New to me 380LE
 

Showed up friday night/sat morning at 2:30 AM. Finally got a chance to look at her close today. Except for a few small spots here and there, the paint job on this thing is incredible. For having sit outside for so long, It still shines like it is brand new. Kudos to the guy who paited it. The details are amazing. Every time I go down the ladder, I find something new in there.

I will post some pics soon. I unhooked the gas tanks from the fuel system today and am seeing if the batteries will take a charge. I am going to start them up on 5 gallon gas cans just to make sure that there are no issues from the tanks sitting for the last couple years.

Engines turn over fine. Starboard has a weak cylinder somewhere. I can hear the inconsistency when I turn it over. I might just see about fixing these engines, instead of selling them, but I am not sure yet.

It is a really cool boat. The headsets even work. Really liking this one.

I'll look forward to this thread. Lots of luck with the build.

:ernaehrung004:

Port engine fired up like it was running yesterday. Amazing the resilience of these things. This is the second boat I have pulled from a dark deep grave and done nothing but hook up fuel and charge the existing batteries and had it fire up like it was running yesterday.

THe battery on the starboard engine won't turn over hard enough to fire. It is also the engine that is supposed to be blown.

After spending a little time with it, I am thinking there is a really good chance that it overheated and sneazed a head gasket between the cylinders.

I am 80% sure I can fix this engine by just pulling the head off hte side that is broken.

I am going to get a new battery for that side, (the other battery is holding a charge fine, go figure) and then run a compresion check on it. When I find the dead hole, I will look at it with a bore scope and see what I find.

These engines are still going to be for sale, but with as much interest as I had in them when they supposedly didn't run, I think the price might go up on them a little.

I owe it to myself to see how she runs with these monsters in her at least once.

:drink::coolcowboy::kiss:

very, very cool man! congrats!

You have me wondering how I'll run with some blowers.....Get em going!

I was taking out the plugs to run a compresion test, and noticed that there was only 7 plugs in the engine. I wonder what happened to #5???

Coil wire was un plugged from distributor. Is there a chance that they missed something all that time ago???

Getting a fresh battery for it today.

Stay tuned......

The starboard engine fired off a few minutes ago like there was nothing wrong with it. After a few revs though it started popping and sputtering.

Guess I'll investigate some more tonight after I write some more files, and pay some more bills. Boat is starting to intruige me. :coolcowboy:

Stay tuned.

Had another offer come in on them today. After today though, I really want to run them and see what kind of nuts this boat has before I take it apart.

Progress has been made in the last 2 days. Interior is out. Old engines are out and sold. Need to finish the shipping crates. Bilge is getting cleaner by the day, and the list of the little parts needed for getting the bilge re rigged is getting a little longer. Starboard engine is on the test stand for final rigging and then test run. Upholstery is in the upholstery shop and the materials are all ready in so they can start sewing.

Keep the fingers crossed and a couple more weeks of days like the last few and there may be a running Nor Tech on the water.

They come apart so easy. Putting them back together is murder.

And yes that oil filter is coming off the bottom. That is left over from the Dyno

Change of plans. #1 going in saturday morning hopefully.

Then I'll be working on fitting exhaust. I hope I can make it fit. And waiting on #2 to come from the machine shop.

Upholstery in the main cockpit is finished. I would have some pics, but my stupid camera phone doesn't work, and all my other camera's are missing in action. :angry-smiley-038:

I'll add a pic when I convert this engine over to the way it is going to be installed. Should look sweet with the stellings and different blower.

A lot of the interior is in. I am thinking about changing throttles and guage bezels handles etc to yellow. What do ya'll think. Or should I just use anodized blue? The silver steering wheel is going in. That is left over from my Magnum project. Definately need to change cup holders to blue and add a few.

I should have had the Nortech stiched back into the seats, but I can have it done later.

New bilge pumps are in, new blowers are in. Tails are pulled, ready for the 5" hole saw tomorrow and see if I can guestimate the correct location? Wish me luck. :coolcowboy:

It looks to me like everything is going to line up. KC told me that when he had it on his boat that the tails were just a little low of stock, but who knows if Velocity and Nortech use the same exhaust hole diagram??

I am gonna make 1 more call to Nortech Tech support tomorrow, and then I am just gonna have at it and hope we get lucky. :party-smiley-004:

lookin good:)

nice jeff! i was waiting to see how this turned out for you!

Everything would be moving along a lot faster, but I had to go back to work for a little while and get some more parts money. More interesting things have been happening the last couple of days.

Id wait for the motors.. Nice boat

I cut the holes before I left town. I hope everything works out.

Of course, after the news I got today, there may be tall decks going in, so that changes things again as well.

Damn changing priority syndrome.

Well, except for a few parts laying around, every engine that I had is now sold. Just have to get them all crated up and out the door.

I will be going with tall deck something or other. Bigger displacement, but I am leaning towards a 4.25 stroke more than a 4.5" to try and keep the torque down and keep the drives together, as there is almost no way to avoid having to much power with these.

:kiss::party-smiley-004::coolcowboy::eek:

love the interior

Plans changed on the engines for the time being. Just don't have time to build new big power and still get to KW in time.

We have been hard at it every evening this week. The bilge is back to looking awesome. Touched up a bunch of bad spots with some white gel coat. All lines and hoses etc are all in place. Been rigging my little 496/ 520HP engines to go into it as I got some last minute sales on all my other engines last month.

The flooring was terrible, so I pulled that out, interior is back out. A friend of mine is going to sand and gel coat the entire floor and gunnels etc. Basically everything you can see in bright white gel coat. Should make all the difference in the world in the way it looks inside.

I keep finding some little parts that I used to have that are turning up missing. Keeps throwing my install date of the first engine back. God willing the first engine should be in saturday or Sunday. I need to calculate a few more things once I get the first engine in, and crossing the fingers that the Stellings fit the way I have them set up. Then I can get the second engine in mid week and start shaking it down. I am hoping to bring it to FL for the KW poker run.

Even if I can't find a crew. :bsflag: Hell I'll do it SOLO.

Keep praying for me to stay focused. Still got a lot of work to do. :coolcowboy::coolcowboy:

For a budget build, the boat is really starting to look good and come together nicely. It will be a sweet looking ride anyway.

We painted the entire inside of the boat with that 2 part epoxy paint that Roper turned me on to. You need sunglasses in there. I wish I would have done the entire bilge before we re rigged it, but there is always net year.

I took the camera with no mamory card. :bsflag:

I'll get pics tomorrow. or stop by tomorrow afternoon/ evening. I will still be going strong.

1 big shipment from JEGS and 1 shipment from NAPA, and 1 shipment from Eickert and everything should be here that I need.

Eng1 is ready to go minus the water plumbing.

Eng2 still needs a full dress, but all the parts will be here tomorrow.

Gonna be a good day tomorrow if I can get someone to help me guide the engine in. Hard to drive the forklift and bolt in the engine at the same time.. :party-smiley-004:

Who did your seats?

Id give you a hand but I will be running sound at Alamodome all weekend.

Local guy. Only problem with him is that he takes forever :lolhit::lolhit:

Some progress shots from today. Shows bilge touched up and re rigged with new pumps, blower hoses, wiring blocks etc. Fully dressed engine. And install. Not hooked up yet, but 1 is in. :coolcowboy:

Also shows were we installed the engine plates backwards. That was a nice surprise.

more

last ones for today

Going to have to massage the holes for the tail pipes a little bit. They are still a little low and i don't want to the joint to be in a bind and leak.

Working on mounting the oil coolers

Working on where to mount the cut off valves and the water seperators.

Still a lot of work to do, but I feel like I am over a major hurdle now that I have a lot of the lingering questions answered.

I am really glad that I am rigging it first with these simpler style engines rather than with blowers and intercoolers etc. THen it would really be tough.

Oh, and the headers are going to be to tall for the hatch to close so I am going to have to massage the hatch a little as well

Chewed some more ood out of the transom. Got the headers on the starboard engine. Oil coolers are in. Starboard engine is waiting on oi lines to be omplete.

Port engine is going in today. And that one should get buttoned up tonight except for a few parts that we are missing. hose parts are supposed to be in tomorow.

SHould be able to run them in and set timing etc tomorrow evening.

Trying for a shake down run on sunday......... :coolcowboy::coolcowboy::drink::drink:

Looks like we might make the deadline. Second engine is in and exhaust is buttoned up. Waiting on a few more part shipments that are supposed to be here in the am.......

Have to do a bunch of the little stuff, and then do the big fuel purchase. We pumped out almost 150 gallons of old gas out of it..............

lookin good jeff! what do you think its going to run with those motors?

About 1 mile:evilb:

Thanks for the vote of confidence azzhole :coolcowboy:

Hopefully all the way to KW and back

Congrats on the boat it looks awesome, hopefully I will get to see it in KW, boat looks great!!!!

Lol :lolhit:

We got it almost 100% put together for a run tomorrow, and when it came down to the last item on the list of hooking up the cables, we realized that the box with all the little parts is still at the upholsterers......

Really sucks. Engines sound pretty good though. I had never heard them run before..

Noticed tonight that my engine hatch is a perfect square. I think we are going to move the hinges aroung to the other side so the scoops face backwards. Everything seems to measure out.

I figured out that if I can find some 3" x 2" aluminum box tubing that it will raise the hatch up just enough and also maybe take the sag oout of it. We are going to fab up a perimeter skeleton and patch up the burned up parts under the hatch and then gel coat white. Take out the engine ligths that are in there and upgrade to LED's

Ordered all new guages and trim switches for it today in blue. It was really all that is left to do.

Still need to get the controls re powder coated blue and yeallow, and find all the little barrels and clamps that attach the cables and this thing will be finished.

Pulling it to the ramp tomorrow so that I can put some time on the engines while they are on the trailer.

Since these are flat tappet cams, i want to try and get them broken in really well. I hate it when one of those things goes flat.

Well one of them tried to go flat, even when we ran it in on the dyno... :angry-smiley-038:

Bad cam is all ready out and there is only a slight gouge in the lobe, but i could tell that it was just about to happen.

Gonna try and order some rollers tomorrow, or I have another one just like what I pulled out that is brand new in the box. Just need a new set of lifters. I will drink about it and sleep on it.

I have so much work to do on this boat to make it down in 2 weeks. I am killing myself trying to make it. I think it will happen.

Good luck with it all mate,

It looks amazing! Can't wait to see the finished product!