'85 Cobalt Restoration

No illusion Ron. The motor cover/helm seat is pretty close to the helm cabinet. In fact, my size 12s won't fit in the space. Add to that the engine box was raised to allow additional elbow extension space. I actually have the engine box sitting on 1x4 teak planks that reduce the space even more. But the cabinet/bulkhead below the helm has a built in recessed foot rest and its pretty easy to stand with you toes in it and lean against the seat.

I'll post some pics when I get to that point. I have to get the heads off and the engine work done then I can put the new carpet in. It will all start going back together after that. Plus I have a crap load of teak that still needs finishing.
 
So here's an update on the progress on the Cobalt.

I finally got the motor apart and as expected, a blown head gasket. But along the way I found some other items, most notably was exhaust manifold bolts that were just barely more than finger tight. As a result there had been an exhaust leak for some time bad enough to burn through the gasket. Also found that the gasket between the manifold and the elbow had been leaking for some time. The screens on the alternator were packed solid with crud so I took it to a shop for analysis and it was only producing about 20 amps. I had it rebuilt.

I took the heat exchanger and t oil coolers in for cleaning and leak testing and ended up having to replace the power steering cooler and have a leak repaired in the oil cooler. The heat exchanger was boiled and rodded out and looks like new.

I got the fuel pumped out of the tank and stored in a drum and got the tank pulled. With that out of the way I was able to finish cleaning the bilge. I'm finding more and more messed up wiring so I am going to completely replace the wiring that goes from the motor to the instrument panel. On Monday I will finish the cleaning and start putting the motor back together. Here is the new stuff ready to go on.



Before I got to the engine I was rebuilding or recreating interior panels. Some I've had to completely remake. on some of the others I was able to salvage stuff like cabinet doors. All of the old cabinets were covered with a "teak-looking" Formica that I always hated so to class things up a bit I removed the Formica and covered everything with 1/40" paper-backed teak veneer. I am finishing everything with 4 coats of Sikkens Cetol Natural. Below is the bas of the little wet bar cabinet. I was able to save some of the structure but most of the wood is newly fabricated. I covered the face with the teak veneer, put a new almond Formica top on and mounted the sink. A 2 gallon water jug sits in the cabinet on the right side and there is a small electric pump that is activated by the red button.



Once I get the motor running I will pull the SEI outdrive, get everything cleaned and painted and install a new gimbal bearing and new bellows.
 
Wow Shawn...ROCK ON!
 
Your wife dosent know about this does she?
 
1956olds said:
Your wife dosent know about this does she?
Click to expand...

My wife loves this boat. This was the boat I owned when we met and I think our second date was dinner by boat at a dockside restaurant in Long Beach. We have really good memories on that boat. It was a great boat for the SoCal coast but I think it is going to be even better up here on the Delta. It's the perfect boat for bar hopping and cocktail cruises.
 
It's expensive and shiny I don't understand why all women are not attracted to them.Most every thing else that have these qualities they can't wait to get and some women will give you what you went if you give them some thing shiny and expensive.

 
I'm pretty lucky. My wife (3rd and last) is really like a best bud. Our first date was the Los Angeles Boat Show. The second was an air show at El Toro Marine Base. We play golf together, bicycle, hike and boat. We go to car races (NASCAR, Indy Car, Sportscar), air races in Reno and boat races that have included drags, off shore and unlimited hydros.

She helps with the boats and cars. And how can you not love a wife that comes home and says, "Let's buy a Porsche."
 
NorCal Boater said:
I'm pretty lucky. My wife (3rd and last) is really like a best bud. Our first date was the Los Angeles Boat Show. The second was an air show at El Toro Marine Base. We play golf together, bicycle, hike and boat. We go to car races (NASCAR, Indy Car, Sportscar), air races in Reno and boat races that have included drags, off shore and unlimited hydros.

She helps with the boats and cars. And how can you not love a wife that comes home and says, "Let's buy a Porsche."
Click to expand...

and the obvious question is: "Does she have a cute little sister?"
 
Looks like a real labor of love, can't see anything you've missed. She'll fire right up, look & sound just like it did out of the factory. My wife is the same way she got up one morning said lets go find a boat, she's at the helm more than I am. When we sell the boat we're going to find a classic car Mecum Auctions is here June 5-6 nice list of cars.

https://www.mecum.com/

Hope to have our boat back in the water soon getting bottom & drive paint, bellows, gimbal bearing, u-joints & anything else they find today. Talked to them Friday the u-joint was about to fall apart I thought it was the gimbal bearing making the noise, bellows were just starting to crack from having it rack stored the last 5 years with drive up, lucky it didn't sink in our new boat house.
 
Thanks Bob. It's been a while since I put a motor together so I hope I don't miss anything. I have been watching some videos on Youtube to refresh my memory and I have a couple of pretty good friends for support. I'm hopping to have the engine running this week.

You should really enjoy your boat when you get it back. I'm kind of jealous of you. I grew up in the Seattle area and still have family there. When the sun is shining there is no better place to be boating.
 
NorCal Boater said:
So here's an update on the progress on the Cobalt.

I finally got the motor apart and as expected, a blown head gasket. But along the way I found some other items, most notably was exhaust manifold bolts that were just barely more than finger tight. As a result there had been an exhaust leak for some time bad enough to burn through the gasket. Also found that the gasket between the manifold and the elbow had been leaking for some time. The screens on the alternator were packed solid with crud so I took it to a shop for analysis and it was only producing about 20 amps. I had it rebuilt.

I took the heat exchanger and t oil coolers in for cleaning and leak testing and ended up having to replace the power steering cooler and have a leak repaired in the oil cooler. The heat exchanger was boiled and rodded out and looks like new.

I got the fuel pumped out of the tank and stored in a drum and got the tank pulled. With that out of the way I was able to finish cleaning the bilge. I'm finding more and more messed up wiring so I am going to completely replace the wiring that goes from the motor to the instrument panel. On Monday I will finish the cleaning and start putting the motor back together. Here is the new stuff ready to go on.



Before I got to the engine I was rebuilding or recreating interior panels. Some I've had to completely remake. on some of the others I was able to salvage stuff like cabinet doors. All of the old cabinets were covered with a "teak-looking" Formica that I always hated so to class things up a bit I removed the Formica and covered everything with 1/40" paper-backed teak veneer. I am finishing everything with 4 coats of Sikkens Cetol Natural. Below is the bas of the little wet bar cabinet. I was able to save some of the structure but most of the wood is newly fabricated. I covered the face with the teak veneer, put a new almond Formica top on and mounted the sink. A 2 gallon water jug sits in the cabinet on the right side and there is a small electric pump that is activated by the red button.



Once I get the motor running I will pull the SEI outdrive, get everything cleaned and painted and install a new gimbal bearing and new bellows.
Click to expand...
Is that a new intake manifold? 12 bolt? If so where did you get it?
 
BurgundyS24 said:
Is that a new intake manifold? 12 bolt? If so where did you get it?
Click to expand...

It is a 12-bolt but not new. This motor is a 383 stroker. My old boat partner had this motor built 10-12 years ago. He has lots of money and just told a shop in SoCal to build a motor that would be faster and not ingest water (an inherent problem with the CM23s). Unfortunately, the shop closed and the guy who did the work is in the wind. The PO has no clue exactly what was done. I've been finding things out as I have gotten into the motor.

That manifold is an aluminum medium rise. There is a Holley 650 double-pumper that goes on it. There are also IMCO aluminum exhaust manifolds that were on it. The manifolds were powder-coated and they even painted the mating surfaces. When the motor was originally assembled the gaskets did not make a good seal as the painted surface was no where near flat. I just got them back from the machine shop today where I had them surfaced.

I did not take the block apart so I'm not sure what cam is in it but nothing is roller. When I used the boat last July I don't recall any wild lope at idle so I don't think it is a really high performance one....maybe just something mild. The machine shop is estimating around 300HP.

Everything is cleaned, scraped and painted and it's all going back together tomorrow and Friday. I would have it all together tomorrow but I have to stop in the middle of the day to drive and hour and back to pick up a special-order, molded raw water hose at 1PM. It goes from the output side of the raw water pump, under the oil pan and into the power steering cooler. Because of the location I want to get this hose on before I get too much stuff hung back on the motor. I still have to pull and service the outdrive but the cool thing is that years ago I installed a fresh water flush system so I could flush the salt water out of the motor while it sat in salt water. I pulled the drive shaft out so I can run water to the motor to start it and dial it in without the outdrive turning.

I am going to change bellows and stuff and do some sanding and paint touchup on the drive. I could have it in the water the weekend after this one....with any luck. Then I can order the carpet and start putting the interior back in. Shooting for July 4th.
 
Bit of a set back today....

This motor has an aftermarket 8 qt. oil pan on it and there is a real funky dipstick arrangement. In one of the side drain holes, the builder inserted a large brass fitting with a threaded fitting on either side. One has a plug in it and the other a 3/8" MPT to compression fitting. The dipstick tube is a length of 3/8" copper tubing. The tube was loose in the compression so I took it out, trimmed off about a half inch as the ferrule was wedged on, and put on a new nut and ferrule and snugged it up. But the big fitting is loose and will not tighten.

So now I have to button everything up and tow the boat to the machine shop I have been working with. They are going to lift the motor up with their forklift so I can pull the pan and tighten a nut. This is going to easily cost me half a day just to do a 30-second job. Things were going well. I got the heads on and the valves adjusted and I was getting ready to put on the intake manifold and hang the alt and pumps.

I know there must be lemonade here somewhere but I haven't found it yet.
 
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