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1986 Eliminator Liberty rebuild...

ChrisV

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Hey guys, need to delete my pics on my phone of my Liberty. Might as well put them in here. Bought this boat last year on July 18 and used it almost every weekend till Thanksgiving weekend. Bought the boat with a Johnson 200 and it was decently quick in the beginning. This is my first boat so I'm learning a lot from it. Definitely fun working on it.

Never made a thread before so please bare with me.


First day bringing it home.
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ChrisV

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Trim pump wasnt working well so ripped it off and replaced it. The outboard is a 25" long shaft and I thought it was normal at the time.
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ChrisV

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Spent a lot of time online reading how to make the boat faster. A lot of people recommended a jack plate. So picked up a Bobs jack plate for super cheap. Cut some new side plates to keep the set back at 12". Yanked the motor off again..
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ONE-A-DAY

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Not sure where a 25” mid came from on the boat but it was built to have a 20”. Where is your propshaft in comparison they boats bottom, how many inches below?
 

ChrisV

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The recent owner bought the boat without power. He found this johnson on craigslist and was the only outboard available at that time. Basically big ass fishing boat motor.

The prop shaft was very very below the pad.
Not sure where a 25” mid came from on the boat but it was built to have a 20”. Where is your propshaft in comparison they boats bottom, how many inches below?
 

stingray11

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It may be worth your while to try and convert the motor to 20" having a 25" motor on a 20" transom jacked up that high puts extreme stress on the transom. Not to mention center of gravity is quite high.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk
 

ChrisV

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These pictures are from last season. Hang tight!

It may be worth your while to try and convert the motor to 20" having a 25" motor on a 20" transom jacked up that high puts extreme stress on the transom. Not to mention center of gravity is quite high.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk
 

ONE-A-DAY

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Jacked all the way up where is the prop shaft to the pad?
 

ChrisV

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Tore the boat down Monday after the trip. Decided to replace the Transom myself. Just one of those things that i wanted to learn and probably do once in my life. Lol
 

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ChrisV

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Got the inside cleaned up and decided to get rid of the splash well. Chopped half of the top off so I can slide in the new Transom. At this point I ask myself WTF did i get myself into.

Transom is 3 layers of 3/4" Marine ply bonded with Poly resin and 1708 glass. Hopefully it will hold. 🤣

I didn't really take pictures of how i clamped it. Basically a bunch of big C clamps and wedges.
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ChrisV

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Started to patch up all the old holes on the transom and all around the boat. Really hated the rectangle head unit so blocked that off also.
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ChrisV

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I would check ScreamAndFly everyday for an engine. That day finally came. Found a Merc Promax 300 and it was located in Havasu. 20in length so its perfect for me.

This day started off with a scare. Went halfway to Havasu city and realized I left my wallet at home. Needed diesel. Guy at the gas station told me to set up Apple pay. That was a life saver! 🤣

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Backlash

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I'm beyond flattered! The work you're doing looks fantastic! When you get to the point of rigging things, I would suggest cutting out two large sections of aluminum plate for your stringer knees. Pattern the plates the size and shape of the knees, and make sure you run the plates down to the stringers. You want to tie in the transom to the stringer knees AND the stringers themselves. Transfer as much of the stress on the transom down to the stringers. This way you will hopefully avoid any separations between the transom, the knees or the stringers. I hope that makes sense! Keep up the good work Sir! 👍
 

ChrisV

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I'm beyond flattered! The work you're doing looks fantastic! When you get to the point of rigging things, I would suggest cutting out two large sections of aluminum plate for your stringer knees. Pattern the plates the size and shape of the knees, and make sure you run the plates down to the stringers. You want to tie in the transom to the stringer knees AND the stringers themselves. Transfer as much of the stress on the transom down to the stringers. This way you will hopefully avoid any separations between the transom, the knees or the stringers. I hope that makes sense! Keep up the good work Sir! 👍


The boat is almost done. Just sending pics slowly haha. I overkilled the brace I made. Thank you
 

Backlash

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Right on! The work you've showed us so far looks great! 👍
 

ONE-A-DAY

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ProMax is a bad ass engine, one of their best, more than 300hp from the factory.
 

ChrisV

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ProMax is a bad ass engine, one of their best, more than 300hp from the factory.

From what I've read its a solid motor. The old owner loved it and didn't want to get rid of it. Only reason is fuel consumption.
 

ONE-A-DAY

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From what I've read its a solid motor. The old owner loved it and didn't want to get rid of it. Only reason is fuel consumption.
Yeah it’s thirsty but worth it
 

ChrisV

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Blocked off all the holes and started working on the deck.
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Someone had painted the deck before so i had to grind it down.
 

ChrisV

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Sprayed high fill primer onto the deck and then more sanding to get smooth.
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Yanked the powerhead and brought it down to Hoffman motorsports in El Centro to get freshen up. Lots of cool stuff there.
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AZmike

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I'm looking to forward to seeing more pics of your work on the hull. I was just out in the garage looking at the 100's of buttons mounted on my 82 Monaco. I'd love to fill all those and freshen up gel coat. I honestly don't have a body work experience so I'm trying to gain some knowledge and see if its something I want to tackle.. 🤔
 

ChrisV

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I'm looking to forward to seeing more pics of your work on the hull. I was just out in the garage looking at the 100's of buttons mounted on my 82 Monaco. I'd love to fill all those and freshen up gel coat. I honestly don't have a body work experience so I'm trying to gain some knowledge and see if its something I want to tackle.. 🤔

It's definitely a job. I no professional by any means. Just gather as much info as I can on here and youtube. If you got time, do it. haha
 

ChrisV

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Sprayed the whole boat vinylester primer white. Didn't want to spray gel and see the old colors. Really don't know if this was the correct way or not. Too late now. haha
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Jay Dub

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Got the inside cleaned up and decided to get rid of the splash well. Chopped half of the top off so I can slide in the new Transom. At this point I ask myself WTF did i get myself into.

Transom is 3 layers of 3/4" Marine ply bonded with Poly resin and 1708 glass. Hopefully it will hold. 🤣

I didn't really take pictures of how i clamped it. Basically a bunch of big C clamps and wedges. View attachment 1025109 View attachment 1025110 View attachment 1025111 View attachment 1025112 View attachment 1025113
thank you for sharing. Your resourcefulness is impressive. Quite the DIY'r
 

ChrisV

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thank you for sharing. Your resourcefulness is impressive. Quite the DIY'r
I'm always trying to learn things. Cause if shit hits the fan with my regular job I can go towards something else.
 

BUDMAN

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Great thread. Waiting for more. What colors are you going with?
 

ChrisV

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Had to take a break from the boat for a month. Was driving me crazy sanding. Took my customers car to the track to test and brought my street car and see what it will do.
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