Ford Interceptor

MM, That is a great picture. I like the way you caught the Correct Craft on the burgee. Thanks.

Bill, A new intake manifold wouldn't have been needed. The single carb used the same manifold with a block off plate over the other hole.

Pete, marineengine.com does have the engine manual that I want, but they do not have any Interceptor parts. Do you know of a source? I need immediately a set of valve cover gaskets.

I'm making good progress. my CC Compact Skier is looking better every day...Ran into a big problem however. I'm in the process of cleaning up the bottom and working hard on the the seams on both sides of the keel. Over the years previous people have slathered silicon caulk along the seams, then painted over it and later added more silicone. Obviously the boat leaks. I'm removing the silicone and having a hard time because over time and contaminated with paint and oil it has become sticky and gooey. I've tried lacquer thinner and acetone but neither solves the silicone so I'm rubbing and sanding. Anyone know of a better solvent? But, there's a bigger problem. Pete mentioned that likely I was going to find that the seams were contaminated with oil. Pete you were absolutely right I have about 18" of an oily mess about 3' back from the bow about where the bilge pump is located. My guess is that when the boat was put away some water mixed with oil was in the bilge and it puddled right in that spot. Anyone know how to degrease the area so that a new caulking will stick? (something like 3M 5200)

Pete, thanks for the reply. I hate silicone too! Is there any good use for that stuff? A Dremel I have and toulene I can get. What is oil dry? I'm not familiar with that product. Do you think there's a chance that I'll be able to get the seams oil free enough that a proper caulking will adhere?

Bill,
I had some xylene left over from thinning epoxy. I used it to clean up some wet 5200 that oozed out after I replaced a part on the hull. It dissolved it easily.

Maybe it would dissolve that silicone as well?

Any thoughts Pete?

Thanks Pete and Steve, I was pretty sure there wouldn't be a solvent for the cured silicone. Nasty stuff. I'm having the best results with 80 grit sandpaper. It clogs up real fast with the silicone but at least it does remove it. It's a tedious job. Pete, no I have not found any loose screws. Rather the bottom appears to be sound and the plywood is tight to the keel in most spots. I have reefed out areas forward where I have the biggest oil contamination problem and right under the engine. The rest of the seams on both sides of the keel are tight. I can't get even a knife blade or putty knife in there. I'm going to follow your suggestion and Dremel out the areas that are bad and then try the oil dry with a solvent and see if I can get things cleaned up enough that some 5200 will bond. Thansk so much for your help.

Flip it over

Bill, The 5200 can get messy and runny at times. Fine line tape I don't feel will stick to the 5200 as the base is a polethyene but the adhesive on it may. I would do some test batches with it as well as plain blue painters tape on some scrap wood. It is going to be a multi handed job of getting the 5200 into the seam as the tape is put on at the same time. It's not going to be pretty unless you mask off both sides of the seam. I hate working on bottoms and will typically take the time to flip the hull just as Joe has mentioned. Be prepared for a long cure time. It all depends on the humidity but may take 4 to 5 days. It is the only draw back to the 5200. Do not use the fast cure because it doesn't have as good adhesion.

Edit: When you are doing the testing, you may want to try to remove the tape before it fully cures. See if the tape will pull cleanly from the 5200 without pulling it out of the seam. At a partial cure, you may even be able to tool the seam smooth.

Bill, Nothing really sticks to polyethylene and the reason they make glue bottles out of it!!! You may be on to something with the light gauge poly. It just may be enough to bridge the seam and form enough surface tension to hold the 5200 in. You may need to keep pushing it in with a putty knife for a day or so until it starts to thicken up. Then once cured, the poly will come off. The 5200 is available in small tubes to do some testing.