RESTO 94 GTX Twins

[wabash]

New to the forum and wanted to share my experience with resurrecting my two 94 GTX's from the dead. They are known as #1 and #2 in the order that they were acquired. #1 was purchased and rebuilt a few years ago and #2 was purchased and rebuilt last year. My oldest son though it would be nice to have two and he wanted to learn how to rebuild one so we found a matching ski to #1 last summer and drug it home. We also found a real nice two place ShorLandr trailer from 1995 that matches the skis perfectly. I operate a restoration business but mostly do antique tractors and trucks, that being said these two ski's are more of a rebuild than they are full on restoration. Several factors kept us fro doing full on resto on these, the main one being cost. We didn't want to have too much money sunk in them. Also there is originality. There aren't any repro decals available for these so removing the decals and restoring the bodies would have required a lot of money that really wasn't worth it. I have more story than pics as we were busy with other resto jobs while doing these and they are really more mechanical rebuilds than restorations like I said. Enjoy the stories! #1 was a good one!

 

[wabash]

#1
This is a pic of #1's maiden voyage, they boys were a little younger then. I don't have a pic that I can find of #1 as we bought it but it was still on the water and cosmetically wasn't bad aside from faded decals. It was purchased on eBay for $500 and included a nice single Karavan galvanized trailer. The seller noted that the engine was low on compression so I thought it would be a simple rebuild and get her going. Sure enough the compression on the mag cylinder was only 40psi. The PTO cylinder was still fairly good. That should have been the first sign of the carnage to come but the real sign was when we started it up. Yes it ran and the guy had still been riding it which is a miracle given what we would find inside the motor.

 

[wabash]

#1 Continued

I am a snowmobiler at heart so the Sea Doo's mostly provide relief for my thumb twich over the summer months, but I do enjoy them when we get a chance to ride. But being a snowmobiler and a gear head I have a lot of knowledge of the workings of 2 stroke engines, carburetion, etc... So I had no reservations about digging into this Sea Doo. I love challenges like this and I love bringing dead machines back to life. And this one although not completely dead was in seriously bad health, it's last leg. But hey it's a Rotax and this one goes to prove how un-killable they are.

I wanted to try to start it so I could tell what all was going on. And it fired right up and ran. However it sounded like a dump truck full of rocks going over a cliff.

So we removed the head to take a look. In the head and on top of the mag piston we found little bits of shrapnel. As soon as I picked one out I could tell it was a piece of bearing ball. There were lots of them. As a matter of fact when we pulled the motor and opened up the case we found it to be ALL of the balls out of the mag side bearing. Yes I said ALL. The only thing keeping the mag end of the crank somewhat on center was the magnets on the flywheel riding on the stator. And the stator still worked!!! Of course the mag side seal was not well but still good enough that the motor ran. Now here's the good part. The guy who sold it told me he had it "tuned up" to try to get it running better. Sure enough, the grey fuel lines had all been replaced, the spark plugs were fresh, and the carbs had very recently been rebuilt. Upon inspection of the carbs, I found the high speed screw on the mag side carb to be turned out like 2-3 turns. I don't know who the mechanic was that "tuned" this thing up but I sure hope he's out of business by now!

Bottom line is that it still ran and propelled itself. Unbelievable.

The culprit was a broken oil injection line to the mag side. Plain as day, could've been seen a mile away. The carbs had been removed and rebuilt which means on these, the RV cover had to have been taken off the motor, you can't get to the carbs without doing this and the guy didn't see the split oil line????!!!! Holy crap. Well I have always checked these lines often on my sleds and replace them even when they don't need it. This ski had outboard motor 2 cycle oil in it, the blue stuff and I figure that's what eventually broke down the tubing. Use good oil folks!

 

[wabash]

Now there was so much damage to the motor I didn't have a good core so rebuild it was. Here's a rundown of what we used.
- Crank from Advanced Engine Machining - PWC Engine (nice crank, the bearings were Nachi, the same brand as what BRP originally used, great price)
- New pistons and rings from WSM - Don't recall what the over bore was
- Bored cylinders locally - local engine machine shop does excellent work
- Good stator and flywheel off eBay
- Good head off eBay

The engine was rebuilt following the Sea Doo shop manual instructions, no short cuts. All the recommended sealants, torques, tests, etc... were followed to the T. That's how I roll. Had to make several special tools but these also came in handy for #2 later.

 

[wabash]

The carbs were good other than adjustment. Pop offs were in spec so not much done to them.

The jet pump was refreshed with new seals but other than that it was good. The wear ring checked out good so we left it.

New seals in the drive shaft seal

Threw it all back together, polished her up and put her on the water. The seat had a fairly new seat cover on it (teal). We put new purple grips on it and that's about it.

It runs like a stripped monkey. Runs clean, doesn't skip a beat, quiet, and will pull the heck out of a tuber. I am completely impressed with this machine. These must have been the cats meow back in the day. Tops out about 40-45.

BRP - Rotax all the way!!!! This machine is an real life example of BULLET PROOF!!!!

Altogether we have about $1600 invested in this ski including the purchase which included a trailer which I later sold for $400. So net investment is around $1200, I put a little into the trailer so there's a hundred or two but that's just maintenance stuff anyway.

 

[wabash]

#2 - From the graveyard

#2
Skip forward to #2, last summer.
My son wanted to find another ski and he said "wouldn't it be great to find another 94GTX". So we did. Another eBay special, this time no trailer and it was listed as a "parts machine" as the motor was locked up and would not turn. $285.

Surprising as it sounds this one actually was better than #1 which ran

We could have used the motor as a core and exchanged for a rebuilt one but my son wanted to do the rebuild and that's what we do so rebuild it was. Here's the rundown on #2

- Found a kit on eBay from JJ Machine that included:
* Rebuilt crank - looked good - asian bearings, nice rods, good seals, it all was correct and quality.
* SBT Pistons and rings - wasn't happy with the circlip style snap rings but there's a lot of these out there so see what they do. I wouldn't buy SBT again though.
* Exchange bored cylinders - looked good, ports were chamfered properly, had my engine machine shop guy check them for tolerance and they checked out to spec for the SBT pistons so all is good.

I have read some bad things about JJ Machine. My experience was good and the price was right. And so far the ski runs fine, no different than #1. That being said I probably wouldn't go this route again. I liked the crank from Advanced and the WSM pistons better. The kit from JJ did save me $100 to $150 though and that's what made me go that route. I'm happy with how it's running.

The pump in #2 was totally rebuilt, new ring, seals, bearings and seals as well as the driveshaft seal. Kits from OSD Marine (good stuff!!)

Carbs rebuilt (Kits from OSD)

Fuel system all new - still had grey lines

Oil system all new (kits from OSD)

Again all this was done following the Sea Doo manual to the T

Overall this ski had a lot of damage from sitting, mostly outside. Looked like water damage in the engine. The rings were stuck and the jet pump locked up.

The hull was in great shape other than faded decals. I think this ski had very little hours on it and just had been thrown out back to die.

Got her polished up and a new seat cover (green) and put her on the water. Again runs great, nice power, smooth, quiet. Almost a direct match to #1 Once it breaks in it will be %100.



Disclaimer - Please don't take the pics as an example of my restoration work. We did not do the detail or spend the money that would have normally been done for a restore. We simply just wanted to get some reliable Sea Doo's that we could have fun with and didn't look like total trash for as little investment as possible.

#2 we have about $1300 total in it including purchase. We bought a double trailer for $750, added LED's and some new tires for $200 so we have about $3500 total invested.

 

[wabash]

I thought I would add that the new seat covers and handle bar pad cover for #2 (green) came from JB Sport Trim. They were OK. I have a couple gripes. The material seemed weak, it wanted to tear around the staples too easily this made it very difficult to maintain tension and get all the wrinkles out at the back of the seat. And, while on the lake the skis were out in the rain a couple times and the dye from the material bled from the rain water onto the gel coat, it was pretty hard to get off. The color also bled all over the white stitching and turned it light blue. I've seen several people on forums that went the Joann Fabrics route for their seats. I think for the money I paid for the JB Sport Trim set I would go to Joann Fabrics next time and take my chances. I've seen some that came out real nice. That being said the JB Sport Trim Set looks nice and is very comfortable to sit on, they do not rub or chaffe.

 

[jammin777]

very nice work on a budget! thanks for posting.

 

[wabash]

No problem. I love sharing the stories. I get a lot of stories through my restorations. We just got back from a 2week stay on Big Platte Lake in Honor MI (annual trip) and both skis ran awesome. #1 is just plain beast. I did have an exhaust bolt come loose on #1 and fill up the hull with cooling water. Split washer broke. ?? Eh, put on a new one, tightened her up, bailed out the water and rode it like a rental. Never skipped a beat. #2 Runs awesome as well. With everything new and tight. It does have the slightest hesitation when backing off the throttle and back on so I may double check the pop offs and the little transfer holes in the carbs, maybe didn't get them all the way clean. But I am just so impressed and happy with both of these skis. Amazing tough, powerful and fun machines. Really you just can't beat an old rotary valve ROTAX. They were bullet proof in their sleds. I can remember in the early 90's when PWC's were hot and everyone began making them. Polaris, Arctic Cat, Sea Doo, etc... The biggest issue back then was keeping a motor in one piece. It seemed that just taking a sled motor and dropping into a hull didn't make a reliable ski. Sea Doo however had a great reputation for reliability. They had the same back in the 70's with their sleds and the RV motor was the main reason. I am a huge fan of ROTAX and BRP. Got a Can Am ATV with a V-Twin ROTAX four stroke in it that's boss as well. Those Austrians know how to build a motor!

 

[96spxpos]

pic #2 on ski #2, the handlebar pad...it looks like its almost like a material as opposed to like a harder rubber/plastic...is it? looks almost like seat wrapping material..
EXCELLENT BUILDS! how much rebuild time do you have on each ski total? meaning LABORwise...

 

[wabash]

Yes the seat cover kit from JB Sport Trim came with a matching handle bar pad cover. It slips over the original plastic cover and zips together, you have to tuck it in behind the trim pieces. It definitely needed it. I don't know what happens to the original plastic covers in the sun but it's ugly.

Labor wise I'd say I have about 40 hrs in each one. We worked on them in our spare time tho, hour here and there. Maybe a little more for #1 since It was a little more involved and I had to make some tools.

 

[96spxpos]

Awesome!


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[96spxpos]

Yea my 96spx is supposed to be an aqua tealish color I believe.. It was so sunfaded when I got it that it was almost s chalky white with a hint of light green.. I used this product called WIPE NEW, kinda pricey, like $15-20 for just a few ounces, but it literally almost restored it to like new, and it says it holds up to like hundreds of washes.. I've had it out in the salty gulf about 10 times and washed it 10 times, and I still don't need to reapply yet


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[wabash]

I polished these out with 2000 grit compound and then fine cut compound. Same stuff you use to buff out paint. They shined right up. Even brightened up the decals to some degree. Then I use a spray on wax like Turtle Wax Express Shine. When I have them on the lake I hit them every night with spray wax, keeps the water spots down. If they do get spots I got some stuff by McGuiers, Marine Hard Water Spot Remover that takes care of them no problem. Express Shine is some good stuff.

 

[dakota1205]

awesome story. I have a 93 GTX that I've rebuilt the rotax engine and got it out on the water this past week and ran great. I have thought about finding a 2nd GTX or GTS around same year and rebuilding for the water. I, too followed the manual to the the "T" to make it right. Thanks for sharing.

 

[wabash]

Hey good stuff and congrats! 93 would be the 580 right? What are the accent colors on it? I really liked some of the early GTX's with the purple and the three stripes in back reminiscent of the old Ski Doo sleds with the three tone yellow stripes. These are great machines eh? I just love riding mine, they handle great and are solid as a rock. I think Bombardier really got it right with these. And hey that hull with the 720 in it stayed in production until like 2000 or 2001 with the GTS. I'd love to try a newer GTI or GTS with the 720 although I've had guys tell me you cant tell much difference between the 657 and a single carb 720. Anyways, have fun and I'm sure if you look you'll find another GTX, there's a ton of 94's and 95's out there, I see them all the time. A friend of mine has a pair of 95 GTX twins in great original condition. They have the 657x motors which have a way better carb set up than the 94's. The have like 5 more HP but you can't tell it at all on the lake, they are almost dead even. Mine are maybe a tad stronger cause they're fresh his has quite a bit of time on them and the wear rings are getting bad. We have a blast with these things, great investment.

 

[J BOOGIE]

Really nice job man. Im gonna do the same to a 99 XP i picked up this summer

 

[hotrodssnova]

I'm doing the same on a 94 gtx I picked up for 60.00. I'm going to change the color scheme to black and purple. Nice work!

 

[wabash]

Thanks all, $60!!!! That's crazy. The seat is worth that. Did it have a motor in it? Anyway, have fun, I hate to say it but I actually enjoy working on these things, I know gluten for punishment, but I'm weird like that. If you don't know what to expect from it, you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[hotrodssnova]

Actually, I had a spare battery, and it showed 160 psi on each cylinder. I cleaned the carbs, gas tank, selector, filter. I also replaced the fuel lines and added some pre mix and it fired right up. I was stoked. Then the pto carb started leaking. That's as far as I have gotten. Gotta order some carb kits.

Looks like it was parked due to the wear ring. The pump assembly was pulled when I bought it. You can stack almost 4 dimes between the impeller and the wear ring. It was stored outside, and the seat cover, foam, and the decals are all toast. The gel coat cleaned up with some 2000 grit sandpaper and lots of buffing. 2 weekends worth.
I might do my own thread if I get motivated.
I'm in for $88.00 total for the ski and fuel lines so far. I did do a thread on the boat in the boat section.

Edit. ..
Here's the link for the boat
http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?73186-1994-SeaDoo-speedster-revival-build