2004 250 Project Thread

[slideruleracer]

Thanks guys! I got the first fiberglass layup done on the bottom of the swim platform tonight. I'll knock out the rest of the lap on the bottom tomorrow, and then start on the top side of the swim platform on Saturday. I should be starting the fairing process on Sunday and painting next weekend.

The garage shop was giving me the runaround on a commitment day for the engine install so I found a tow truck company with a boom truck. They're coming tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

[slideruleracer]

Engine is back in! Hired a tow company with a boom truck instead of waiting for the shop to tell me they could make time for me. The guy had to take an emergency call before me, so instead of showing up with the 12 ton boom, he came with a 75 ton monster!

I spent yesterday reconnecting it and attaching the new bits like the heater hoses and nmea2k gateway. I had some issues with the brand new Volvo spark plug wires (I removed the exhaust manifolds for the engine engine reinstall to make sure I didn't run into any clearance issues while the truck was here) but other than that it went mostly smoothly. I'm now waiting for the alignment tool to arrive before I connect the rest of the exhaust pipes and restrict access to the mounting bolts.

The swim platform bottom is laid up and today I'm planning to get the top side fiberglass laid up. I'm also hoping to get the engine compartment cover reinstalled and get some more vinyl back in.

Yesterday I also replaced the old toilet vent with a new flush mount unit.. Getting access through the head was a PITA!

Here's some pics.

[slideruleracer]

More pics. No more rust! Although when I 'shrunk' the engine for easier installation,most of the water from when I fired it up drained out and it was a little rusty.. That rusty water stained my bilge paint job slightly.

[slideruleracer]

New flush mount waste tank vent.

The old one's vent screens were pretty clogged up with wax and corrosion, so it was due to be replaced anyways.

[Table Rockin]

Wow...incredible work!

[cmattj]

Way to go slide.. hope you got some video of the boom truck.. the ultimate cherry picker!

Your getting very close.. are you installing CC exhaust?

And tell us about your pallet aka forklift?

[Big Block Power]

Sweet job. I was going to say that bilge looks very white then you pointed out the flaw so I would get the tow truck back and repaint it.lol

[Ytmsn]

So cool..

[AsLan7]

I can totally relate to this engine pull and reinstall. Great thread my friend with fantastic pictures!

[slideruleracer]

Way to go slide.. hope you got some video of the boom truck.. the ultimate cherry picker!

Your getting very close.. are you installing CC exhaust?

And tell us about your pallet aka forklift?

Yeah the truck was a beast. It had a wireless controller, too. I climbed into the engine bay and he stood on the ladder right next to me to see and hear me. I setup the camera in the boat to film the install but it was a limited field of view. But I have the entire installation on video.. It took about 8 minutes. Ha! Too bad they charged me for 2 hours. Se la vie, I suppose. It was better than waiting another week for the ship to tell me he was too busy.

The pallet fork is my Dingo skid steer. That was last spring's project. It was pretty beat up when I bought it and then I completely restored it to its original beauty (sound familiar?) I have it because we have a very steep hill in our back yard with some woods at the top thay I would like to clean up (and the boys want to build a tree house). So to get stuff up and down the hill, I got the Dingo. Turns out that with the forks it can just about lift and move an 8.1l engine.. It's on the edge, though - it pretty much teetered on the front of the tracks the whole way down the driveway (going backwards). I can also use it to move the boat trailer around on flat surfaces, which is really useful.

[slideruleracer]

Made a decent amount of progress today. Other than finishing the engine alignment and reattaching the exhaust, the engine installation is done and all the wiring is cleaned up and finished. So I got the engine hatch reinstalled but before I did, I drilled a couple of holes in spots I figured would work well to drain any water... Now mind you, this had been sitting in my dry basement since November with the edge I drilled the holes in near the floor, and yet, as soon as I broke through into the cavity of the assembly, water started coming out! I think Cobalt fixed this flaw in later model years, but I'm not sure. In my humble opinion, if you have a model in this same Era that has the full width engine hatch with the center walk through, you should add these drain holes if they're not there.

[slideruleracer]

After installing the hatch, I reinstalled the rear seats and seatbacks. My 9 year old came on board and proclaimed that is finally looking like our boat again!

I then reinstalled the bimini. I will say, installing the bimini by yourself without scratching vinyl or gel cost is a real pain the rear!

"All" that's left to be assembled to the boat are the:
- sun pads, which I still have to Re - cover
- outdrive, which I still need to paint
- swim platform, which I still need to finish repairing and painting
- and the Aquamarine deck, which I'm still waiting to recieve.

And then I still would like to wetsand and buff the entire boat (uggh). All before July! Fingers crossed...

Tonight after buttoning the cover on the boat outside, I moved into the garage and laid up the fiberglass on the top side of the swim platform. So now, all the fiberglass work is done and I'll move onto sanding and fairing this week. I'm really hoping to paint both the swim platform and the outdrive next weekend.

[nolaboater99]

Looking good. I'm hoping I beat you to the water.

[Ytmsn]

Jeesh I can relate big time to installing a bimini alone without scratching or tearing anything. Try doing it with an arch by yourself!

Its pretty cool that you and Nola are going through your boats the way you are. I love watching the progress. So when it's done, what's next? A classic car restoration? Build an airplane? Submarine?

[slideruleracer]

Jeesh I can relate big time to installing a bimini alone without scratching or tearing anything. Try doing it with an arch by yourself!

Its pretty cool that you and Nola are going through your boats the way you are. I love watching the progress. So when it's done, what's next? A classic car restoration? Build an airplane? Submarine?

You definitely got me on the arch installation! (but didn't you have an overhead hoist or something?)

I'm hoping to relax a little when I'm done.. The boat has been a full time second job for quite some time and it's taking a lot out of me. I'm looking forward to focusing on some triathlon training and then I'm pretty sure the kids are going to want to get started on that tree-house. After that, we'll see...