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AGUESS
06-19-2000, 08:29 AM
Hi Everyone. I am just starting the restoration of my 66 classic 18. I have some questions and appreciate your help.

1. Rot. How do you know if you have any? I can not see any visual rot.

2. Heat - Stress cracks. My deck has a lot of cracks from the heat. What is the best product to fill them with before I repaint the deck with Imron? Lots of stress cracks, small spider web type on sides. Paint still looks great on sides. How do you fix these? A next year project.

3. Engine. Ford 302 - OMC 190hp. Engine is shot. Water in the oil. Have any of you bought reman engines from your local auto parts store? Did the original 302 engines used by Donzi have 351 heads? Any other info on 302 configurations would be great. I can also change to a 351, which will match up with my current OMC drive (I will have to upgrade my drive gears). This engine / drive setup put in boat in 1974.

4. Gages / Instrument panel. My gages are S&W and three of them fit into a crome panel, which I think was an OMC instrument panel. This came in sections that slid together to form one long panel. The tach, amp, temp fit. However a fourth gage, was mounted under the dash above the ski rack. Not great. The crome is gone and although I found a re-crome shop in PA, it will take 3 months to get back.

What are you using for gages, and instrument panels?. I don't really want to have to re-glass the dash. Any idea where I can find an original type S&W panel, or something being used in new models to hold all gages?

5. Wiring - I have never thought about this, but should replace all of it. Any thoughts if I can not find OMC harness.


Thanks for all of your help. I had sent a question to the Donzi Factory several weeks ago about the current 18 trimout, but have had no reply.

Alex Guess.

RickR,GroveCity
06-19-2000, 03:02 PM
aguess
There are some surplus outlets in Florida that have dash panels with instruments.
Nate, Stromer,whats the name of the one over by the Donzi Factory?
They may have some wiring harnesses also.

Donzis are a classic boat so if you rewire do it right with tinned wire and heat shrink.


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RickR mailto:riggerb@aol.comriggerb@aol.com</A>

Emmo
06-19-2000, 05:45 PM
I bought a 5.0 HO long block from a Ford Motorsports dealer to replaced the old Holman & Moody 302 in my boat and am really happy with it. I've posted several threads on the conversion but will do it again if you are interested. I don't know what to say about the OMC drive without starting another series of heated conversations other than to say that a friend of mine had a 22' Chapparal Cuddy with a 190hp OMC with the 302 and it lasted 20 years and over 1,000 hours without much attention, except when we hit a stump in the Alabama River. West Marine sells 25' rolls of tinned and stranded copper wire in a variety of colors and gauges.

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Emmo mailto:emmette@emmette.comemmette@emmette.com</A>