1995 Speedster Restoration

[IDoSeaDoo]

I was checking out your awesome job you did on the trailer and rememberd: you need to reinforce the beams at the apex of the Y where the two main beams come together. I tow my boat with a little Turbo-diesel, and even it had the torque required to bend it. It's much easier to strengthen it now rather than bend it back after the fact. Here's how mine looked. Notice the boat is pretty lined up with the camera...

I straightened it by chaining one end to a tree and yanking on the other with an old shitty car I was getting rid of. Damn near ripped the front clip off lol Friend was crackin up at how the headlights on that Neon were bugging out. But after, I welded triangular steel plates to the top and bottom. You might be able to achieve the same effect by bolting a rectangular piece of tubing or something between the two beams to strengthen it there.

 

[Andy4k6]

How did you manage to bend it ? They look pretty though to me.

I will have a look at strengthening trailer at the joint there if they are a common problem.

Many thanks

Andy

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

How did you manage to bend it ? They look pretty though to me.

I will have a look at strengthening trailer at the joint there if they are a common problem.

Many thanks

Andy

They're was a ton of 5oclock traffic and I pulled out really fast to wedge myself into a tight gap on a T intersection. Found out about it when I went to put the boat back on the trailer.

 

[whitewheels]

Great work. Love restorations of these "old" sportster/speedster :thumbsup:

 

[Andy4k6]

I shall remember to be careful until I have time to strengthen the trailer then.

Thanks whitewheels, keep tuned for more updates

Andy

 

[Andy4k6]

For anyone who wanted to see the photos of the trailer electrics, I have added them to the correct post on the first page.

Andy

 

[Andy4k6]

Hi Guys,

Sorry I haven't been updating much recently but I have been busy but fitting in time when I can.

So a couple of minor bits I have been working on

I decided I wanted to be able to shut the power off on the boat as it will will not get too much use and I didn't want the power being left on all the time. So I have found a nice sealed battery switch and although not the correct way to do it I am switching the earth so as to kill both batteries at once.

So I started by drilling a 74MM hole below where the seat base will be



With that done, I made a new battery cable ready to run between the batteries and switch



I then I moved on to fitting the switch in it's place



Unfortunatly when I fitted the switch I realised that the clip that holds it closed was broken so I have had to send it back for a replacement.

But while I am waiting on a replacement I decided to crack on with my voltage gauges. However this didn't seem to go to plan either, despite fitting them level with the oil level gauge they look out of alignment as the oil gauage isn't level with the engine bay, and I'm just not happy with them. I am now looking to get a double guage pod and a power socket and I intend to put the voltage gauges into the double pod and the power socket in the other hole and hopefully find a way to make it all look level.



Andy

 

[Andy4k6]

While I'm thinking about it can any mods that read this thread add the Resto Marker to it please.

Many thanks

Andy

 

[Andy4k6]

Sorry for the lack of updates guys, I have been working on the boat when possible but all my spare time at home has been taken up by my study for a law exam at work. Now that's out the way.... it's back onto progress updates.

So as per my previous post I had fitted my power switch however the cover was broken so I now have a replacement and have managed to get it fitted and I have trimmed the clip so it's not so tight and will not snap again.





With that now all sorted I wasn't happy with my voltage gauges and decided to get a mounting plate and move them, I also wanted a power point to be able to power an air pump for blowing up toys and put that in the old upper voltage gauge port. As well as this I have added a water proof plug for my solar charger to plug into so the batteries can be kept topped up while it's parked up as it will only get used 3-4 times per year.



Now also as you may be aware I took the head off both engines to replace the seals and was confronted by this mess





After scraping what I could from the jugs of both engines and letting it dry this is what was inside them

 

[Andy4k6]

After cleaning out what I could with a spoon, I removed the exhausts and manifolds and cleaned the jugs and manifolds as best I could and then washed them out with a few kettles of boiling water to try and dissolve any salt and other stuff that I could with water.

With that done I cleaned up the cylinder head and cover as they were also full of junk







With it all cleaned up I rebuilt the engine but removed the carbs for a rebuild.











With the Port engine rebuilt and the carb rebuilt I have also made a start on cleaning up the starboard engine although I won't go into detail about the issues with this one as it's in another thread asking for info.





I have also rebuilt both drive line seal carriers with new bearings and seals however I have forgotten to take any photos.

Hope your enjoying the updates, any questions or comments feel free to join in :thumbsup:

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Sorry for the lack of updates guys, I have been working on the boat when possible but all my spare time at home has been taken up by my study for a law exam at work. Now that's out the way.... it's back onto progress updates.

So as per my previous post I had fitted my power switch however the cover was broken so I now have a replacement and have managed to get it fitted and I have trimmed the clip so it's not so tight and will not snap again.





With that now all sorted I wasn't happy with my voltage gauges and decided to get a mounting plate and move them, I also wanted a power point to be able to power an air pump for blowing up toys and put that in the old upper voltage gauge port. As well as this I have added a water proof plug for my solar charger to plug into so the batteries can be kept topped up while it's parked up as it will only get used 3-4 times per year.



Now also as you may be aware I took the head off both engines to replace the seals and was confronted by this mess





After scraping what I could from the jugs of both engines and letting it dry this is what was inside them

That sand is the reason I installed a strainer. I've ran 30 hours so far and kept a bunch of junk out of my motor. And the 4tec has a screen over the cooling inlet. Not sure about the 2 stroke pumps

 

[Andy4k6]

I didn't know a filter was available, do you have a link?

Andy

 

[Andy4k6]

Don't worry I have found some in the UK fairly easily.

Many thanks

Andy

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

I know they're available online, but I found one for half the price at my local hardware store for half the price. It was in the pressure washer section. It has a removable bowl, but is designed to be screwed onto a house spigot. It's a bit of a challenge to mount properly. I know other people have found smaller, more easily mountable units on ebay. Perhaps search PWC strainers there. Yes little guys are def worth the trouble. I've had entire coming lines clogged with sand before, and didn't know it until my motor broke.

 

[Andy4k6]

I'll take a look at pressure washer filters never thought of that.

The ones I found were £22 each ( about $28) so not too bad but cheaper is always better.

 

[Andy4k6]

Quick update time...

With the bad weather here I haven't got alot done, however I did get chance to strip and rebuild the starboard carbs which were in a much worse condition than the port ones, the diaphragms in both seem to have corroded half way up and some of the internal parts ( screws etc) were slightly corroded as per the images.

 

[Andy4k6]

I didn't realise it had been so long since I updated my thread.....

well the boat is very much nearing completion.

I have now rebuilt the engines and carbs and teste them on the hose. Both engines seem to run well with the exception that the port engine won't let me adjust the idle properly. I can set it to 2500 or 3000 but not 2750. I guess I will have to see how it idles in the water.

Most of the work recently has been boring work fitting cables, jet drives etc and not worth reporting however I have recently removed almost all the stickers from the whole top half and interior and given it a good buff and Polish as below (I also did the heat trick on the hood, what a difference!)







With that done I got on fitting the newly retrimmed seats, I bought a kit and my brother in law and myself fitted it.

 

[Andy4k6]

The final little job for the time being was to fit the black tip which I think really adds to the finished look on the boat. I'm still looking into new stickers and trying to decide what to do. I'm seriously considering wrapping the boot lid and the bottom half but can't decide at the moment.








]



any thoughts or suggestions please let me know.

Andy

 

[Andy4k6]

Ok so this weekend is looking like it will be the boats first dip in the sea in years.

Anyone got any advice to offer about a radio boats before I launch?

I know I need to run the fan for a few mins and obviously the basics like put the bungs in the back which goes for all boats.

As it's been stood for so long I intend to run some extra oil in the fuel, can't decide what ratio though. The oil pumps seem to be working and are adjusted so should I go 75:1 50:1 40:1 25:1 or something else?

Many thanks

Andy

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

If you're breaking in new motors, 40:1 in tank. It'll blacken your plugs tho. Radio is always a good idea on the seas. I stick to lakes and hence only bring a phone. It's looking really good. You did a great job with the resto. You're gonna have a blast. I've driven that boat before, it's awesome. Let us know how much you're face hurts from grinning

 

[Andy4k6]

Unfortunately they are not new engines, they are the original engines which have sat for around 10 years unused.

They had a tiny amount of surface corrosion inside the cylinders ( can't feel it only see it) so I wanted to make sure they got plenty of oil to make sure they run up properly.

I have run them on the hose using a 50:1 mix and they run well enough ( have had maybe15-20 mins running on the hose over sbout 3 or 4 different days) however running out of the water is a completely different scenario to being on the water under load.

Andy

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

50:1 should be okay, i trust you replaced the oil injection lines? Those rot away after a few years

 

[Andy4k6]

Yep new lines fitted and bled through, the old ones were so bad that they had rotted off completely , I found 3 of them floating around under the engine and one is still AWOL.

Andy

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Haha, probably poured out with the bilge water. Good luck, hope it runs well

 

[hotrodssnova]

I wouldn't stray to far from the dock. If you have a buddy with a boat or ski to go along, I would take that route. Run it easy for about 30 minutes and then let her rip.

I say 30 minutes because if you have any issues pop up that's the window.

On my speedster, I had a ton of issues, but were simple fixes. Run without the tray so you can listen to the engines. Check for loose hoses, leaks first few minutes. Once all the clamps warm up, they might spit a little.
Check the bilge pump and make sure it will pump water before you go.
Turn your fuel selectors on before you drop the boat in the water.