Bringing a chrysler 318 back to life

I have recently bought a 69 Correct Craft Mustang with a Chrysler 318. The PO had it out at their local lake 6 years ago and that was the last time they ran the motor. They said it ran perfectly fine the last time it was used. My question is where to start trying to get it running again, I have some ideas of things to check/replace. Any suggestions/knowledge on this would be great.

i would recommend pouring 2-stroke down each barrel instead of gas. the oil helps lubricates the valves and stems and all. but turn it over without dumping gas&oil mix and confirm that you have oil pressure before attempting to start the boat.

Gary S wrote: Any one else having trouble here lately? I tried posting this earlier but would not let me,and I could not logout. Had to restart.

I believe it was this morning when the same happened to me. I too ended up logging off. The site didn't believe I was a member!! No double post problems though.

Nice! It's still got the original manifolds! Not so sure it the alternator is marine? Pete will probably point out that the rubber hose feeding the carb from the pressure side of the pump better be coast guard approved! Probably a good idea to check on the impeller before starting her as well. I'm just imagining a dry impeller breaking up and disappearing in the nether regions of the cooling system. The cooling systems are a little screwy on these chryslers but are a great little power plant! How about some hull pics?
Scott

I will definitely check on that hose and impeller, as for the alternator the PO said he had replaced it awhile back. I imagine there are more then a few things I need to check before I take her out.

Here are a few hull pictures.

Pete
Thanks. Yes from the little research I've done, I did figure that the swim platform and railing weren't original. As for the wet sanding and buffing the hull I was going to ask about they best way of restoring it...although I'm mainly concerned with getting the motor running first. Seeing that I'm not extremely knowledgeable about motors and the fact that I'm deploying soon I've considered taking it to someone to get it running. If anyone knows of a reputable place in NC that would help out a lot.

Very cool, I'll contact them soon. I tried a place pretty close and they said they couldn't service them so I'm happy to hear of a place that does.

mrplante wrote: Very cool, I'll contact them soon. I tried a place pretty close and they said they couldn't service them so I'm happy to hear of a place that does.

"Couldn't service"..not uncommon. I've spoken with a number of shops in GA that won't work on Chryslers (or any old inboards). For most (around here anyway) their bread & butter is pontoons, bassboats, i/o's and modern uber-bucks inboards, so in thier (somewhat feeble) defense they don't really need to know the old stuff.........

Mike,

Welcome aboard! Your pics get my blood pumping. My first CC was a '69 Barracuda from NC about 6 years ago and that's where my current Chrysler 318 came from. My Barracuda was 800 lbs. heavier than your Mustang (not counting the extra 500 lbs. of water weight under the floor) and mine ran like a bull on steroids. Just wait 'til you hear that Chrysler rumble! Lake companions will ask you what engine you have in that boat just because they hear the sound.

Run the original itty bitty prop into a rock or a stump so you can justify replacing it with the biggest piece of meat you can fit. The engine makes plenty enough power to handle it, you'll notice a huge difference in acceleration, and you'll have a smile on your face as the boat goes down if the extra turbulence rips a hole in the bottom. Seriously, you do have to give some consideration to the proximity to the bottom of the boat, but you can fit a lot more surface area than the prop that appears to be on there. There's no comparison between my original prop and the one I currently run. You have a different hull than I've had, so I can't tell you whether my prop would be appropriate.

I'll second the reference to Race City Marine. I've been there. They know what they're doing & they love Correct Crafts. I know where you are and where they are and it's worth the hike. That said, the Chrysler is mostly a carbed car motor, so any Mopar mechanic with decent diagnostic skills can make it run for you. The cooling system & certain other characteristics are distinctively marine, so if you have problems there, you're probably better off going to a marine shop. Most regular boat mechanics cower when they see a Chrysler inboard, which is kinda puzzling since they used to be so common. And they're pretty simple. If it's just a matter of getting it going, scrape around for an older mechanic with a good carb background.

The alternator is marine-spec, and if your previous owner didn't source a marine one, he might've introduced a potential fire hazard. Last summer a local shop built a marine GM-style one-wire alternator in a Chrysler housing to replace my failed original. Apparently I'd been running a couple of years without a charging alternator. No wonder I had to charge my battery so much off the lake! And it's remarkable how long an engine will run on a battery. Coils don't really draw that much power once the engine is running. It's the auxiliaries that pull down a battery.

My original exhaust manifolds & elbows leaked internally and nearly drowned my freshly-rebuilt motor from the inside out, so I had to retire them, which nearly killed me because they scream "Chrysler" so eloquently. Barr Marine, which is in Buena Vista, VA, which is only 90 miles from me is the place to go if you should need replacements down the line. Make sure you buy all the right parts (copper tubes inside!) and install the correct gaskets correctly. Those parts are NOT optional. That was a recent episode you can find if you search.

I burned up my transmission & rebuilt it a couple of times before I bought an oversized trans cooler. Don't let your Velvet Drive tranny get too hot. My original tranny had so much internal heat damage to non-rebuildable parts that it just couldn't be resurrected. New ones aren't cheap.

Search my old posts for lots of experience you can hopefully avoid. The cooling systems are nothing to be afraid of...I've had my share of problems. They work fine when they're in good shape. An infrared thermometer can be a wonderful diagnostic tool.

Replace your impellers! It's easy to do and if they're not working (chewed up), you'll destroy your motor today. Look for the newer long-lasting (silicone, I think) material. I hadn't heard about it until recently. The rubber ones die too fast. I slather them well with vaseline before I install them. Makes'em go in easier and I imagine it helps them last a little longer. Tip: New impellers come with gaskets, but if you have to open up the pump between changes & tear the very delicate gaskets, you can cut new ones from clay-coated (glossy) magazine pages using the pump divider as a guide. I've done it many times. They don't need to be installed with any kind of gasket adhesive.

You can't run your engine more than a few minutes without water. I have two thru-hull pickups, so I have to run two long hoses spliced into the pickup overboard to a big trash can full of water. Even re-filling the trash can constantly with a garden hose that much water only lasts a few minutes running wide open if the impellers are drawing properly.

My under-floor exhaust system was disconnected and pumping exhaust water under the floor unbeknownst to me until I pulled up the floor. I'm sure it was doing that when I bought the boat because the pipes were obviously disconnected and the coupling copper tube had slid way up into the rubber exhaust hose. That's all buried in foam, so it's impossible to see unless the floor comes up. My clues were a boat that "leaked" way too fast inside to be explained by a breach of the hull, or a leaky driveshaft coupler. And the "incoming" water was warm: a dead giveaway I should've recognized if I'd realized it. And the output in the back from the exhaust wasn't the same. And one side took significantly longer to start pushing out water (first it had to fill the under-floor chamber) than the other on initial start-up. Things you learn.

Another alternative you might consider is delivering your boat to my driveway. I'll happily take good care of it while you're on deployment. Just a small favor for someone who is defending our country & I've always wondered what a 318 would do in a Mustang-weight hull.

Thomas

Nope, Southwind 18 here. Let's go drag racing!

tleed wrote: Run the original itty bitty prop into a rock or a stump so you can justify replacing it with the biggest piece of meat you can fit. The engine makes plenty enough power to handle it, you'll notice a huge difference in acceleration, and you'll have a smile on your face as the boat goes down if the extra turbulence rips a hole in the bottom. You have a different hull than I've had, so I can't tell you whether my prop would be appropriate. Thomas

Mike,
Be real careful with this recommendation. As thomas mentioned. hull clearance to the prop is critical to avoid "hull rash" Yes, if the clearance isn't maintained then you will burn out the gel and even some of the glass. The normal rule of thumb is 10% of the prop diameter. Early Cuda's ran 12" diameters and then around 69 or 70 we believe CC changed the set up and ran 13". The new CNC props are the way to go. Charlie (Brady) and I did some testing on his 70 Cuda with a Acme 540 I have. Performance was great and the hull clearance was good.

Here's Charlie measuring the old prop. One thing to notice is the length of the prop shaft. you can see how far away from the strut the prop is. This distance should be about the same as the shaft diameter or just slightly less. When Charlie does go with a new prop, the shaft will be cut down in length. What is not known is if the shaft came from CC that way or a shaft change was made by the PO using the wrong length.

Gary S wrote: He doesn't have a Cuda though,and no one makes a 12" cnc that I know of. If he gets it over to Race City and if he and when he decides he needs a new prop,Matt and Reid will set him up. A 12x12 or 12x13 will most likely fit his needs when it comes to that.

Acme makes several 12.5" diameter props that work great and have plenty of clearance on the boats that came with 12" wheels originally. I run the 1210 (12.5x12) on my Skier.

no 12 inch CNC maybe, but hey do make a 12.5 inch that would work.. the acme 1210 i believe is the number

In my defence right now I have 1" between strut and prop and 1" between prop and bottom and slight prop rash another 1/4",unless an Acme is more raked,I feel would be pushing it.Next time were all together Tim bring one   

Do you think or can you feel if the greater rake lifts the bow or is it not that much of a rake to affect it? When I brought that 542 home for Dave and got to see one brand new and close up, it looked impressive.