1995 XP 720 Restoration

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riffe723

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Got started on my 95 XP restoration today. Pulled the motor. This thing is in pretty sad shape. The hull is full of nasty water, oil, and mold. Either way I got the motor out and will start building it soon. The motor has been out of it before. Looks like that replaced the cylinder head with one from a Silver Motor 720, but left the original top half. Here are a few pictures. Check out what I found too. Hope there isn’t some serious damage in the Mag side because it’s missing what I assume is a lubrication like, and instead it’s getting air. This thing was not far from blowing, it did run tho and I did ride it last week for about 10 minutes.
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The inside looks better than some I've gotten. I recently completed a 1996 SPX which is pretty much what you have in the 95XP. 717 engine and all that. If needed I can help with pictures and such. Lots of fun !! I haven't ridden mine enough to feel comfortable wide open for long periods.SPX Engine 2.jpgSPX Engine Apart.jpgSPX Engine Mounts.jpgSpx Shop Stand.jpg
 
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The inside looks better than some I've gotten. I recently completed a 1996 SPX which is pretty much what you have in the 95XP. 717 engine and all that. If needed I can help with pictures and such. Lots of fun !! I haven't ridden mine enough to feel comfortable wide open for long periods.View attachment 38042View attachment 38043View attachment 38044View attachment 38045

I have two 97 SPX that look exactly like that. I had them growing up and my parent gave them to me when they were going through a separation.
 
Hands down... these old 2 seaters are my favorite skis to ride and I have not finished the 96XP yet.
 
My 94 xp looked about in the same condition when I got it. Both cylinders and the crank were shot, mag area was a rust ball, pump was nothing but ground up rust powder inside, seat cover was gone. Lots of time and a chunk of change later it runs perfect, cosmetics are better but will never be like new.

I agree about the two seaters, they have their own character. It's the DOOs I am most familiar with, the bigger new stuff is fast, but I like the old iron..... erh, fiberglass.
 
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Dang... I won't complain about the skis I buy. I hope you got a good deal in it. I keep telling people, no matter what ski you buy or how much you spend... they all need something. It is a jungle out there especially for people that are not aware. That was me a year ago but since I work on my own stuff... I can keep the repair costs way down.
 
Got some more done today. Have a lot of buffing and waxing to do. The hull is nice and clean inside tho.

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I’m looking for a xp800 or 800 spx. That’s my next purchase. My girlfriend loves this ski so I don’t think she would be upset if I bought myself an 800. We are also restoring our speedster SK right now too, so bear with me on reply to this thread and the SK thread.
 
After making the post about looking for an 800, i caught myself scrolling through facebook marketplace when i saw a 97 spx 800 for $200. SOOOOOO a two hour drive and $200 later i brought this home. Decided to just leave it on the trailer and save it until this 95 xp is finished. Either way, heres a pic!
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What did you pain that with?....not taking the bow hook out? Also did you just tape the bumpers?
 
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What did you pain that with?....not taking the bow hook out? Also did you just tape the bumpers?

I did just tape the rub rails. Bow hook is broken but didn't notice until i started to paint it so it will be coming out. I wanted to take the rub rails off, but i didn't see any harm in leaving them because you can paint down in the channel and will still never see any of the yellow that it use to have on it.
 
Oh. my basecoat is appliance epoxy. Although gelcoat is the best option, i don't really have the time nor patience for the job. Plan to follow this coat up with a UV protected top coat. My girlfriend is deciding the colors and she is wanting to do a metallic, flaxy black. something with a little shine. we will see what we get into.
 
Update on the motor tho. Motor is looking good. got it apart and I had an oil line missing causing lack of lubrication on the Mag side piston. Same cylinder also has a chunk missing from the bottom of the sleeve. That crank was just replace. By visual inspection it looks brand new.
 
So here’s a little update on the painting process. Last night I finished up the Galaxy Metallic top coat. My girlfriend likes the metallic look and she is the person riding this ski the most so I’m letting her make the aesthetic choices.

Tonight I’m going to start shooting clear. I’m planning on several coats of clear to protect the paint.

Process so far:

PREP. Prep is key. Rough the hull down with some 220grit.

Spray appliance epoxy. 4-5 coats is what I did.

Shoot two coats of Galaxy Metallic after Epoxy has cured.

5-6 coats of clear over that.

Buff clear, then WAX. Lots of wax.

Let me know what you think.

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Just curious why you did epoxy then paint then clear? What was the point of doing the epoxy?
You would have been better off using an actual epoxy primer instead of appliance epoxy.
 
Just curious why you did epoxy then paint then clear? What was the point of doing the epoxy?
You would have been better off using an actual epoxy primer instead of appliance epoxy.

Never thought of that. Saw a lot using appliance epoxy. It’s cheap enough, why not. Wasn’t sure at first where I was going with it honestly. Girlfriend wanted black. I did black epoxy, then she thought about it longer and she wanted metallic black. But now that the first two coats of clear is on, no more changing her mind.
 
What did you use to remove the old graphics? I have a GTX I am working on. :) Looks like your ski is coming along very well !!
 
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