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1966 Howard Walnut deck V drive.
I just purchased a 1966 Howard Walnut deck V drive ski boat. Has not seen water since 1984 and was covered with a tarp for years. The gel coat was in pretty bad shape on the walnut deck but a little elbow grease and lacquer thinner brought most of it back to life. Will need a little repair and new top coat but the boat floor and stringers are in amazing shape. It's got a 327 Chevy but its been bored to .060 so it may end up being an anchor. Bottom is perfect. Some delamination between top and hull but not too serious.
I am new to V Drives. This one has a Thorobred and that may have to go also. Not sure.
I ran D class Outboards in my youth and had a Sidcraft Utility hull with Merc. 50 HP. Wish I had it again but I doubt my knees would take that abuse again.
Here is a shot of the boat.
I am sure I will have a ton of questions as this is my first time and this site appears to have all the experts as members.
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Already miss the 310/562
very nice projectkeepsake topolino, welcome to HB, where it all started
post up some photos of the Vdrive if you don't mind, there is plenty of expertise here to answer most questions... IF the folks here don't know, we know how to get the technical details your after...
-In a Republic, the sovereignty resides with the people themselves. In a Republic, the government is a servant of the people, and obliged to its owner, We the People..
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams
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Thanks, I will get some photos out of the drive. The previous owner is sending me all his documentation. He ordered the boat and was the only owner. He stated that he did not want any unnecessary hardware and that included the Howard script. He would never let anyone on the deck and did all the fittings himself. The workmanship in the installation is top shelf but weathered. It came from middle California and never saw salt. Seats are good patterns at best and the ply appears to be usable. Howard trailer is rust free but the 6 lug wheels have to go.
Don't want to rush it and need to know about things like sealing the prop shaft and rudder. Don't want my first voyage to be Titanic.
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Senior Member
Wow that's history right there. Look forward to seeing more of it
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Member
Nice find !!
Love it 👍🏼
I'm in the middle of a 66 Sanger Wooddeck restoration
Last edited by Dryhoze1; 07-06-2017 at 05:44 PM.
AKA ~ Brian Brown
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Already miss the 310/562
Originally Posted by topolino2
Thanks, I will get some photos out of the drive. The previous owner is sending me all his documentation. He ordered the boat and was the only owner. He stated that he did not want any unnecessary hardware and that included the Howard script. He would never let anyone on the deck and did all the fittings himself. The workmanship in the installation is top shelf but weathered. It came from middle California and never saw salt. Seats are good patterns at best and the ply appears to be usable. Howard trailer is rust free but the 6 lug wheels have to go.
Don't want to rush it and need to know about things like sealing the prop shaft and rudder. Don't want my first voyage to be Titanic.
Prop shaft seal should be a easy deal, we have several good resources here for dripless couplings & tech... Let me see if I can summons one for you to ask questions, in the mean time it would be good to see some pics of the existing coupling and the strut from the bottom side of the hull too (in addition to the drive).
-In a Republic, the sovereignty resides with the people themselves. In a Republic, the government is a servant of the people, and obliged to its owner, We the People..
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams
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Already miss the 310/562
WOW, she looks VERY intact/original... I would get her on the water first thing and see how you like her before you rip her all apart for resto/repairs... Maybe back it into the water somewhere close after you get it running to ensure the shaft seal is decent enough for a few outings...
ALSO, a new impeller on the water pump is a must...
WANNABE / FC Pilot & the Millers (on here) could probably spec out a really sweet SBC for you that wouldn't break the bank IF the 327 can't be salvaged... They have a cool new small block project that just hit the water... >>>> http://www.wannaberacing.com/sk51.html
Last edited by 2manymustangs; 07-09-2017 at 11:37 AM.
-In a Republic, the sovereignty resides with the people themselves. In a Republic, the government is a servant of the people, and obliged to its owner, We the People..
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams
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Greetings all,
Well, I removed the 327 engine from the boat after talking to the original owner and he informed me that the engine was experiencing blow back so the engine was due for work. After sitting 33 years I was amazed that it was not stuck. Being .060 over I thought I might just need to replace the short block with a 350 small block.
This is where I could use some help. I've been researching marine engines verses car engines, Dart short blocks and have some mechanics that want to open up the 327 and install oversize rings, check the bearings and rebuild the Corvette heads.
US Marine offers a 1995 Chevy 350 long block with a 7 year guarantee for $2,600. A Dart 350 is around the same in short block. Rebuilding the 327 with oversize rings, new bearings and head work is around $1,500.
Since these boats are delivering speed at higher rpms than cars going similar speeds, I thought that the marine application may be a better choice with the specific cams, valve springs and balancing that work better at sustained high rpms.
What do you think? Want to build the boat with the most reliable potential. Once I get it back in, I really don't want to take it out for a long time.
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Already miss the 310/562
A boat engine is loaded all the time, like a tow rig pulling a trailer (fully loaded) up hill always... Which is unlike a car application...
The Miller guys should be able to coach you on this SBC and the potential for issues with a .060 over vintage block...
You may want to give some idea of your budget for the mill...
-In a Republic, the sovereignty resides with the people themselves. In a Republic, the government is a servant of the people, and obliged to its owner, We the People..
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams
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