JB's Spectra 18 rebuild

[Quicksilver]

So this is my first boat rebuild: 1976 Spectra 18 mini day cruiser with a Ford 460 and Berkeley JE-A jet pump.

 

[Quicksilver]

I got the boat home and started the process of going through everything. I pulled the wheels off the trailer to check the bearings and found this:

WTF?

Someone had used studs that were way too long and the inner races and bearings needed replacing. I did some research online and found some Dexter hubs complete for $90 shipped. Now the hubs look safe enough to roll down the road.

Half of the lights weren't working on the trailer and someone had put yellow marker lights on the rear. So I replaced all but two of the lights and rewired the whole trailer. Now the electrical is all worked out.

I also purchased a new coupler for the trailer but it needs to be welded on. The boat currently has the old style hitch with the knob on top, but it is missing parts that keep the knob from backing off.

 

[Quicksilver]

With most of the trailer issues worked out I needed to find out what my vibration was with the boat. The guy that was giving me advice seemed to think it was in the pump or the harmonic balancer. I pulled the bench seat out to get a better look at the harmonic balancer and it looked to be ok. I knew nothing about jet pumps so I spent days researching online. I decided it was best to tear it down and check everything out since there really isn't much to them. Unfortunately you have to pull the motor out to fully inspect it.

I did a compression test on the engine and got over 190 psi on some of the cylinders. The seller said he was running 87 octane pump gas in this thing. What the hell is in this engine? With #'s that high there is no way it will run for long on the cheap stuff.

I pulled the heads only to find some nice domed pistons in the cylinders. They would be great on a hot rod engine but are way too high compression for a boat motor that you want to run on cheap pump gas.

 

[Quicksilver]

I got the engine pulled out, then pulled the bellhousing and flexplate to mount the engine on a stand for further inspection.

Over the years Ford made two 460 blocks. The early blocks (1968-1978) had internally balanced crankshafts. The later years (1979-1997) had longer cylinder bores which required the crankshafts to be externally balanced. The later crankshafts had a hatchet weight behind the harmonic balancer and used a flexplate with a counterweight.

My engine didn't have the hatchet weight but I did have a counter weight on my flexplate. Hmm. I think I found the cause of my vibration, but I had to pull the oil pan to confirm my suspicion. I have an early crank with the wrong flexplate. Upon pulling the pan I also confirmed I have a 4 bolt main block.

Here's some pics of the pistons that won't be going in the new motor.

 

[Quicksilver]

I tore the pump down and inspected everything. The shaft was in good shape and was straight, and the thrust bearing was good as well. All that needed work was the bowl. Two new bushings and a seal, plus a new nut for the impeller and it went back together.

Here is the shaft on my workbench after it was all cleaned up. The original steering wheel in the background is going back on the boat.

I got the jet pump all reassembled. The new reverse bucket cable is installed. Also note new bellows.

I bought a new steering cable and helm that will be going on the boat as well. :thumbsup

 

[Quicksilver]

The new steering helm and cables are installed. Here is the original Morse unit and the new Uflex unit. With the new unit you are supposed to cut a larger hole in the dash to bolt up the steering. With the new unit the steering wheel would have been closer to the driver's seat and that would have cramped up the cockpit too much. I wanted to use the existing two holes so a little fabrication was in order.

I made up this round plate for the front out of 1/8" aluminum plate.

I mocked up a dash out of 3/4 inch plywood to build everything on. I made a plate for the backside as well. I installed shorter screws after I took this pic. I just used what I had on hand to mock this up.

Now the steering is bolted up to the dash using the two holes that were already there and I have a steering wheel that doesn't wobble anymore.

 

[Quicksilver]

I'm looking for pics on how the alternator is supposed to mount up on my engine. Anyone got some?

The boat also has Ford motor mounts that should probably be replaced while I'm in there. Any idea on what part #'s they should be?
Thanks

 

[spectras only]

The alternator is mounted with one long bolt with short spacer on top to the cyl head and an alternator bracket on the bottom with long spacer to the timing cover . This is a 429 engine ,mounting is identical to the Harman Fords . You could get the engine mounts from the dealer or make your own solid mounts.

 

[Quicksilver]

The alternator is mounted with one long bolt with short spacer on top to the cyl head and an alternator bracket on the bottom with long spacer to the timing cover . This is a 429 engine ,mounting is identical to the Harman Fords . You could get the engine mounts from the dealer or make your own solid mounts.

Thanks. BTW, where did you get the remote oil filter assembly?

 

[Quicksilver]

I almost forgot to mention: Jet Boat Performance has the motor mounts I need. :thumbsup

 

[Quicksilver]

I haven't posted in a while, but I have been busy working on the boat. The engine is mostly assembled and I'm waiting on the machine shop to get my heads done. The weather was nice so I pulled the boat out of storage and got some waxing done. I also got my numbers and registration on the boat. Its coming along little by little. I can't wait for warmer weather again!

 

[vdcruiser]

Boat looks nice, my first Howard 21 had that same color/scheme.

 

[Quicksilver]

Boat looks nice, my first Howard 21 had that same color/scheme.

Thanks. I'm loving the white and red too.

 

[msvlredneck]

Thanks. I'm loving the white and red too.

very nice job. I just traded for a 1976 spectra 18 and love it

 

[Quicksilver]

My boat is long overdue for an update. Yesterday I ripped out the old fiberglass fuel tanks. I put off doing them because I was too close to last boat season and the port side tank started to seep fuel in November. I drained the gas out and had put off this project till now. I was expecting the removal to be a major PITA but I pulled the carpet back only to find out the tanks were only glassed in at the front and rear and the port side tank had already broken partly loose. Some work with a Sawsall blade by hand and the port side tank was out in fifteen minutes. The starboard side tank was mounted better and required a power saw to get loose. In less than an hour I was done and all that is left is some cleanup and ordering new aluminum tanks. I will post pics of the carnage when I get a chance.

 

[Quicksilver]

Okay. So I got some free time to upload pics. Here is the before pic with just the seats removed and I have started to pull the carpet back.



And a pic with the port side tank out.



And a pic of both tanks out and on the ground.



Now I have some cleanup to do in the boat and I will be getting new tanks made soon!

 

[Quicksilver]

Due to the long lapse in this thread I didn't really get to post up the pictures of the build of the boat to where it is today. I built the engine and ran the boat all of 2012 without incident. We took the boat all over Lake Mead, Lake Mojave, Lake Havasu, and Parker. We were out on it almost every other weekend. So 2013 I decided to invest in new gauges and a new carburetor. I also bought a terminal block and an hour meter for the boat just to keep up on how much we were using it. I was keeping tabs and we logged around 70 hours that first season. Here are the pics of those changes. This is the terminal block before.



And here it is modified to fit the hour meter and a nice polish.



This is the new carburetor installed with the custom linkage for my throttle cable.



In the picture it appears the throttle cable is resting on the terminal block but that is just an illusion.

And the Hardin Marine gauges I installed in the boat. The fuel level guage is not hooked up yet.

 

[Quicksilver]

For the 2013 boat season I started out with new gauges and a new carb. I went out on a couple of trips and the boat ran great. May 18, 2013 I took the boat down to Willow Beach and launched and we headed down to Lake Mojave. I ran it WFO most of the way down and backed out of the throttle and that's when the oil pressure dropped. I had watched the gauge the whole time and it never moved until I backed out of the throttle. To make a long story short I should not have run the engine wide open that long with a five quart oil pan and no windage tray. I spun rod bearing number 3 and rebuilt the engine over the following two months. Luckily the damage wasn't bad and the crankshaft only needed to be turned and polished, I had to replace the crank and rod bearings, and replace one piston rod. I also upgraded to four point mounts and a ten quart oil pan.

 

[specrocz]

I'm really diggin' those gauges! Nice look.:thumbsup

 

[Quicksilver]

So I ran the boat wide open for longer than I should have and I knew I did some internal damage to the Ford 460. I was out of cell phone range and downriver from where I had launched so the ride back to harbor took almost three hours. I limped it in at around 1500 rpm as at that rpm the oil pressure stayed high and there was no knock. Upon teardown I found I had spun rod bearing number three and had scuffed the crankshaft and put bearing particles in the oil. Fortunately the cam bearings were undamaged and the crank could still be turned. Everything else in the engine aside from the oil pump was reusable and was thoroughly disassembled and cleaned.

I had planned to upgrade to a larger pan so I had already purchased motor plates off of craigslist to go to four point mounts before I blew the motor. Next I ordered a 10 quart Armando's Racing oil pan with a windage tray, the mounting feet for the motor plates, new bearings, new oil pump, and gasket set. I also scored a spare engine for $25. The seller said it had spun a bearing but it turned out it had bent pushrods and I used the piston rod out of this engine for my boat.

Here is a before picture with the old mounts:

 

[Quicksilver]

Here are some pictures of the engine rebuild and the conversion to four point mounts.

Block cleaned and ready for reassembly:



Armando's Racing Oil Pan for jet boats:






New mounts installed in boat waiting for engine:



Bottom end assembled with oil pump pickup:



Checking bearing clearance with Plastigage:



Mocking up engine and oil pan:



Engine back in boat with four point mounts and 10 qt pan:



How the boat looks in the water at this point:



More to come after I get my aluminum fuel tanks. =)

 

[SPECTRALEN]

Looks sweet. Nice Pan.:thumbup: Everything looks real clean.:thumbsup

 

[pull-on]

Great thread!!! :thumbsup

Thanks for taking the time to post up the photos and info!!!!

 

[Quicksilver]

I got my aluminum tanks and they look great!



This morning I worked on removing all the old fiberglass that was used to mount the old tanks. I spent a lot of time mocking things up and cutting out bulkheads to glass in to mount the new tanks to.





I got the bulkheads mounted with epoxy tonight and I should get started on the fiberglass part tomorrow. More to come.

 

[Skee]

What size (how many gallons) are your tanks? I'm diggin' the boat tho...I have one too!

 

[Quicksilver]

What size (how many gallons) are your tanks? I'm diggin' the boat tho...I have one too!

I could measure the tanks to find out but I think they should be close to 26 gallons each like the old tanks.

I managed to get some fiberglass done on Sunday but I had to order more 4" fiberglass tape. Hopefully it will come in this week. I was using the store bought fiberglass cloth which I think is only 3oz. I ordered a heavier 6oz cloth tape so I won't have to do so many layers of fiberglass.

 

[nrbr]

Nice tanks!! Im curious on the size and capacity as well??

 

[Quicksilver]

I will measure the tanks when I get home. KSH Marine in Lake Havasu made them for me. I am very impressed with the build quality and the price.

 

[Quicksilver]

Okay, I got tank dimensions for you guys. Length is 72", height of the side closest to seats is 12 7/8, height closest to side of the boat is 12 1/2, top width is 7 1/2, bottom width is 4. Tank capacity looks to be about 22 1/2 gallons based on my calculations.



Here's one of the bulkheads partially glassed in:

 

[SPECTRA1876]

Okay, I got tank dimensions for you guys. Length is 72", height of the side closest to seats is 12 7/8, height closest to side of the boat is 12 1/2, top width is 7 1/2, bottom width is 4. Tank capacity looks to be about 22 1/2 gallons based on my calculations.



Here's one of the bulkheads partially glassed in:

 

[SPECTRA1876]

Okay, I got tank dimensions for you guys. Length is 72", height of the side closest to seats is 12 7/8, height closest to side of the boat is 12 1/2, top width is 7 1/2, bottom width is 4. Tank capacity looks to be about 22 1/2 gallons based on my calculations.



Here's one of the bulkheads partially glassed in:

Finishing my project

 

[Quicksilver]

I am guessing you have a similar project? I think in hindsight I should have used thicker plywood for the bulkheads but it held up fine last season. Its not too hard to redo the bulkheads if I need to do them again.

 

[CrazyJim]

Any updates on this? Really want to see how you finish this up, and if where your fuel fills are if you don't mind.

I'm doing the same thing right now in a spectra 18 and the fuel fill seems REALLY close to the top. So close that I'm not sure I'll be able to stuff a fuel fill above it.

 

[Quicksilver]

Any updates on this? Really want to see how you finish this up, and if where your fuel fills are if you don't mind.

I'm doing the same thing right now in a spectra 18 and the fuel fill seems REALLY close to the top. So close that I'm not sure I'll be able to stuff a fuel fill above it.

I used the original fuel fillers as the new tanks were almost identical copies of what the boat original had. I had to remove the metal fillers and install the hoses and fillers once the tanks were bolted in.

 

[Quicksilver]

This is what the tanks looked like before I reinstalled the seats. I was going to eventually build panels to cover the tanks but it doesn't look bad with the tanks exposed.

 

[Quicksilver]

And another view with the seats reinstalled. Both tanks have fuel senders installed and I have a toggle switch under the dash to switch which tank reads on the fuel gauge.

 

[stickman07]

Looking good. Nice Spectra.

 

[Quicksilver]

Looking good. Nice Spectra.

Thanks. I can't wait for the weather to heat up so I can get back out on the water.

 

[Quicksilver]

Just an update on my boat, it has been in storage since Feb and it fired right up without even charging the batteries. I need to change the oil and do some cleaning but I hope to be out on the water next weekend!

 

[Quicksilver]

Boat is clean and almost ready to get wet!

 

[SBMech]

That's a great looking 18!:thumbsup

 

[69GS]

Great looking boat :thumbsup

 

[spectramitch]

The new steering helm and cables are installed. Here is the original Morse unit and the new Uflex unit. With the new unit you are supposed to cut a larger hole in the dash to bolt up the steering. With the new unit the steering wheel would have been closer to the driver's seat and that would have cramped up the cockpit too much. I wanted to use the existing two holes so a little fabrication was in order.

I made up this round plate for the front out of 1/8" aluminum plate.

I mocked up a dash out of 3/4 inch plywood to build everything on. I made a plate for the backside as well. I installed shorter screws after I took this pic. I just used what I had on hand to mock this up.

Now the steering is bolted up to the dash using the two holes that were already there and I have a steering wheel that doesn't wobble anymore.

The new steering helm and cables are installed. Here is the original Morse unit and the new Uflex unit. With the new unit you are supposed to cut a larger hole in the dash to bolt up the steering. With the new unit the steering wheel would have been closer to the driver's seat and that would have cramped up the cockpit too much. I wanted to use the existing two holes so a little fabrication was in order.

I made up this round plate for the front out of 1/8" aluminum plate.

I mocked up a dash out of 3/4 inch plywood to build everything on. I made a plate for the backside as well. I installed shorter screws after I took this pic. I just used what I had on hand to mock this up.

Now the steering is bolted up to the dash using the two holes that were already there and I have a steering wheel that doesn't wobble anymore.

Im going through this Uflex steering change on my 20 and like your mounting set up. Did you Counter bore the heads of the 3 screws for the helm mount into the back of the dash?

 

[Quicksilver]

Im going through this Uflex steering change on my 20 and like your mounting set up. Did you Counter bore the heads of the 3 screws for the helm mount into the back of the dash?

I'm trying to remember if I did countersink the screws but it seems logical that I would have. The steering is still working good since the build and I forgot what all I had to do to get it to work right and look original.

 

[SPECTRALEN]

I'm curious about the spun rod bearing incident. Were you able to diagnose it as a #3 cylinder rod bearing problem before you pulled the engine? At idle, did it make any unusual noise?
I know it happened a long time ago, but I am experiencing an engine noise that came up right after a WOT pull. More of a ticking than a knock but I didn't run it to long after I discovered. Lifters and valve train look good. Good psi for me too.

 

[Quicksilver]

I'm curious about the spun rod bearing incident. Were you able to diagnose it as a #3 cylinder rod bearing problem before you pulled the engine? At idle, did it make any unusual noise?
I know it happened a long time ago, but I am experiencing an engine noise that came up right after a WOT pull. More of a ticking than a knock but I didn't run it to long after I discovered. Lifters and valve train look good. Good psi for me too.

My rod bearing noise was rather noticeable but I did not know which rod bearing was bad until I pulled the motor and removed the oil pan. I knew something was not right because the oil pressure was lower than normal and the oil on the dipstick had metal flakes in it. Verify the ticking is coming from the engine itself and not where the driveshaft couples to the jet pump. There is some play in the coupling and unless the pump is under a load it will make some noise.