83 V-King (Bruiser) Restoration

[83VKING]

It was raining and windy so there was pieces of tree that blew in the boat. Its fine because i needed to wash away all the fiber dust that was left laying around.



i kept the sticker on the transom plate because i was still working. Once i peel it off its a mirror finish.



The rain really helped it wash all the fiber dust off, i now waited for a dry day to buff.





You can see how badly oxidized the boat was.





Starting the buffing process. The entire boat took 3 hrs.





but worth it.

[RussF]

looking great and where are you going to run the boat

[83VKING]

I run on Winnipesaukee and Squam. early morning's are the best because of how calm the water is.

Now that the boat is buffed, I really started to crank with progress. I have already purchased everything i needed before hand so that i did not waste anytime waiting for a part to come in the mail. the next few weeks were a lot of fun because i could realy start to see the boat come to life.

started with the gauges. i found out that the dash was burl wood. so why not continue with the same.

[83VKING]

Original Hydrostream dash. as you can see it has been Beat with sun/rain/snow for manny years.







According to Hydrostream, this was the deluxe dash panel option.





since the dash is to the left of the steering wheel, i decided to bevel the RPM and MPH. to the right of the steering wheel i have my switches that will include a new water pressure gauge (this year 2018) because i NEED to know my water pressure at all times.I will never run without one again.

[83VKING]

There is alot going on in this picture. i was making very good progress in a short amount of time i just did not even think of taking pictures, at this point it was i was beginning to see the finish line.

The gas tank did not fit under the splash well so i had to move it out as i explained earlier. Aligning the fuel fill hose was the hardest part because i needed it to go straight down. The tank needed to be in the middle and was not going to throw off the center of gravity by pushing it over a few inches because of the fill cap fit better. so drilling the hole was nerve wracking that's a big hole!

As you can see the hose that is popping out front in center is the bilge hose. i used an automatic rule that is long and flat, it fit under the floor and had to run the hose in front of the gas tank because the tank was in the way. it discharges into the splash well.

I put the cleats on the inside of the splash well mainly for aesthetics. i did not want cleats on the side of the boat. i reinforced the back of each cleat with rubber and a steal plate for strength. (Formula does this and i always thought it was a great idea)

To the right of the gas tank is my battery. To the left is the hydraulic trim unit. The original was underwater for years or was completely rusted out. so i was able to find a company in Florida ARCO Marine that reproduces them. All new hydraulic lines were a must. i had to learn how to bleed the system and start from scratch. All new wiring and solenoids were a must as well.









I also mounted the throttle and steering wheel. steering system came from a Glastron Carlson. but i kept the Hydrostream steering wheel. as you can see the steering wheel is mounted in an upward position. Glastron did this in the 1970's, its actually a Mercury Keiekhaefer steering system that is now way obsolete to find parts. but its very smooth and has absolutely no play. i figured it will be fine for now with only a 115 hp motor. obviously when i eventually get a bigger motor i will upgrade to duel steering. since the steering wheel is tilted i was hopping it will fit with the windshield luckily i have an inch to spare. its actually quite nice to have it tilted like this because i have some extra leg room.

[RussF]

we have to get together so I can see the boat

[83VKING]

It was time to tackle the tower of power. First things first. carbs need to be rebuilt. As i got into the engine i realized nothing had been replaced. I believe this motor sat for a very long time.. that's ok because everything is about to be replaced.

plugs
starter
carbs rebuilt
new fuel lines
fuel pump rebuild
new wires
new recitifer
new stator
new power packs (CDI)
new water pump
new lower seals
gear oil
timing checked / adjusted









Once the tower of power was put back together i installed the dash panel and ran the electrical.



With the help of my cousin i was able to start the motor and check timing after 10 years of sitting! After some float bowl adjustmets i was able to have it running good.

now its time to finish the boat. I chose the original blue/black marine carpet. installed the rear seat with it pushed forward 10 inches. and then installed the front seats. i did this in 1 day. it was a long and hard day. looking back i defiantly rushed at the end. i relay wanted to get it in the lake for the maiden voyage. by this time it was mid June 2017.

I did not replace the gunwalls with vynal padding. instead i used blue fade to black sparkle drum wrap. then used chrome trim.

the next few pictures will be of the finished product.

[RussF]

you still around

[83VKING]

I missed the entire 2018 boating season because on my last stream run of 2017, i had water intrusion in cyl #3 and found that i cracked the head. 6000 rpm on an inline 6 with no mods on the lower unit and no water pressure gauge = to much trim and lack of water in the engine. The good thing about hydrosteam is they are really easy to work on so hopeful this year I can get a new power head on and head back out.

Anyway,

Let me show you some of the finished product.










This was my favorite picture. trimmed to the limit and wide open at 59 MPH. (i know slow for hydrostream)

[RussF]

we have to get together