Thanks! I think I'm going to go with liquid nails and big velcro panels. That should hold them quite well.

Now I have a different problem: I started installing the gauges last night, and it turns out my new tachometer is SLIGHTLY bigger than my old one. The hole that already exists is about 3.25" in diameter, but I need it to be 3.5" in diameter. Is there a nice way to increase the diameter of the hole?

Take a hole saw that's the same size as your current hole and cut a hole in a piece of scrap wood the same thinckness as your dash. Attach a straight piece of wood to the back of that, then secure it from the back side of your dash. You'll now have a perfect center pilot hole for the new larger hole.

As for Velcro to secure your tanks, I'd seriously recommend against that. Your tank(s) will take quite a beating back there and you don't want one landing on your lap someday. Flammable liquids are not something to cut corners on. Besides, foam can be removed someday. Liquid Nails cannot.

Awesome stuff!

I don't see how the foam would secure them 'downwards', toward the hull very well. It seems like they'd sort of pop out eventually.

Correct. You need a mechanical means of holding them in / down. The thing foam has over Liquid Nails is a certain amount of give.

How were they held in before?

They had a strip of FG over them, which looked godawful. Also, I'm not talking about using liquid nails to hold them in place. I'm talking about bonding a healthy pad of velcro to the bottom. Velcro seems ideal; it has a bit of "give" to it, but the tanks won't go anywhere unless you pry them up with a prybar.

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So almost done filling that crack. What a PITA, it's so time consuming since the layers are so thin. Finally ready to sand, and then fill with gelcoat. Never done that before, so it'll be a learning experience.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...8/CIMG0259.jpg Scuffed everything with a stainless brush and acetone. Sprayed with black engine paint. Looks much better than orangey crap.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...8/CIMG0265.jpgBuilt a riser for the rear seat. Also going to double as a storage compartment. The only problem is....

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...8/CIMG0267.jpg
I think it's too high. Going to take it apart and cut it in half, then reassemble at about 1.5" high. When you viewed it from the side...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...8/CIMG0268.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...8/CIMG0269.jpg
See how it sticks up? Looks bad. MOAR LOW! Then I'll wrap it in red vinyl with more stainless staples. :)

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...8/P1050524.jpgTook the timing chain cover off today. WOOHOO! Turns out this "rebuilt" engine has a gear drive! HELL YEAH! :D

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...8/P1050525.jpg
new vs old. Secured it with stainless allen bolts. Looks fantastic.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...8/CIMG0299.jpg
Loosened the pan a bit, pried it down to insert the seal. Sexy gear drive...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y14...8/CIMG0302.jpg
Hey look it's starting to look like an engine!

Also ordered wire and a bunch of other stuff for the boat today.

Looks good for sure man. Def brought it a long way. I would have went with a water pump bypass though. Would have def cleaned the front of the engine up even more..

John jr

Nice project!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep us updated!!!!

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Test fit the Stellings headers. They fit PERRRRFEEECCCCT. It was obviously meant to be. I got them for a song, and they are going to be amazing on this boat. I am trying to figure out how to hook them up to the thermostat housing, I haven't figured that out yet, if anybody has any ideas please let me know.

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Carpet adhesive.
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Carpet glued down.
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Sanding down the transom, after putting on some gelcoat. Going to need a few more layers I think.

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Closer. I discovered that taping wax paper over the gelcoat really helps it cure nice and flat.

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More gelcoat repair. This was prior to sanding. If this thing had a rub strip it'd be SO much easier to repair. Sanding a rounded corner without burning through is a complete PITA.

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I really wanted to get the back embroidered, but there is always next year.

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Closer....

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Special thanks to Too Stroked! It worked awesome! Had to fill in the hole with a chunk of wood secured from the back side, then used a huge hole saw to enlarge the whole from 3.25" to 3.5".

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1261934_n.jpg Test fitting the gauges before pulling them back out, need to buff the whole boat! Before I do that, I need to finish the gelcoat repair. :\

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Steering wheel is refinished!

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This is the thermostat housing I currently have. I'm guessing I need something else to run the stellings headers. What am I looking for?