You lucky dog you! I am hoping for 70 MPH with pushing her! Still owe me a ride when I am in town, haha. Let me know how she does wide open!

Update, Hardin Marine XS Valve Covers arrived last night, she will get buttoned up this evening for sea trial tomorrow. I will get a video when shes on the hose!

http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/...psrnx9p5ga.jpg

P.S. Traded the Bayliner last weekend for this sweet ass Cutlass. Couldn't be happier. The Bayliner was great while we had it but having 2 boats at this point is not practical.

http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/...pstozh4jk3.jpg

But anyways, I hope everyone is having a good time on the water and be safe this upcoming weekend!

Congrats, hope all goes well! Keep us posted. I Have a couple weekends on the new XRs now, and so far so good...

Finally an update, sorry for the delay everyone. I have missed half the season so far but I believe it is all worth it in the end.

So after realizing the wrong push rods were sent from Comp Cams in their, I got the correct ones and installed them yesterday. After some frustration with getting everything primed, she fired up and valve adjustment was set. I have the timing set at ~10* at 900 RPMs which will be adjusted this evening. I have one more valve cover to install and then off for a sea trial. I am hoping all goes well so I can get back on the water. Here is a video of the start-up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLEl0GACMIM&feature=youtu.be My apologies for the poor quality video, I will try to get more tonight.

Glad you got her going Josh. She sounds good!

Thanks TomZ, also for letting me vent to you my frustrations yesterday, HAHA!

Alright, so here we go. Distant Thunder is finally up and running. Minor things I still need to do like new fuel lines, gauges, some clean up, and a valve cover leak. I am using the cork gaskets that came with the Hardin Marine XS kit but they are not holding correctly so I believe I will be switching to the steel core rubber gaskets from GM Performance as I have read these should eliminate any issues. This has been a long road but I have learned a lot along the way. Being that this is my first build, there was a lot of unknown's and obstacles but staying calm and moving forward without getting too frustrated has paid off after having her out on the water last night. Here is the final tally, including the parts needed after the valve train was trashed...

Gen VI (1998) 454 Block (Standard Bore, Previously Closed Cooling System) $200
Block and Head Machine Work $550.00
Standard Crank $0.00
Standard Rods with ARP Hardware $0.00
King Bearings (Crank and Rod) $150.00
SRP Domed Pistons .030 Over - $640.00
Sealed Power R9904030 Rings $126.00
COMP Cams K01-451-8 Camshaft Kit $965.88
COMP Cams 900-16 Hydraulic Roller Lifters $204.88
COMP Cams RPS302 Magnum Rocker Arm/Pushrod/Stud Kit $259.88
ARP Hardware for Heads $75.00
Hardin Maine XS Valve Cover Kit $300.00
MSD 31489 8.5mm Super Conductor Spark Plug Wire Set $99.95
Mr. Gasket 6005 Aluminum Carburetor Spacer with Open Center $25.00
Holley 800 DP $0.00
Edelbrock Performer RPM Intake $0.00
Stainless Marine Manifolds and Tails $0.00
Coupler $400.00
Gaskets, Oil, Filters, Maintenance and Misc Items $650.00
NEW ROCKERS, PUSH RODS, LIFTERS, GASKETS $700.00

GRAND TOTAL : ~ $5,350.00

Now, I understand that I could have been up and running earlier with a replacement block from the internet for about the same amount of cash but I wanted to know what was in my engine. I also wanted to experience of building an engine from the bottom up. I now know this engine inside/out and I can take pride in the fact that it was built with my own hands. I did this for the love of the sport and the passion of mechanics. I appreciate everyone's input though out this process and to all of my fellow OSO members, Thank you! I hope to meet most of you out on the water this summer.. Keep your eye out for a good deal on a trailer so I can make it to BIRDS ON THE BAY this year!

So, down to the nitty gritty. Sea Trial was successful last night (minus VC leak). Engine fired right up at the dock after 2 pumps and idled beautifully at 800 RPMs. Leaving the dock, she was very smooth and stable with a healthy sound navigating the no wake zone (6 MPH at 1000 RPM). Coming up on plane was fantastic, 2 people/full tank, planed out at around 2200 RPMs. I am running a BBlades labbed 24P Bravo 1. The boat felt strong out of the hole with a nice pull up to cruise speed at 3000 RPM. (I believe I was around 38-40 MPH). Once we reached a good straight away in front of Martinak State Park, I opened her up slowly to about 4500 RPMs with the trim set a touch up from full down, once she settled out, the Garmin GPS was reading 63.4 MPH. There was a good ripple on the river from the 5-8 MPH winds out of the south. There was no abnormal noises or smells and the BBC was roaring down the river and I was a happy man! Once back at the ramp, her docking manners were polite and easy to navigate even with the bigger cam. It felt great to be out, I couldn't be happier with how she turned out. Even my buddy, who usually doesn't talk much, was surprised how smooth she ran.

I am running Rotella engine oil in it now for break in and will try to fight off the urge to go full bore for a few weeks. The 3 major things I learned here is valve adjustment is #1, Comp Cams Tech Support is a joke, and patience. Here is a video of Distant Thunder idling at the dock and a picture of the engine bay. I don't know why my videos are coming out in terrible quality.

http://vid1048.photobucket.com/albums/s378/distantthunder223/VID_44991103_121035_zpsafersjvf.mp4 http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/...psoapaglrh.jpg

Congrats Josh! I know you must be pleased!

Now we are talking! Congrats on completing the build and I definitely look forward to seeing it!

What price range are you looking in for the trailer?

Thanks! The brand new ones down here (Venture Aluminum Bunk) are going for around $3,200.00 out the door. I was hoping to find a better deal than that for a slightly used one. Might just break down and pay up. Haha!