Hello everyone, new member here. In searching the internet for X55 information (in which there is little) the most info I found is here in your forum. I thought I would share this project with you and hope to gain some knowledge here also.

My father found this boat in the Ozark woods in this condition in the early 1990's. 

I will post progress as we go along, I hope you find this interesting.

Boat was fairly complete, missing bow light, windscreen, instrument cluster, one vent. I see the steering mechanism is there (wrong wheel) but is now missing 30 years later.

That is my uncle rolling that barrel, he is no longer with us.

Unfortunately, this X55 suffered from a little bit of plywood delamination

Engine and trans fairly intact. Exhaust manifolds, generator, prop, prop shaft missing

Edit, I see prop shaft is there, but today it's missing.

Kind of both, restoration started 30 so years ago, progressed quickly, then stalled for 30 so years, now has begun again. I will load up pics as I get them. The older pics are non digital photographs, I get them as my father converts them to digital.

I could jump ahead and show you as it sits today, but that is no fun.

Some of the edits I am adding are because I myself have not seen these older pics in 30 years.

Or you could post a picture or 2 or 3 showing it today, so people don't lose interest along the way 

Not being sure how you're posting pictures, I figured I'd mention that you can post multiple pictures in one post.............unless you're working on running up your post count 

I think he sold his and bought a pontoon boat though.  Really

There were a couple of others too, but MourningWood is the only one who shows up sorta regularly on CCF

At the time this boat was found, my father and I were wood boat fans, we had just completed a 1967 ChrisCraft ski restoration and was in the middle of a 1938 ChrisCraft runabout restoration. One day in the early 90's he and my mother were driving home from our lake house and my mother with her keen eyes actually spotted this wooden boat deep in the woods. Because we had studied the Bob Speltz series of books, my dad realized it was a rare Dunphy X55.  He was able to track down the owner somehow, I don't know how. He bought the pile for $300. That would be 1990 dolllars.

Here is member and former owner- 

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https://ibb.co/5GvKJCV" rel="nofollow">

Went with ribbon striped quarter cut mahogany veneer plywood vs the flat cut veneer plywood Dunphy original used.

5200 adhesive used on all joints.

As it sits today

That is remarkable.

The woodworking skills are superb.

I also have an X-55 and happy to help in any way.

We're gonna wish Pete was still around here...he's forgotten more about the X-55 than I'll ever know...

Block saw sitting water and the distributer looks corroded in place, but no cracks seen externally  has original trans, intake and sidedraft, front cover and gauge package, and cable tach look in good shape

Looking for a home rather not scrap, looking for someone to take it for modest price just wants to see it go to vintage marine application, not a hot rodder who will scrap the 'good stuff'

send me a pm if you would like pictures, we can determine what those components are

i believe is an early variety of the BWVD

logs say interceptor but replacement by osco, and risers say osco.  

gauges are handsome

Working on transmission as I wait for engine block to return from machine shop. Dearbomatic, looks like it has had some water sitting inside. Roller bearing has some corrosion pitting, rest of it actually doesn't look too bad. 

Cleaned everything up, got lucky and found no damage or any appreciable wear. Clutch plates looked good, will re-use. Seals were soft and probably could have gotten away with re-using but opted to buy new seals and bearings from industrial supplier. Dearbomatic was actually easy to work on. No specialized tools needed. Interesting that the internal pressure line from the pump to the relief valve was plastic tubing.

Transmission done, replaced plastic pressure line with braided hose. 

Some things I found interesting about the transmission: It is very light in weight, considering its purpose. It is very simple in operation and construction. It doesn't have a traditional thrust bearing, just an average roller bearing to absorb propeller thrust. Also that bearing is not submerged in the transmission oil. From what I see it simply relies on grease for lubrication.

MourningWood, I have the metal ID tag that says it is 5078

Really enjoying reading your thread, there are very few people who would have looked at that boat in the woods and thought it was worth restoring.  Amazing workmanship!

I hope you have good luck with your 312, from the skill you have I'd bet you get it running well.  I had the same thought as Brian (MourningWood), would be easy to pop something more user friendly in there, but if like you said the engine is surprisingly intact for sitting in the woods for 30 years why not go for the much cooler original power.

I've struggled, and learned, a lot with the Carter YH. They are dangerous in that raw fuel spills out of the aft carb....and right on to the ignition.  Such a danger that the ACBS does not deduct points for alternate carbs. The aft flame arrestor housing is (in later boats) fitted with a small fitting and hose that connects to the underside of the intake manifold...an attempt to 'siphon' away that fuel puddle. Can be minimized by adopting carb settings that do not appear in any manuals...but work pretty well. 

Great job, btw.

Well, interesting, my dad just sent me this pic, hull 77. Yet serial no. reads 5078.

Yes, my 312 is equipped with a small 1/16 line from the rear flame arrestor to the vacuum side of the carburetor.

Brian, do you know what the purpose is of the hull fittings that are in the bottom of the steps with a hose up to the rear deck?

I would like to eliminate them if not needed. 

The guy in the video above says they connect and somebody named Pete who used to have an x-55 and used to be here on CCF says they didn't connect.

Who ya gonna believe?

PS .....Craig on the Donzi site went by the name 64X55 here on CCF. He hasn't been logged on in 4 1/2 years or so

https://ibb.co/NKQS7HC" rel="nofollow">

Wayouthere, I will get you those measurements

After sitting in the elements for all those years, the only bad corrosion I found was the valley pan. Leaves were sitting in it and the bottom rotted out.

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Standard bore, no evidence of the engine ever been opened. No broken parts, nothing bent, no excessive wear. 

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Couple of the cylinder walls that were open to the elements were pitted, so I had the block bored .030", decked, cleaned, new cam bearings.

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Crank was beautiful, all I had to do was clean it.

https://ibb.co/ZzPz8Zh" rel="nofollow">

Installed the piston with notches towards the back because this is a reverse rotation engine. Interestingly, Interceptor did not do this, notches were forward. 

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Stock valve job.

Pontiac blue (Yes,I know it is darker than the original Interceptor blue/green)

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Reverse rotation engine uses gear drive to turn the cam in the same direction as a standard rotation engine.

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Automotive valve covers, will have to add a oil fill port.

Since this build will not be a correct restoration, I decided to be somewhat creative on the engine color.

Mostly done, awaiting some hoses

Look what I found on YouTube 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjfRdX4UgzA" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjfRdX4UgzA

Engine test run, 

Sorry could not get hyperlink to work, you will have to copy and paste.

Since the directions in the "Adding hyperlinks to your post " thread don't exactly do much for you, here's how to do it, in maybe somewhat understandable plain Engliish...........maybe

Copy the address you want to link to, Your YouTube video in this case

Paste it into the address box in the hyperlink screen on CCF

Now in the box just to the left, select the https// option from the dropdown menu

Your screen should now look like the picture below

At this point, you click preview and you should have a hyperlink that you can click on that'll take someone to your YouTube video.

If you like the preview, you hit "post reply" and you just posted the hyperlink that looks like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjfRdX4UgzA" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjfRdX4UgzA

Or you take the easy way out and just post the address like you did and let someone copy and paste to go to YouTube 

It's easy after you do it a few times...............really, it is

run video, different view.

Thanks Keno