What skis to Restore??

[etemplet]

Boy O Boy I got so many skis in the yard and I'm about to thin them out. I have a few that I want to restore just to ride them. I painted my 2000RX and that ski looks terrific so my next skis are gonna get painted and new graphics. I enjoy restoring more than riding.



I want another RX - I may start restoring them alone.

2003- RX DI. I read these things are fast!! I have a red one.
1998- XPL Carb 951 engine
1997 - SPX and a ton of go fast goodies along with a Miller built mild race engine

Then I have a GTX - RFI almost ready to install the engine, A 2003 GTX DI and 3 GTI's.

Thing is I only want to do a couple per year. It takes a lot of time to get these old skis spot on.

 

[burtshaver2021]

That’s some nice skis you have there. I’ve never seen you restore an X4 hull so my vote goes to the 1997 SPX.

 

[etemplet]

That’s some nice skis you have there. I’ve never seen you restore an X4 hull so my vote goes to the 1997 SPX.

Man that one is probably the one I don't want to do. I have about $2k or more in go fast stuff for that ski. I'm including the mild Miller built race engine. It has buckshot carbs and intake, factory pipe with the solenoids, that jet pump nozzle everyone wants to buy finger throttle and all that. Matt Braley wanted to buy all that stuff from me. Said the ski should hit the low 60's and get there really quick. That was before I bought the Miller engine and control box.
I'm a motorcycle lover and I ride those.... ha ha. The skis are fun to build but I don't ride on the water much at all. I get enough riding in testing and tuning them and making sure everything is OK.

 

[burtshaver2021]

Man that one is probably the one I don't want to do. I have about $2k or more in go fast stuff for that ski. I'm including the mild Miller built race engine. It has buckshot carbs and intake, factory pipe with the solenoids, that jet pump nozzle everyone wants to buy finger throttle and all that. Matt Braley wanted to buy all that stuff from me. Said the ski should hit the low 60's and get there really quick. That was before I bought the Miller engine and control box.
I'm a motorcycle lover and I ride those.... ha ha. The skis are fun to build but I don't ride on the water much at all. I get enough riding in testing and tuning them and making sure everything is OK.

Well hopefully you get some votes for the other skis then cause right now as it stands it’s in the lead with 1 vote for restoration

 

[etemplet]

Well hopefully you get some votes for the other skis then cause right now as it stands it’s in the lead with 1 vote for restoration

Sell ya the whole rig for $1500.

 

[burtshaver2021]

Sell ya the whole rig for $1500.

Canadian?

 

[etemplet]

Canadian?

I'm gonna take a picture of the 97' hull with crap growing all over it. You're gonna make me build that thing.

 

[burtshaver2021]

I'm gonna take a picture of the 97' hull with crap growing all over it. You're gonna make me build that thing.

I’m not making you, you pit it to a vote, all I’m saying is so far my horse is in the lead

 

[etemplet]

No vote. I just posted the skis on my list. LOL

 

[burtshaver2021]

lol, your right. You got me. Well if there was a vote I would vote for the 97 SPX but I’m looking forward to whatever one you pick

 

[etemplet]

lol, your right. You got me. Well if there was a vote I would vote for the 97 SPX but I’m looking forward to whatever one you pick

I'll give you a vote. That ski with all the performance is not going to be an easy build. I'm sure it will take some tuning but I do have the carbs and all the parts that were on there so it might not be the monster I make it out to be.

 

[MAL]

I am voting for the 97 SPX.

 

[etemplet]

I am voting for the 97 SPX.

Here are a few pictures of the XP SPX options. I don't let it scare me because all the crap comes off pretty good with the water blasters and at the car wash and my equipment. I was shocked after thing a 2002RX was going to need paint and the seat looked terrible. It all cleaned up.










Or I can do the 1996 XP that the go fast parts came in BUT... someone painted the hull and it is milky yellow. I'd have to remove the paint and start from scratch.




This is the Mild Race build Miller engine. I have the gray box for it as well.

 

[mikidymac]

Once again, the SPX.

 

[etemplet]

I'm gonna do the SPX because I just hate to see all the sooped up parts and such go to waste. No one else local is gonna mess with it. The SPX is definitely a hot rod. Hopefully someone local will appreciate it. I think it is basically gonna be a clean up and install kinda restore. I'm thinking about painting the hull. I just like the black bottom better than the yellow. I could just clean it all up really nice and put some new decals. I just think it needs some attitude.

It's in cleaning position.

 

[burtshaver2021]

Could always sell the go fast parts if you ha e a buyer and fund this project with the proceeds? May be easier to sell the go fast parts on their own so someone can put them in the machine of their choice? The SPX looks better already just being pulled out of the grass

 

[Frige]

Yep I also vote for the spx. Even though I would probably kill myself on that thing. lol

 

[DaddyLoafin]

SPX all the way. I love mine when its working lol

 

[etemplet]

Cleaning it up.

 

[MAL]

What do you use on the plastic storage cover hood?

 

[etemplet]

What do you use on the plastic storage cover hood?

It's wet so it looks better than reality. I just used my 3200 PSI pressure washer with the white tip. Then some green scotchbrite with a little soft scrub. I didn't spend much time with it at all. Still has some discoloration so it needs a lot more work. That said, I'm happy with it because I've had some of these so bad it was impossible to resurrect. I painted the one on the Seadoo Speedster I restored.

Some people recommend the blue scotchbrite with soft scrub. I'm impatient so I use the green with the Soft Scrub. I never get them looking great. Painting them gets the pretty for a long long time.

 

[burtshaver2021]

What do you use on the plastic storage cover hood?

This old hood was close to a house fire so part of the hood is melted, I use it to try different techniques. Here I used mequires 91 with foam pad on a drill at low rpm, and followed up with Meguires 49. This hood could never be perfect because at one time someone had used a heat gun in it and made it blotchy, but I’m pretty sure the hood would come back had it not have had the heat gun treatment. Another method I would like to try is wet sanding. What you are doing is removing material till you get down to the good stuff.

 

[etemplet]

This old hood was close to a house fire so part of the hood is melted, I use it to try different techniques. Here I used mequires 91 with foam pad on a drill at low rpm, and followed up with Meguires 49. This hood could never be perfect because at one time someone had used a heat gun in it and made it blotchy, but I’m pretty sure the hood would come back had it not have had the heat gun treatment. Another method I would like to try is wet sanding. What you are doing is removing material till you get down to the good stuff.

Problem with wet sanding is the finish on the hood is coarse so you have to sand enough to get it smooth first. Then you have to bring it back by by upping the finish grade. I don't believe it will come back to what it looked like when new. Maybe if one sanded it all the way down and used some heat to bring back the gloss. The reason heat doesn't work for some people is because you have to clean the hood really well. Any dirt, discoloration will be melted into the finish and you're done at that point. Cool thing is that these hoods don't have to be perfect.

If one is gonna sand it... it is quicker and easier to paint. That's why I painted mine. At one point I thought about trying to bring the finish back with sand paper but it just didn't look like it would come back with a shine.

This was the hood "sanded." In the process. Mix up some yellow and it's beautiful for a long time and you can polish it. Also if you opt for sanding you gotta get all the nooks and crannies which is very very time consuming.

 

[etemplet]

View attachment 68130
This old hood <snip>

Pressure washing will get most of that off lickity split and get you down to the color. Then the work begins. Too much pressure or too tight a stream on the pressure washer will tear up the finish. GENTLY always works best.