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View Full Version : To spend or not to spend...that is the question!



Donzi Vol
09-09-2009, 09:27 PM
Well cutwater, a friend of mine, and his eye-candy took the little '70 18 Classic out tonight for a cruise. It was a good time. Thanks BlownCrewCab for all the help with the ignition, timing, and carb!

While even though she ran well and sounded nice, there are two things that are left to be done before she's running like a champ. 1) the carb needs to be rebuilt. It's not a necessity, as in it runs, but it's a pain in the butt right now and doesn't do well in the lower RPM's. 2) the alternator needs to be rebuilt/replaced. It's dead dead dead!

So, do I:

a. continue spending money I shouldn't to go boating for the last 6 weeks or so of summer

-OR-

b. wait until I have the spare coin to do all this stuff plus pay for gas, etc.

Alright...GO!

BUIZILLA
09-09-2009, 09:33 PM
boating without an alternator?

is this REALLY a consideration?

surely you can afford $200 to do both chores...

Donzi Vol
09-09-2009, 09:41 PM
boating without an alternator?

is this REALLY a consideration?

surely you can afford $200 to do both chores...

No, the consideration is fixing it all or putting it up.

And the job loss I didn't tell anyone about kind of hurt the cash flow. :frown:

MOP
09-09-2009, 09:58 PM
Hang it up for now but keep the cover loose so you can tinker, do the carb yourself a kit is not hard!

Last Real Texan
09-09-2009, 10:23 PM
Come on and join the club.....spend spend spend....

Ed Donnelly
09-10-2009, 12:29 AM
Charge the battery before each use, take the battery out of the tow vehicle
and keep in the boat as a back up. Rebuild the carb when you have the coin..no big deal, as you said it was running.

OH and keep your cell phone handy:wink:....Ed

RedDog
09-10-2009, 07:07 AM
I still have a tow rope :wink:

If it was mine - I'd be running it. Think Pull-a-Part on Rutledge Pike has a used alternator?

BigGrizzly
09-10-2009, 10:20 AM
No alternator, means park it or fix it. A bad carb can really drain the battery in a hurry,do to starting problems..

Donzi Vol
09-10-2009, 10:33 AM
Thanks for the input guys. And yes, when I do the carb, I plan to do it myself. Definitely the most cost-effective way and you have no one to get mad at but yourself.

Right now I do have two 1000 cranking amp batteries and a booster in the boat. I figure that plus short runs should keep me from getting stuck (knock on wood)

Tim, if you're alluding to what I think you are...we're already checking into it :wink:

As an update, apparently my dear sweet uncle is smarter than I give him credit for because he fixed half of my carb problem over the phone. This is my humbled face :boggled:

VetteLT193
09-10-2009, 10:40 AM
what power do you have? My old carb is in the garage... was fine when I pulled it. you can have it if it will work for you. I think it's a 600 weber.

Donzi Vol
09-10-2009, 10:57 AM
what power do you have? My old carb is in the garage... was fine when I pulled it. you can have it if it will work for you. I think it's a 600 weber.

Hey thanks man! I have a 351 Ford. I'm not too smart, so I don't know if yours would work on mine or not.

VetteLT193
09-10-2009, 11:04 AM
I'm not sure if carbs will cross fit between Chevy/Ford either. If no one else knows here if it will bolt up by the end of the day then just measure your studs on the manifold center to center. Left / right then front / back and I'll compare to the carb. it has the double set of holes on it for the narrow and wide chevy fitment but I don't know if Ford is the same or not.

Donzi Vol
09-10-2009, 11:07 AM
Gotcha. Will do. Since you're making such a kind offer, how about I do a donation to the board for you if it all works out?

VetteLT193
09-10-2009, 11:10 AM
Gotcha. Will do. Since you're making such a kind offer, how about I do a donation to the board for you if it all works out?

After you get a new job and get caught back up. :crossfing:

Lenny
09-10-2009, 11:11 AM
"Here" I would NEVER go boating with those two problems you describe. I would spend the money, get a NEW carb and a NEW alternator and go have some fun...

But that is just me. Put it on your Visa and deal with it in 6 weeks when the bills come in. Enjoy the rest of the summer while you can.

You only live once.

Donzi Vol
09-10-2009, 11:21 AM
After you get a new job and get caught back up. :crossfing:

Probably a good idea. I actually just landed a new one! However, I'm on an unpaid vacation until I get started next week. Then I await the long two weeks until that first check rolls in. That will be a nice day :)


You only live once.

That's what I always tell people too! That's also what usually gets me in trouble...

BlownCrewCab
09-10-2009, 12:34 PM
What size motor did the carb come off of? It may be worth a shot. :yes:

VetteLT193
09-10-2009, 12:57 PM
Mine came off my Minx, 350 Chevy. I'm pretty sure 600 CFM from memory. It has mechanical choke. It worked fine (actually worked great) but I bought a 650 Mighty Marine Demon from DonCig along with his exhaust and did a few other things to pick up a few ponies because I planned on keeping the boat...

Donzi Vol
09-10-2009, 04:42 PM
Well the alternator problem will be taken care of in the morning. Let's just say that I'm resourceful :wink:

Still have that silly carb to rebuild, though.

RedDog, I do believe she'll be good for the Vol Navy run Saturday. But I'll do a test run first so that we can hopefully keep that tow rope dry this time around!

RedDog
09-10-2009, 06:43 PM
Good to hear - what time do plan to splash on Saturday. I need to let a crew-member know. I was thinking 1:30 splash but I'm flexible.
Go Vols!

Donzi Vol
09-10-2009, 09:38 PM
Good to hear - what time do plan to splash on Saturday. I need to let a crew-member know. I was thinking 1:30 splash but I'm flexible.
Go Vols!

That works for me. I might get out there a little early anyhow. Do you have a full boat? I'm working on a couple people to join in mine, and if the water test goes well tomorrow one might be of the female sort. I think we might even have a cutwater sighting! He seemed interested last night.

Donzi Vol
09-10-2009, 09:50 PM
I'm not sure if carbs will cross fit between Chevy/Ford either. If no one else knows here if it will bolt up by the end of the day then just measure your studs on the manifold center to center. Left / right then front / back and I'll compare to the carb. it has the double set of holes on it for the narrow and wide chevy fitment but I don't know if Ford is the same or not.

I'll measure it first thing tomorrow. I'm also making a visit to my usual mechanic who is a chevy guy, so he may have some insight. Thanks again for the offer! You're a good man, charlie brown

RedDog
09-11-2009, 08:37 AM
That works for me. I might get out there a little early anyhow. Do you have a full boat? I'm working on a couple people to join in mine, and if the water test goes well tomorrow one might be of the female sort. I think we might even have a cutwater sighting! He seemed interested last night.

It will be just me and maybe plus 1. Remember though that I'm running home real quick to catch the kick-off on TV

Donzi Vol
09-12-2009, 10:23 PM
RedDog, had a blast doing the Vol Navy run today! Sadly the rest of the afternoon wasn't so great (stupid Californians!). I'll do my best to get the rest of the quirks fixed before the next home game and maybe we'll tie up and I can find more justification to go back to school!:wink:

CrewCab, thank you! thank you! thank you! for getting me on the water today! I will give you a call tomorrow and give you a full report on how she did. Let me know when you want to go for a boat ride. And as always, you're welcome to drive if you need to let loose a little!

To let everyone in on the original topic of this discussion, I now have a new alternator in the boat and charging. The carb needs to be rebuilt, as it's a pain to start and a little rough in the low RPM's, but in the higher RPM's it runs like a champ. I'll get to it when I can (which will hopefully be soon). Thanks for all the input. It's is much appreciated. I'll post some pictures soon.

All the best,
David