Savage gets a little update / upgrade
 

Since winter is almost upon us I decided to do a little maintenance and up grades. Engine HP will be upgraded from 600 total to 680. Here's a couple pic's of the progress. Hopefully I can get this done before the ice shows up.

1. Installed O2 @ 8* to document Air/fuel
2. First engine comes out. 10 ton crane makes this go easy.
3. Engine loaded. FYI, the Electric motor next to the truck is a 1500HP Allis Chalmers
4. Second motor is out. Need to put the first motor in the washer after hone.
5. Clean area for assemble and second motor on deck.

Looking good. Keep us updated. Good luck Andy.

Nice Andy! That's a hella garage you got going there!

That's what I was thinkin...

Yeah, makes things convenient. Just need to find a couple more hours in a day.

Nice project Andy.....I think I'll be staying close to this thread. :whistle:

what is the 1500hp electric motor for?

Circ water pump for a local powerplant. It's a cool story. It has only been shut down a couple times since 1963. Don't make em like they used to.

Nice to see some pictures of the very first Active Thunder 28 getting a little love! I had a few fun rides in that boat with Pat and the original owner!

Nice work Andy.. as soon as I get this 18' 255Ibs I beam up on my gantry 16' high I`ll be ready to do the same. I have thoughts of muscle ing it up there but I think a boom might be in order.

I'll be looking for that upgrade tread!This project, like any, has already scene a couple curve balls. Heads were cracked. 2-seats were sh**. One gimble bearing starting to go to pot. New aluminum anodized heads are on order. Hopefully, your project goes predictable.

new heads means more horsepower than originally thought...

Yes sir! Looking at the the cam and exhaust also. May extend risers now also. Calling comp on Monday to see what the options are now.

Updates
 

Project is moving along fairly well.

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Bilge Cleaned up nice.

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For the interesting discovery, WTF is this firing order??? Just starting dismantling #2 when I notice this????

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After researching all the head options I decided to stay with the cast Vortec. Turns out must of the aluminum heads are designed for a cube increase or actually flow less vs. the cast Vortec. Also, corrosion protection would be a must since I like to bring this down to Fl. So, installed Manley Race series valves, ported and milled the heads. FYI, the Bee Hive Comp Springs STILL require machining the head. The outside of the spring rubs on the casting.

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One done one to go.

After removing the Stainless Marine Exhaust i discovered the bridge between to two inner ports was starting to fail from a bad gasket. Surprisingly I was able to tig this since it's cast aluminum.

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After many late nights i've finally finished. Should be going back in soon. Maybe if I get lucky I'll get a nice day for a shake down run.

Did you repaint your bilge or no?

No, it was very clean to begin with. I usually wash it twice a year anyway. Maybe I won't need to since the port engine now has a new rear main seal.

On Wednesday, I noticed Friday's forecast was for 52 and sunny with SW 10 mph or less wind. So, I pushed my body to it's limits to get-ur-done. After a brief fire up in the driveway to set timing and headed for Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, I hit the boat ramp at 4:15 pm. Knowing I had maybe an hour of light and temperatures on the way down from the delightful November 52*f , I knew I had to move quickly. Looking around I see fisherman coming in and an older couple (being nice we'll call them special) trying to load a very old cruiser onto a roller trailer screaming at each other. Since I was alone, I scanned for a confident volunteer which came from a slow moving fisherman (probably cold from being on the water for the day) accepted my plea.

With my body flowing with adrenaline and anticipation I turn the keys. They fire right up and idle beautifully. Looking down at the gauges, I see the Air / fuel gauges are within a tenth of where they were with the stock cams and heads. Now for the checks, Oil pressure yep, impeller pressure yep, Goes in forward and reverse yep. All looks good so far. But then I notice, the much loader exhaust then before, lumpy idle from the 10.8 A/F cold start map had sent the older couple right next to me through the roof. They continued yelling at each other, then the "when the hell are you going to pull away question" came. Normally, since the question came with such distain I would have slowed my pace but my need to get this on plane to break in the chromoly rings was paramount. So I untie and pull off.

Once in the harbor, I slowly move the sticks. First impression, nice torque and the exhaust sound is definitely louder. Hopefully this doesn't cause noise complaints from the local patrol at some point. Now after making my way halfway across the harbor I see the port engine temp dart for 200*. Shut er down. Pull the thermostat. Restart, all good now but running just warm enough. Gradually, bring her back to 3K for a little while. Stopped, felt port engine to see if any heat was being made to compensate for the Lake Michigan's 50* surface water temp. Pleased to feel warm water from the water pump hose. Though not enough for the computer to start pulling fuel. After, about 40 minutes plus of actually running in the rings. I decide to put her on the trailer till next year. Now 6pm. Pitch black harbor, not another boat on the water. I know I'm loading her myself. Thankfully, the wind Gods gave me a break.

After all the late nights. dismantling, cleaning, planning, sand blasting, in the paint booth, prepping, blueprinting, assembling and installing. I'm happy the way this turned out. A lot of stars had to align to do this single handily in a month and a half. Now though, time for a well deserved break.

Can't wait for summer!

Congratulations!, , Sounds like the project was worth it. Record time also. very nice!! Enjoy.

Andy, now that you've got it down, it would be twice as fast if you took on my boat! When was the last time you visited the beautiful Pacific Northwest for a week or two?

Good luck next spring!

Paul

WOW Andy! I thought this was a WINTER project...now what are you gonna do? Lol. Congratulations on success!

I wanted to get this done since the probability of us bringing it down for the Inaugural Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix, April 11-14 at Charlotte Harbor, FL, is good. Needed to know I have the bugs worked out before towing 1200 miles. You guys should join us!

As far as winter projects, walked outside this morning to add some chlorine to my 2010 Hot Springs to find the water 3" down in 24hrs. Pulled a panel, leaking behind the foam. So much for that break. f-me...

did you have to remove the coupler to install it on the stand? i cant figure out how to
mount mine

Yep. if you have a 1 piece rear main seal you will want to put spacers in between the motor and stand.



please don't take this wrong but I hope you have somebody doing your engine work if you are asking this question.