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Or, how I did it my first time. This is how I spend my Sundays :D
As some of you know, I have had some issues with my Advantage, and after adding a diverter, and adjusting the ride plate, it wasn't any better. This is my last ditch effort at getting my handling straightened out before selling it.
After arriving home from CBBB on Sunday, I proceeded to gut all the steering and check it out. The helm was sloppy, and the cable was stiff, so I ordered everything new from CP
(see the other thread about that). The original steering (from 83) is a Steermaster II (sounds like some kind of livestock product). I could have gotten a new cable for it, but the new cable was more than a complete steering kit, and the helm was worn out. I got a Hardin 2900 rotary (not enough room to install a rack and pinion) and tore into it this morning. This is how it went.
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The first shot shows the old steering gone, and I have marked the postion of the new mounting plate and drilled the new mounting holes.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...896wheels1.jpg
I wanted to move the centerline of the helm for 2 reasons. Originally, it wasn't centered with the seat, and the curve of the dash on the left was too great.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/.../896wheel2.jpg
This shot shows 2 things:
1) I didn't want the bezel above the break in the dash. This required lowering it a little from the original.
2) The material that needs to be cut out with the jig saw.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/.../896wheel3.jpg
It's a little hard to see, but the gel coat under the old bezel was a brighter yellow, so I didn't want to move it too far to the right
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Here is the new helm. The mounting bosses that are circled must go through the dash and meet the mounting plate.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/.../896wheel4.jpg
I masked the dash to keep the jig saw from scratching the gel, and marked the area to be cut out. This is one of those things that is just hard to do. I REALLY hate cutting or drilling my dash.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/.../896wheel5.jpg
Here it is after cutting. Looks terrible, but my options were limited.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/.../896wheel6.jpg
[ August 24, 2003, 06:58 PM: Message edited by: roostwear ]
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After opening up the reliefs for the helm bosses, I trial fit the new helm. I used a rotary rasp, and took out a little at a time. I wanted the helm to fit tightly in the dash to take some load off the mounting plate.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/.../896wheel8.jpg
So now that the helm is cut into the dash, I put the mounting plate in position to make sure it is in the right location. At this point I'm feeling better about cutting the dash.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/.../896wheel9.jpg
I bolt everything up, and the hard part is done. (Note to self, don't ever say "the hard part is done" again... you will be proven wrong)
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...896wheel10.jpg
The circled area need to be trimmed to the contour of the dash. I'm almost done at this point (so I think)
[ August 24, 2003, 06:36 PM: Message edited by: roostwear ]
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After trimming the bezel to match the curvature of the dash, I mount the bezel. This part pleased me. The bezel is right where I wanted it, and fits fairly snug.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...896wheel11.jpg
I know what you're thinking at this point. "Fits fine, but could use some bling bling. I couldn't agree with you more. I ordered a billet hub, polished bezel, and new stainless steering wheel. Here's where the plan started going away, and I learned the lesson about the "easy part".
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...896wheel12.jpg
You see the old wheel with the old hub and stock bezel for a couple reasons. Everything I bought was from Hardin Marine. I figured they would fit each other. I was wrong. First, the bezel was too small, and there was no way to mount it. OK, I can live with the black one. Now, I figure I'll mount the billet hub. Problem is, the keyway was broaching too narrow, and too shallow to fit the shaft of the Hardin helm. The wheel is the old one because CP was out of stock. I can deal with that for a little while too, I guess. The problem I face tomorrow morning is trying to return 2 pieces that are defective/incorrect after having opened the packages. We'll see if there's any hassle returning them.
The bottom line is, excluding the BS trying to mount the billet hub, this took about 3 hours from beginning to end, and it steers SO SMOOTH and effortlessly now. The only thing left to do is hit the water :D and test it out. If the handling doesn't come around, look for the next photos of my Advantage in Boattrader.com!
[ August 24, 2003, 07:05 PM: Message edited by: roostwear ]
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Hey Mike, looks like you did a real nice job on the install. I hope that works for you. Thats a great boat you have and I hope that will fix your problem. If you remember our conversation at CBBB I had the same problem with my boat when I bought and after installing the new cable there wasnt a single problem anymore. Keep us updated with how it goes.
Shawn aka PussyPusher
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Roostwear, i too hope this all works out for ya, i like your openbow it's one of the early ones from Advantage. good job on your steering work. :)
