So I drove 500 miles to Indiana yesterday to pick up a jet boat. It's a nice boat, just needs to be put together. We're going to put some graphics on it, install seats and rewire the whole thing. I uploaded an album of the boat below, so take a look if you want.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63236937@N08/sets/72157629446635138/It's got a 455 Oldsmobile in it. Dual quad Holley carburetor. It's a 1979 Taylor jet boat. On a good, calm day out on the lake it should easily reach 80-85 MPH. Yeah, it'll be a nice Summer project with my brother and dad, so hopefully we can enjoy it in a few months.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/9tJSG.jpg)
Pulled the engine to get ready to do some structural work. This thing weighs a ton, but we got a engine stand that could hold it.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/yluCk.jpg)
Carb, scoop, and tunnel ram are off. We're going to polish them up and do some powder coating.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/8wgjb.jpg)
Started to grind out the stringers. Took around 5 days to get the out completely and grind out the rest of the hard fiberglass.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/axSzR.jpg)
Both stringers are out.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/KO7dZ.jpg)
We got both stringers cut out, tops rounded off, and put them in place in their slots. We glued around the edges of them to hold them in place. We also got the rear bulkhead cut out, and all that needs to be done to that is grinding the top down and cutting out a slot for the belt drive from the engine.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/G0O9C.jpg)
Stringers are fiber glassed in. Couldn't take any pictures of the process as the hardener hardens in 15 minutes. So we had to go and get it done with no distractions/interruptions.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/uzzVz.jpg)
Rear bulkhead is now all set to be fiber glassed in. The edges are fiber glassed. We cut a little indent for the belt drive from the engine.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/tvAYl.jpg)
Rear bulkhead is all put in and ready to go. Front bulkhead is made with entry holes. Bottom of the front bulkhead is fiber glassed in, but the top we're just going to carpet over.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/yN91d.jpg)
Close up picture of the front bulkhead.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/4hsSp.jpg)
Floor supports are made and put in.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/2x1q5.jpg)
Our little powder coating set up. You cans see the coating gun in the back laying against the box. After we powder coat the item, we just move the rack and put it directly in the oven(Which is right behind the tractor in the back).
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/OrQiL.jpg)
The pump housing is powder coated and we put a clear coat on it to bring the purple out.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/P03Gx.jpg)
Impeller is out. Small chip that we fixed, hopefully we'll get a new impeller next year.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/2H2iv.jpg)
Just some powder coated parts cooling down. They get baked at 450 until the powder begins to become liquid and "flow", then they get baked at 400 for 20 mins.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/d3aP3.jpg)
We tried to sand blast the bell housing, but it didn't work too well. So then we decided to grind it out, which was taking forever. We went up to Home Depot and picked up some paint stripper, coated it and then just scraped the paint right off.
![Click to see the original size. Click to see the original size.](http://i.imgur.com/pNpdz.jpg)
Pump drive and shoe, along with the transom being gel coated. We had to spray paint these parts since they were too big for the oven, and the closest color we could fine to the powder coating purple was this :/ It's too deep of a purple, but it'll do.