454/496 build for Glen-L rampage

[Denon Osterman]

Hey all,

Apologies for my 4 month delay - I never got notifications through e-mail for some reason. See attached pics - I haven't made any progress at all since the last post as my shop is on an island that's inaccessible in the winter (and I've been too busy snowmobiling anyways!).

As requested, here's some more pics - hopefully will have the hull finished in the next few months (ice should be out in a few weeks). Still torn on the engine...Not sure if it's worth it trying to buy an old beater and rebuild / upgrade or just start from scratch. Any thoughts?

Similarly I've narrowed down my header choices to either basset through transom water *injected* headers, or lightning water *jacketed* headers. It's a wooden boat and I'm terrified of reversion or overly high temperatures, so I'm leaning towards the lightnings pretty heavily...but they're twice the price and don't look nearly as awesome (nevermind the lack of chrome shine).

Here's hoping to a great summer!

EDIT I cannot for the life of me figure out how to upload photos. When I upload from my computer it says "failed" and when I try to use a URL it also says "failed". Unfortunately, that means you'll have to click on the links below - but at least they're good pics!

Front view showing the profile, and before it was stained, showing the wood:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...5&l=1475a5e8fb


Showing how the wood looks in the sunlight...it's dark, but not black!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...9&l=b298766d7a


View from the rear...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...9&l=367ba01f9e



Denon

[Denon Osterman]

Well, a quick update on my end...I decided to completely abandon my plan but am still very happy with things turned out.

In short, I came across a Merc 454 Magnum in *amazing* condition for roughly 3k US. Leakdown and compression were like new, and it's a complete motor. It's a 4 bolt, forged everything with 188 heads, decent intake carb and cam - so with a cam swap, a little TLC on the heads, and potentially a new carb and intake, I should be pushing close to 500 hp (it comes in at roughly 400 "as is", so 500 should be pretty eas [ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] with the right combo of parts...and the short block is built like a tank so I'm not worried about longevity at that power level). Not quite the plan I had in mind but given the price, condition, effort, and the *sexiest* valve covers I've ever seen...it was just too good to pass up. Plus, having done some number crunching, the boat is actually a bit lighter than expected, and I honestly don't think I'll notice much of a difference between 500 and 550 hp...whereas I will definitely notice the extra few thousand I have lying around to spend on gas!

I'll continue to post updates every few months as I go through the build in case anyone has recommendations, thoughts, etc. In the meantime...pictures!