Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

John D · 2K+ Club

Boats...

dashboard · 2K+ Club

Seems like you’ve been refining you’re woodworking skills lately. Maybe you should do a test run on one of the local lakes before the repo back to the cabin.

That’s unlike Blackie to leave you shipwrecked. Have you tried the heat shrink hose clamps?

www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/GATU/32960/N0189.oap

I used them on the Buick and will never use a metal clamp again.

If you need a mate on local sea trials let me know.

67ss · 1K+ Club

Your boat rant brings up something I have been thinking about lately. Having the mechanical aptitude and abilities that most of in the club have is it a blessing or a curse really. I look at the page long list of projects I have written down most my own and some my nieghbors since they know I or we have the ability to fix most things. Just when I think I am catching up on stuff 5 more things seem to appear out of no where. I wonder would it be nice to only have to come home and mow the lawn and clean the house and to only set foot in the garage to park the car in it. Granted having to call some one to come and fix this or that can be a daunting task in itself and to write the check for said fix can be mind boggling but some days I wonder if it would be worth it? Maybe I just need a vacation, but than again I would probably have to fix something while on said vacation.

John D · 2K+ Club

The Blackie thing was more than likely my lack of attention. I've never gone back and re-tweaked the hose clams since re-assembly, and I was romping on it during our week of 90+ deg days. It just got hot, burped, and found the weak link.
(Those heat-shrink clamps look slicko!)

Yup, my basic carpentry skills & tool kit have been getting a workout. Then regurgitating the upholstery stuff I did doing Car-Fi 25 years ago! What's stupid is that Glastron didn't use P.T., treated, or even primed/painted plywood!! Just raw cheap-azz 5-ply junk.

I popped for 7-ply birch veneer, and sealed, primed and painted it. It should last longer than the boat.

Lost in the 60s · President

Using bare wood is the same as our classics never having paint inside....they didn't want that boat to last for 20-30 years, they wanted you to buy a new one in 5-7 years. My Glastron is a '79 but sat in my Dad's garage for 13 of those years.

Hopefully Blackie didn't pop a head gasket and overpressure the coolant system...

You could maybe benefit from a vacation, as long as it doesn't go like ours to Deadwood...

bowtie · Secretary

67ss wrote:
Your boat rant brings up something I have been thinking about lately. Having the mechanical aptitude and abilities that most of in the club have is it a blessing or a curse really. I look at the page long list of projects I have written down most my own and some my nieghbors since they know I or we have the ability to fix most things. Just when I think I am catching up on stuff 5 more things seem to appear out of no where. I wonder would it be nice to only have to come home and mow the lawn and clean the house and to only set foot in the garage to park the car in it. Granted having to call some one to come and fix this or that can be a daunting task in itself and to write the check for said fix can be mind boggling but some days I wonder if it would be worth it? Maybe I just need a vacation, but than again I would probably have to fix something while on said vacation.

You're already training your replacement........

As someone who has some sort of deficiency that separates the mechanical book smarts and prevents it from travelling down to the hands, I can say I would much rather be in your place. I'm learning how to better deal with it but sometimes it IS much easier to just write a check. Did I mention I screwed up painting my old fridge so I've had to completely re-sand it and will be re-painting it tomorrow. She's undisturbed water-straight now though.

John D · 2K+ Club

As a side note...

I now have the "special" tools required to service a gimbal bearing on a Mercruiser stern drive:
Bearing Puller
Bearing Installer
Alignment Shaft
Bellhousing bolt adapter/removal socket
Bellow retaining ring installer

Available for rent (standard garage currency - Nordeast - and a small $$ donation to the 40-watt garage)

SteveS · Super Poster

67ss wrote:
Your boat rant brings up something I have been thinking about lately. Having the mechanical aptitude and abilities that most of in the club have is it a blessing or a curse really. I look at the page long list of projects I have written down most my own and some my nieghbors since they know I or we have the ability to fix most things. Just when I think I am catching up on stuff 5 more things seem to appear out of no where. I wonder would it be nice to only have to come home and mow the lawn and clean the house and to only set foot in the garage to park the car in it. Granted having to call some one to come and fix this or that can be a daunting task in itself and to write the check for said fix can be mind boggling but some days I wonder if it would be worth it? Maybe I just need a vacation, but than again I would probably have to fix something while on said vacation.

You hit the nail on the head Chris. I like to help out, but right now one neighbor has a late 90's Buick that has coolant disappearing, another needs brakes in their Explorer when ever I get the chance, and my Tahoe is way over due for an oil change. The other day I was driving by a quick lube place and thought it might be worth $30 to go sit in their waiting room and have one more thing off my list.

Lost in the 60s · President

John D wrote:
As a side note...

I now have the "special" tools required to service a gimbal bearing on a Mercruiser stern drive:
Bearing Puller
Bearing Installer
Alignment Shaft
Bellhousing bolt adapter/removal socket
Bellow retaining ring installer

Available for rent (standard garage currency - Nordeast - and a small $$ donation to the 40-watt garage)

Nice to know the tools are around. At the current rate of useage, 2 years without seeing water, it will be a while before I would need them. I SHOULD pull the shaft out for "periodic" maintenance of the u-joints.

Derek69SS · Founding Member

SteveS wrote:
67ss wrote:
Your boat rant brings up something I have been thinking about lately. Having the mechanical aptitude and abilities that most of in the club have is it a blessing or a curse really. I look at the page long list of projects I have written down most my own and some my nieghbors since they know I or we have the ability to fix most things. Just when I think I am catching up on stuff 5 more things seem to appear out of no where. I wonder would it be nice to only have to come home and mow the lawn and clean the house and to only set foot in the garage to park the car in it. Granted having to call some one to come and fix this or that can be a daunting task in itself and to write the check for said fix can be mind boggling but some days I wonder if it would be worth it? Maybe I just need a vacation, but than again I would probably have to fix something while on said vacation.
You hit the nail on the head Chris. I like to help out, but right now one neighbor has a late 90's Buick that has coolant disappearing, another needs brakes in their Explorer when ever I get the chance, and my Tahoe is way over due for an oil change. The other day I was driving by a quick lube place and thought it might be worth $30 to go sit in their waiting room and have one more thing off my list.

I just sent my neighbor home with his '57 Bel Air yesterday, telling him it would be at least 2 weeks before I could fix his brakes... whoever installed (and modified) his disc brake setup was a talented fabricator, but a lousy engineer.

67ss · 1K+ Club

SteveS wrote:
You hit the nail on the head Chris. I like to help out, but right now one neighbor has a late 90's Buick that has coolant disappearing, another needs brakes in their Explorer when ever I get the chance, and my Tahoe is way over due for an oil change. The other day I was driving by a quick lube place and thought it might be worth $30 to go sit in their waiting room and have one more thing off my list.

The worse part is that way were are makes it hard for us to allow someone else to do the work in fear that you will probably have to go back and do it over because they did not do it right or the way you would have done it yourself.

P.S. Sorry John I did not mean to overtake your thread, I should have started a new one.

John D · 2K+ Club

No hi-jacking involved here... you've beaten me to the punch on explaining why I do all my own repairs whenever possible. I just don't trust someone that I haven't witnessed/helped them working on something, or have seen their work. There are just too many "hacks" out there.

I don't think a shop would've taken the time I did to painstakingly scrub off all the old bellows adhesive, clean the transom housing, fit, check, re-fit the bellows (dry), climb in & out of the boat 50 times turning the motor mount jack-screws 1/8th turn (getting the drive coupler & gimbal bearing aligned "just perfect"), adjusting the trim senders (so the rams extend to the exact 20-7/8" called for), etc, etc, etc... Working on book time for a job they'll get the job done, but not under my qualifications of "right".
I take a lot of pride in the work I can do. On the inverse of that, I've got no-one to blame if something I've done fails. That's why I'm so irked that "Blackie" blew his guts all over the road last week... but, it's my fault - I didn't keep up on checking and maintenance.

Yeah, I'm fussy... but I just run with the mantra "Do you have time to do it right, or time to do it over?".
(Not too long ago at Stan's Cave I stopped by to help with the engine re-assembly of Chevelle #876-or-something. We were going to fit the intake on the engine, and he had prepped everything but needed some "support". I distinctly remember a friendly jibe about "I hope it's "John Clean""... It wasn't! It's nice to hear that some of my advise & techniques have rubbed off)

John D · 2K+ Club

"At the current rate of useage, 2 years without seeing water, it will be a while before I would need them. I SHOULD pull the shaft out for "periodic" maintenance of the u-joints."

What's nuts is that "non-use" or not checking over time is just as detrimental.

I'll go on a limb here and say that when the engine/transom/drive was installed on my boat they took pains to ensure the drive coupler/gimbal housing/shaft was aligned & concentric. Now, turn the clock 15 or so years. 500 lbs of engine on rubber mounts and things are going to compress and get a "set".

My outdrive slid out/off with NO effort. Six bolts, a tug/yank and it was in my hands. Putting the drive aside, and just for S&G's I slid the alignment tool (exactly like a clutch input shaft tool) into the hole and THUD - it didn't slide into the coupler splines!!

My engine assy. had settled nearly 1/8" on the mounts!! It took nearly 3 full turns of the engine mount "screw jacks" to get the engine back into alignment with the transom/gimbal bearing for the alignment shaft to slip/slide in like it's supposed to (no resistance, slide in and use two fingers worth of torque to turn). So, even without a "failure" the outdrive was mis-aligned and seriously stressing the rubber-encased coupler and gimbal bearing.