1980 S&S Restoration and Modernization

[WhiskeyTango]

My first Truck looked just like that one 1974 chevy standard cab regular bed.

It’s a good truck. Almost ready to turn 75k original miles. My grandpa bought it new in 1977. We pulled it out of a field a few years ago and I went through it to get it back on the road. My son ran a mowing business with it until this past fall when he moved to college. It’s a keeper...

[RDahler]

My first Truck looked just like that one 1974 chevy standard cab regular bed.

[waterlogged882]

truck rules

[WhiskeyTango]

Well, it ran for about a half hour today for break in. A few problems I need to look into:

1) A minor tick or two that seemed to subside some as it ran.
2) The prop spins in neutral, just like it did before I rebuilt the transmission. Need to get it in the lake and see if this is a problem or goes away with some resistance. Also need to look into the shifter valve to see if it is scarred and leaking past, which I would think would cause this.
3) Some amount of missing and stuttering early, but this may have been as the Sniper was “learning” since it seemed to get better as time passed.
4) A minor water leak from the strainer; need to check the gasket.

Good things:
1) No electrical issues. It charges and starts fine.
2) No oil or gas leaks yet.
3) It runs! Great milestone.

Lots more to do. May go see my engine guy and get a bit of help with diagnosing and tuning.

Obligatory picture:

[neil.anderson63]

Finish line in sight and it looks fantastic! ..I semi expected a K State themed shift knob

[waterlogged882]

Looks good.

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[WhiskeyTango]

Wiring is complete, with the exception of some courtesy lights and fixing a minor issue with the automatic bilge pump.



Dash wiring was very time consuming but everything works well. Not the prettiest part of the boat…

Stereo wiring includes amps, head unit, dash remote, 4 speakers, a sub, and speaker lights.





I wired this boat with a house / deep cycle battery and a starting battery on separate circuits controlled by one switch. This will allow isolation of all accessories from the starting circuit.

Shifter is cleaned, painted, and greased and seems to work appropriately.



The Holley Sniper initial setup was super simple. With a few gallons of gas, priming the system several times, priming the oil pump with a drill to lubricate surfaces and ensure I had oil pressure, and then a final check for leaks and problems, I got as far today as test firing the engine in the shop. Stuck an impeller in it and as soon as it’s warm enough outdoors, I’ll try to get it running steady on the hose.






Next step is to run it for initial break in and to let the Sniper self tune, then change the oil and filter. I’m sure there will be lots of de-bugging along the way.

[WhiskeyTango]

Your boat is looking absolutely incredible. Hope you plan on passing it down to a family member someday.

Yeah, I’m guessing the kids will be takers if it turns out okay. But hopefully I’ll get some good use out of it for a while first. I’m not quite ready for the glue factory yet.

[bturner2]

Your boat is looking absolutely incredible. Hope you plan on passing it down to a family member someday.

[Ironhorse]

That fit well! Great job!

Merry Christmas and thanks for the detailed thread. I have enjoyed following along.

[WhiskeyTango]

Getting the Fusion components hung on a new panel on the underside of the bow.

This consists of a hidden receiver / head unit, amps and speaker lighting controller. And some of the required wires.

This is a very cramped space and was never intended to house a stereo, which limits the opportunity to make it neat and pretty. But it should work.

Happy holidays to all.

[WhiskeyTango]

And the front panels under the dash. Added some discount dynamat in anticipation of rattles from the forthcoming ridiculous stereo.

[WhiskeyTango]

It’s basically wired up to the dash, but now I need to do the gauges, stereo, dual batteries, and fab the battery cables.

A few more pics:

[WhiskeyTango]

Learning to wire stuff. A few phases: engine, fuel injection, transom, accessories, stereo, etc. Working my way through these slowly while doing a lot of research.

Several changes from stock include an ignition switch with an accessory position, push button dash switches, a one wire alternator, starter with solenoid, a couple of harnesses for the injection, depth finder, modern bilge pump, perfect pass, interior accessories / lights / stereo / wireless phone charger, seat heaters, etc.

Also got the fuel tank cleaned out, mounted on rubber, set the mirror, and finished carpet edges and panels.

[waterlogged882]

Thanks to Chuck for a nice reproduction wood grain template for the dash. I decided the theme wasn’t quite right for this project, so we used the dimensions and made what I thought was a cleaner version.

Mrs. WT also made me some registration decals that somewhat match the hull side font.

Lastly, we finished the trailer decals.

The only remaining decals will be stars and pinstripe on the gas tank cover panel, which still needs final polish, and the motor box, which needs modified to fit my taller-than-stock engine and re-gelcoated to be a bit smoother.

I suppose it’s now time to get going finishing out the interior with cables and wiring.

Looks great. I like it a lot.

.