97 GTX coming back to life

[etemplet]

I remember when every time I needed another part that was 4 more days. It was a pain. You're making good headway the.... BAM no part. Makes you do some hellaciously creative stuff. LOL You go it coming along though.
''''

 

[Bornsinner]

Is the parts motor you got a 787 ? If so how much?

 

[97explorer717]

New bunks, brackets and carpet on trailer. Repacked bearings and new light kit before bringing home. Brackets were completely rusted apart. Pulled this thing 300 miles back home stopping several times to check it. Between the last stop and pulling in the house I was dragging one of the bunks. Lucky enough what was left of one of the brackets was sitting on the ride plate and not through the bottom of the hall. Getting carbs cleaned up while waiting on kits and other parts for the motor. Hopefully stuff will be here tomorrow so I can continue from the point I'm currently at. I got a couple of questions if anybody knows. Will the motor fit through the hole with the exhaust bolted on? Also any recommendations as to where to get a seat skin? Also I try to make paragraphs but it just does not transfer!

 

[97explorer717]

Made quite a bit of progress. Been really putting in the hours.

 

[97explorer717]

Doing it right. Decided to purchase the alignment tool on the second Explorer I bought. It definitely paid off. $75 to rent and this is the fifth time I've used it.

 

[97explorer717]

If I can find a spring for the exhaust pressure regulator maybe I can get to the lake this weekend. Just got to Bolt the nozzle on the pump and the Breather housing. BlackTip Seat cover and Treads ordered. That definitely blowed the budget!

 

[97explorer717]

It's alive!

 

[etemplet]

Dang you got that hull clean that's fo sho... LOL

 

[97explorer717]

Dang you got that hull clean that's fo sho... LOL

Well it's already filled with black Grease. Didn't see that pin hole in the bottom of the exhaust. Guess when you fire up a ski on the hose that's completely dry and wonder why there's water in there. New to me exhaust on the way. Old ones getting some J-B weld on it. I'm hitting the lake Thursday! We shall see.

 

[etemplet]

I've cleaned up all the ones I do and it ends up with injection oil or some other crap in there. LOL I do love a clean bilge. good luck on Thursday. I have a couple that will need water testing this week.

 

[97explorer717]

I've cleaned up all the ones I do and it ends up with injection oil or some other crap in there. LOL I do love a clean bilge. good luck on Thursday. I have a couple that will need water testing this week.

My number-one find is leaking from the oil tank Reservoir fittings. Honestly if I wouldn't have cleaned it I wouldn't have known the exhaust had a hole in it. Maybe besides the water. Wasn't much there like a cup so... Do you think J-B Weld a hold on pin hole in the exhaust for a day? Just want to go out and baby the motor back in. Going to run at 32.1. Exhaust will be here Friday.

 

[etemplet]

JB weld is good stuff. Clean it up good and prep the surface. It will hold a lot longer than a day. Make a good size patch... give it more area to grip. Problem with exhaust is there may be oil in the metal which will cause problems. Drill a hole in the exhaust and tap it or install a sheet metal screw with the JB weld then a large patch over the area..

 

[noviceskier]

Wanna try using a soldering iron to glob some of that metal to cover the pinhole? sounds like it'd work lol.

 

[97explorer717]

Wanna try using a soldering iron to glob some of that metal to cover the pinhole? sounds like it'd work lol.

I have a soldering iron and solder. I got more expensive silver solder for electronics. That never crossed my mind.

 

[mikidymac]

The solder probably will not stick.
I have been having good luck with the JB Weld Aluminum Repair Putty for people that don't want to have the plugs welded which is the correct way.

 

[etemplet]

I would only JB Weld those exhausts if under brain eating Zombie Attack. Otherwise, I machine a 1" aluminum plug and have it welded. I have UN JB welded a few of these and UN- RTV'd a few more.

 

[kenfyoozed]

What about the aluminum bazing rods? Some can be used with a mapp gas torch or even propane torch. Ive used them to fill holes on aluminum blocks after a bolt snapped, then drilled out off center buggered everything up. Fill hole, drill and then tap. Still holding strong.

 

[97explorer717]

I went with this J-B Weld. Never used J-B Weld brand of this epoxy putty. I used some years ago called mag steal I think. Was on the counter at AutoZone. My Cavalier had a hole in the oil pan. Wiped it off with a rag and stuck that stuff on there. Didn't even use any cleaner. It stayed on there for 15 years. Shocked me! As I was sticking it on there the oil was dripping out. Literally as I was pushing it on it was pushing oil out from underneath of it. I never thought it would have stayed. Never leaked another drop. Anyway I got way off on that. That J-B Weld only has to hold for a couple hours to test Thursday. New exhaust/waterbox will be here Friday. Stuff may be handy for a temporary emergency repair.

 

[97explorer717]

Now for the SBT guys! When something's right it's right and when it's wrong it's wrong. The spring on the right is the one that drove the rave valve into the piston. I noticed that large spring when I was digging for parts that was getting reused on the new engine. It's no wonder it pounded it down in there. Now if Junior installed that Friday evening and his first day there was that morning then it's their fault. I highly doubt they sent that thing out like that! Someone messing with stuff they have no business doing is my guess. Another thing I had noticed was the paint on the manifold was blistered. That thing had gotten really hot. I was just working on doing the water pressure regulator. Looks like stock setting is all the way in then three clicks back. That Red Cap was sticking above the top and the spring was broke. Seems like that was just destined for failure.

 

[97explorer717]

All that hard work and row row row your boat back to the dock. I never even got it out of the no-wake. Pulled over to the side with it. Tried to rev it seemed like it was bogging. Not sure maybe cuz it's in neutral I don't know. Pulled it over here and it will not start. Kept saying maintenance and cleared the code with the two buttons. Don't know if that had anything to do with it. Got spark and plugs are absolutely soaking wet. I'm thinking I may have flooded it. Not quite sure how to unflood it if I did. Also no beeps. It's been intermittently beeping and not beeping since I fired it. I didn't know if these things were supposed to beep or not beep. I got to be probably well over two grand in it at this point.

 

[mikidymac]

I am so sorry you’re having such a bad go with this.

SBT is marginal at best.
I would check compression then if it is ok verify the rotary timing is correct.
If those check out and you have spark it has to be the carbs.

 

[97explorer717]

I am so sorry you’re having such a bad go with this.

SBT is marginal at best.
I would check compression then if it is ok verify the rotary timing is correct.
If those check out and you have spark it has to be the carbs.

I got 155 a cylinder. Pretty confident on my rotary valve timing setting. I got a degree wheel years ago this ain't my first go with that. I'm pretty sure it's in my carbs. Don't know where it went wrong though. This is my fourth set over the years I've rebuilt. Seats replace pop off pressure tested. I noticed they were trying to stick when Engine was getting warm. The butterflies were sluggish when I originally took them off. They've been sitting 4 years. I lubed and work them back and forth and they freed up. Thinking the bodies are shot. Bushings and seals at the butterflies are done.

 

[etemplet]

How about this for a wrinkle? The pick up on your mag is dirty and the ski isn't firing every time around but you did that already didn't you? Could it be the coil ?

 

[97explorer717]

Yep I already did that. The coil now I'm not sure about.

 

[97explorer717]

Cleaned up that nasty wiring on that Coil. The only thing I can think that wasn't gone through. Still didn't help it start alone. Got it too fire off starting fluid. First time I've ever purchased or used that stuff in my life. Shut it off and it sat awhile and fired back up again. It has a bog now before revving up. Someone had posted earlier in this thread to make sure I did the needle and seats. I did so..... Something's not right with my carbs. Thinking about bolting the carbs from the Challenger on there. They were rebuilt and only had a few hours of use on them. It was running good as far as that went.