length as a 70's tube for this to work and use the full travel of the cable you have right now. The long tube and short throw cable you have right now limits things a bunch.

With the shorter tube and the short throw cable, it won't turn quite as sharp at low speeds, but it's plenty drivable.

You may like it, or you may decide to go for the longer throw high buck cable, but if you shorten the tube and don't like it,...... well you're screwed   and need a new tube for the longer original cable

Easiest solution is to pay more money and get the CC "special" cable

You'll see a picture of the long and short tubes in the link below on page 24.

Short one is 10.5 inches and long one is 13 inches (see page 23 of the same link)

Hacksaw or angle grinder works fine.

Water could have found it's way there through the leaking rudder port which has a wood reinforcement that maybe is delaminating some.