Search results

  1. ratdude747

    Mercruiser 888 (302) Cylinder Head swap?

    One thing I eventually need to do on my Mercruiser 888 is swap or rework the heads so I no longer need to run lead substitute. I may have found a deal on some heads that likely have hardened seats... they're Ford D5AE-CA 351 heads that came off an OMC 302 (supposedly includes ARP 351-302...
  2. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Reviving this... now that the holidays have come and mostly gone, I can better budget repairs and upgrades. Things I want to get done before the upcoming season (aside from the annual oil/fuel filter change and waxing): Re-upholster rear seat cushion (a deferred repair from last season)-...
  3. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Test fitted the Hoyer lifter last night... Perhaps with some different casters I think I have a winner?
  4. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Pulled the hoyer lifter from storage... I'm wondering if I can put different casters on it that handle being used in the yard. If nothing else, the lift mast slides out of the base and could be mounted in something else instead.
  5. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Forgot to post it, but the seat was fixed several weeks ago (used some 3/4 plywood that my father-in-law had on the scrap shelf). But, between booked weekends and remains of hurricanes I couldn't get the boat back on the water until today, which is the final outing of the year. Like the last two...
  6. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Two things: First, I took the boat out today on Monroe Lake... more on that later. Second, since it seems that the photo issue isn't getting resolved any time soon, I've uploaded some things to Imgur... here's what I had worked on previously with some additional commentary based on how today...
  7. ratdude747

    Prop questions on a 16' 1976 StarCraft Montego (Merc 888)

    Finally had a good chance to get it to WOT. 4050RPM, 41-42mph. Not as fast as new but for what I'm doing it's fine. Decent hole shot.
  8. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Pump came in yesterday. Works great at least in testing. The LAPS had the pigtails that match the stock pump connector in stock, so I used that rather than cutting up the new pump. I spliced that to some spare 16-3 extension cord cable I had in the junk pile (same as what the old pump used)...
  9. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    I already have a 3/4 hose... my concern is overloading the wiring and/or tripping the breaker. The rotten debris is from known locations... between the known deck issue (old damage) and a rotten divider board at the front of the engine area/end of the deck under the gas tank such is accounted...
  10. ratdude747

    Photo dilemma

    I used to use TinyPic for working around upload limits. But having been a former forum mod elsewhere where offsite linked pics were trouble when the offsite host nuked the files (Photobucket in particular), I hesitate to do that. Nothing like reading an old thread with the picture you need to...
  11. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Was thinking roughly the same thing pump wise now that I've slept on it. I'm thinking of getting a pump with a built in switch (due to the poor access to the area, having both in the same unit makes things a lot easier to manage). No worries about draining the battery when not in the water...
  12. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Looking into Rule pumps, the smallest full auto pump they make is the 500GPH Rule 25SA. Draws 1.8A @ 12V and 1.8V @13.6v supposedly. Does draw a bit of power when on, but that just means I need to be more diligent with disconnecting the battery when the boat isn't in use. I already do a decent...
  13. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    While making a carb adjustment (resetting the choke), I dropped my screwdriver down to the bottom of the bilge. While I was down there (and yes I was able to get it back), I discovered that the bilge pump isn't actually anchored and by unplugging the cable and pulling out some extra hose, it is...
  14. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Did some work on the dash wiring... At least what I can access without pulling the console. As an experiment, I rerouted the power for the gauges and gauge lights (dimmer switch) from the RUN post of the ignition switch to the ACC post. This didn't have much of any effect on voltage drop to...
  15. ratdude747

    Prop questions on a 16' 1976 StarCraft Montego (Merc 888)

    Took it out yesterday with my wife, the best friend, and his buddy (the same crew we had on the first outing this year). I didn't get it to WOT (water too rough on Monroe Lake) but the performance was about the same (if not better) than the prior prop. Did seem to be a consistant 10-to-1 ratio...
  16. ratdude747

    1976 Montego 16- The "Free" Puppy

    Another outing yesterday, this time Monroe Lake. (would post video, but uploads still broken) Did have a couple issues... one, the tube provided (round large donut) is no good for my wife and I as we don't have the core strength. Probably will try to get an end-of-season deal on a sit-in...
  17. ratdude747

    Photos not saving to server

    A joke older than myself: Edit: We try to keep politics, even political jokes, out of here. We argue over dino or synthetic oil instead of politics.
  18. ratdude747

    Photos not saving to server

    Well, it is a proper fish story! :ROFLMAO:
  19. ratdude747

    Photos not saving to server

    For the record, this issue is still a thing... has been since yesterday afternoon and every time I've tried to upload anything. To include writing this post. (Just saying)
  20. ratdude747

    Tow Smart "Submersible" LED tail lights are junk... better solution?

    The tape has done the job so far... but noted for future reference.
Top