96 replies to this topic

[CC-John]

Managed to get a few good licks in on the Century's little Mopar every evening this week, while not quite ready for prime time, it's getting closer.. Engine restorations always seem to grind down to a snail's pace when they get down to hanging all the little stuff on 'em, cutting & fitting cooling hoses, cleaning up wire harnesses and all the other little detail work seem to take forever, but it's all worth it in the end when ya lift the engine hatch to show it off..

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After scouring the web for pics of original and restored Chrysler Marine 318's, I found enough pics of the original fuel line that goes from the pump to the carburetor that I could fabricate a new one from scratch, the original factory lines have been NLA for close to 20 years..

 

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Next up will be freshening up the Velvet Drive transmission with new seals, gaskets, and paint before mounting it to the engine.. Once it's all assembled and set in the test cradle, it will be fired up and run to set the timing & carburetor adjustments, and to check for any leaks before it gets set back in the boat..

Edited by CC-John, 18 July 2017 - 02:56 PM.

[madjack]

sweet!!! very sweet indeed...cant wait to hear it run;).......mj

[CC-John]

sweet!!! very sweet indeed...cant wait to hear it run;).......mj

 

Thanks!! I'm ready to hear it bark to life too!

 

It was sooooo tempting to drop one of Mancini's "stroker" kits in this little 318 and boost it up to 390 cubic inches.. Having 340+ horsepower on tap in a 16' boat would have made it the ultimate "sleeper".. It probably would have boosted the top speed from 45-50 MPH to somewhere around 65-70 MPH..

 

I'm a firm believer in the "no substitute for cubic inches" philosophy.. Here's a video of the test run of the 383 "stroker" (Chevy 350) that I built for my Chris craft cruiser, it makes a solid 340 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque burning 87 octane pump gas.. It will hustle that nearly 7000# cabin cruiser to just over 30 MPH..

 

Edited by CC-John, 18 July 2017 - 02:57 PM.

[Euphoria]

Got that motor looking pretty sweet there John! Nice restoration work.

[CC-John]

Got that motor looking pretty sweet there John! Nice restoration work.

 

Thanks Greg!!

 

I've been trying to get the engine finished up so I can move on to replacing the floor in the boat before the engine goes back in..

[CC-John]

NOTE: Sorry about the rather "clinical" text, the following transmission posts are copied from my restoration thread over at FiberGlassics..

 

The seal & gasket kit for the little Mopar's transmission came in this week so I tore down the transmission this afternoon to get it ready for a new set of seals & gaskets..

 

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Here's the patient prepped for surgery.. The deep, large aluminum baking sheets from Sam's Club make great teardown pans for stuff like this, they keep any residual fluids captive and corral any small parts that try to escape..

 

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Disassembly starts by removing the oil pump and the front adapter plate/reverse piston exposing the reverse clutch pressure plate..

 

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Removing the reverse pressure plate exposes the bronze reverse clutch plate..

 

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Grabbing the input shaft and lifting straight up removes the forward clutch assembly, this exposes the planetary gearset/output shaft.. Flipping the case over and removing the retaining nut on the output flange allows the planetary/output shaft to be removed from the case..

 

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An hour and a half in front of the parts washer resulted in a pile of clean parts and case..

 

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All that's left to do tomorrow is to drag the hydraulic press from the back of the garage so I can break down the forward clutch to be cleaned before installing new sealing rings then reassembling it..

 

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Hopefully, I'll get this pile of parts reassembled and ready for a couple coats of paint by tomorrow afternoon..

Edited by CC-John, 18 July 2017 - 03:10 PM.

[madjack]

...really sweet video...any gearhead gotta love those sounds...
...a good bud of mine put one of those 383 strokers in his 95 short bed/cab PU...originally built for a Kentucky rock crawler, it was dynoed right at 600 horses...to make it more streetable he de-tuned it to around 400 (orso)...made a heckuva sleeper...he
won a few bucks off of that truck.........
madjack

[Jerrybob]

Very very nice restoration John.....been fun watching all the pieces coming together.  Keep up the good work.......you keeping the boat when it is all done?

[CC-John]

Very very nice restoration John.....been fun watching all the pieces coming together.  Keep up the good work.......you keeping the boat when it is all done?

 

Thanks Jerry!!

 

This little boat is gonna be a keeper, I've been wanting an early Resorter for over 20 years..

[CC-John]

I got up early this morning and dug out my hydraulic press from it's hole in the back of the garage so I could break down and reassemble the forward clutch.. Once I removed a couple of snap rings from the input shaft, a few minutes in the press resulted in a pile of parts in the tray..

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The "War Department" woke up and wanted breakfast, so after we got back home I pitched everything in the parts washer for a good scrubbing..

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Now it's time to start reassembling this puzzle.. We'll start out by reinstalling all the pressure test plugs and cooler outlet elbow with fresh thread sealer.. Next, is to install the pump intake strainer in the bottom of the case along with it's retainer bushing.. The cooler outlet elbow have temporary plugs installed in them that will be removed when it's time to connect the oil cooler lines..

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Now it's time to install the oil baffle in the case, it snaps over a pair of large rectangular lugs that are cast in to each side of the case..

 

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Next up is to install the planetary/output shaft in the case.. The case bushings get lubed up with a coat of Vaseline along with the output shaft before installing the planetary in to the case.. To install the output shaft bearing, flip the case over with the output shaft pointing up, place something under the planetary to keep it from dropping out of the case ( I used an old 1# metal coffee can).. Lube the output bearing with clean ATF and slide it over the output shaft with the outer groove to the top and use a soft-faced hammer to gently tap the bearing down to it's bore in the case.. The case then gets moved to the press and using a suitable mandrel, and also supporting the planetary inside the case, press the bearing down fully into it's bore until it bottoms out on either the case or the output shaft..

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After setting the case back on the bench, it's time to install the output bearing retainer & gasket.. A new oil seal has been pressed into the bearing retainer and the gasket gets a thin coat of Vaseline before installation..

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Once the retainer's bolts were torqued to 40 ft.-lbs., it's time to install the output coupling.. After lubing the splines with ATF, the coupling just slides onto the output shaft.. The coupling retainer nut gets installed and snugged down with an impact wrench, the final torquing of 200 ft.-lbs. will be done after the transmission is mounted to the engine..

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Continued below..

Edited by CC-John, 18 July 2017 - 03:24 PM.

[CC-John]

Now it's time to assemble the forward clutch.. After placing the ring gear on the assembly tray and liberally coating the inside with clean ATF (a pump oil can filled with clean transmission fluid makes this a breeze), it's time to start installing the clutch pack.. Start by installing the clutch retainer plate concave side down inside the ring gear, shoot it down with ATF then install the clutch pack.. The first plate installed will be a bronze friction plate followed by a steel reaction plate, alternating plates until five bronze plates and four steel plates are installed.. As each plate is installed, it gets a coat of ATF before installing the next plate.. After the pack is installed, the clutch pressure plate is installed on top of the pack, and is retained by a snap ring..

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Next is to install the clutch spring, the spring is installed on top of the pressure plate with the concave side facing down..

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Now to assemble the forward clutch piston.. The sealing rings get a coat of Vaseline before installation on the clutch cylinder and piston.. The piston is then installed in the cylinder and pressed in until it bottoms out..

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Now the ring gear is moved back to the press, the clutch cylinder is set in the bore and pressed into the ring gear until it bottoms out on top of the clutch pack.. While maintaining pressure on the cylinder, it's retaining ring is installed and seated in it's groove in the ring gear.. Then the clutch assembly is flipped over and the clutch cylinder is pressed back against it's retaining ring.. After removing the clutch from the press, look to make sure that the black bearing ring hasn't been knocked from it's groove in the piston..

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Stay tuned, there's more to come..

 

Edited by CC-John, 18 July 2017 - 04:17 PM.

[CC-John]

Alright lets finish this rascal up..

Next up is to install the cast iron sealing rings on the input shaft, carefully spread the rings in order to slip them over the input shaft and into their grooves.. After installing the rings in their grooves, "lock" the ends together before installing the shaft into the forward clutch..

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Before installing the input shaft into the forward clutch, wipe a thin film of Vaseline over the sealing rings, then insert the shaft thru the clutch cylinder, carefully working the sealing rings thru the cylinder bore.. Then stand the clutch on top of a support (an old coffee can works great), and grab the sun gear on the input shaft to carefully twist the shaft back & forth to allow the splines to mesh up with all the bronze friction plates as the shaft is fully inserted into the clutch.. The shaft is fully seated when the face of the sun gear is flush to slightly below the face of the ring gear..

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Setting up a suitable support in the press, place the clutch assembly on the support with the input shaft facing up.. DO NOT let the input shaft drop down out of the clutch or you WILL damage the bronze clutch plate splines during the installation of the support bearing.. With the clutch in place and properly supported, install the input shaft support bearing, lube the bearing, shaft and bearing bore with ATF.. Place the bearing over the input shaft and using a suitable mandrel (I used a scrap of PVC pipe), press the bearing over the input shaft and into it's bore on the clutch cylinder.. After the bearing is fully seated, install the bearing retainer ring and input shaft snap ring, making sure that both rings are fully seated in their respective grooves..

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For the final assembly, stand the case on the output flange inside the assembly tray.. Take a dollop of Vaseline and lube the bushings down in the center bore of the planetary, then wipe a coat on the end of the input shaft.. Wipe a coat of Vaseline on the thrust washer before placing it inside the planetary.. With the thrust washer in place, squirt the planetary down with ATF before installing the input shaft/clutch assembly..

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Grabbing the clutch assembly by the splined end of the input shaft, carefully insert it into the case, slowly twisting it to allow the sun & ring gears to engage the planetary pinions and allowing it to settle down on top of the thrust washer.. When fully installed, the splined end of the ring gear will be just above the reverse clutch face that is machined into the case..

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Continued below..

Edited by CC-John, 18 July 2017 - 04:29 PM.

[CC-John]

Assembling the reverse clutch begins with installing the three pressure plate locator pins in their recesses in the case, coat the pins with a heavy coat of Vaseline to hold them in place while the rest of the clutch is assembled.. Next is to install the twelve pressure plate return springs in their machined seats in the clutch face.. Next, squirt a coat of ATF on to the clutch face before installing the bronze reverse clutch plate over the exposed ring gear splines..

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After installing the clutch plate, coat the thrust washer with Vaseline and install it on the clutch cylinder face.. Next is to install the reverse pressure plate, it will only fit one way as there are pockets for the return springs in the face and notches for the locator pins in the edge.. There is a "V" shaped notch that must face the top of the case opening to properly index the plate.. When installed, the plate will be flush with the machined face of the case..

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Now to assemble the reverse clutch piston..

Coat the inner sealing ring with Vaseline and install in the groove of the piston pilot, then coat the outer sealing ring with Vaseline and install in the groove on the edge of the reverse piston.. Lay the piston smooth side down onto the pilot of the adapter plate, use a small flat screwdriver to assist the outer sealing ring into the piston bore while pressing the piston into the plate.. Press the piston in until it bottoms out..

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Continued...

Edited by CC-John, 18 July 2017 - 04:42 PM.

[CC-John]

To install the adapter plate/reverse piston assembly, coat the case gasket with a thin coat of Vaseline before placing it in place on the case.. Be sure that the gasket's oil holes are properly oriented at the top & bottom of the case.. Pack the input shaft needle bearing with Vaseline before placing the adapter plate on the case, being careful to not dislodge the gasket as the plate is lowered on to the case.. Note that the reverse pressure test plug has to be located at the top of the case.. Once the plate is set down on top of the reverse pressure plate, install the four 12pt. capscrews that secure the plate to the case.. Tighten the screws in a criss-cross pattern to evenly compress the pressure plate springs until the adapter plate contacts the gasket.. Torque the bolts in a criss-cross pattern to 35 foot-pounds..

 

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Now the front pump can be installed..

Start by installing the drive key into it's slot on the input shaft, then coat the pump housing sealing ring with Vaseline and install in the recess on the adapter plate.. Next, install the pump gears with a shot of ATF, making sure to install them with the same face facing the adapter plate as they were removed.. Wrap the input shaft splines with tape to protect the input shaft oil seal as the pump housing is installed..

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After pressing a new oil seal into the pump housing, note the arrows cast in the outer edge of the housing.. When installing the pump housing, the arrow that matches the engine's crankshaft rotation must be located at the top.. After carefully installing the pump housing over the pump gears, it's secured with four hex head capscrews that are torqued to 20 ft.-lbs. in a criss-cross pattern..

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Continued..

Edited by CC-John, 18 July 2017 - 04:55 PM.

[CC-John]

Next up is to install the control valve..

Lube the valve sealing ring with Vaseline and install in it's groove on the valve.. Lube the valve lands with Vaseline before installing it in it's bore in the case, pressing the valve in until it bottoms out.. Turn the valve until the notch on the end is aligned with the bottom hole for the cover screws before installing the cam for the neutral safety switch.. Lube the cam with Vaseline and place it over the end of the control valve with the cam's tang engaged in the valve's notch.. Coat the gasket with Vaseline, install the cover plate and secure with three capscrews torqued to 10 foot-pounds.. Then install the neutral safety switch and tighten securely..

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Now to install the control lever, it helps to roll the transmission over on it's side with end of the control valve facing up..

Lube the detent spring with Vaseline and install in it's bore next to the control valve, coat the detent ball with Vaseline and set it on top of the spring.. Now install the control lever, being careful not to dislodge the detent ball.. Press the lever down on to the end of the control valve and secure with a flat washer, lock washer and nut, torqued to 10 foot-pounds..

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Finally install the dipstick in it's hole and this rascal is DONE!! Now it's off to the paint shop..

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Edited by CC-John, 18 July 2017 - 05:08 PM.