New Guy, 1974 Cobra Jet 455 Olds

[pushingvws]

Hey all,
I'm new here, but I've been a part of several other online communities. So I know how silly it is when the new guy comes in and says "uhh anybody help me with my new toy that I got and I don't know how to use?" I'm gonna try not to be that guy, so I'll share how I came into my Jet Boat with you and then you guys can give me any advice you see fit or tell me to get lost either way I'm happy.
So it all started about 2 years ago. My friends and I work for a burger chain in Nor Cal and at the time we just got a new area Manager up from So Cal. We'll call him Joe. Well Joe is originally from Romania and when he moved to So Cal and saw his friends with boats he decided he wanted one. So one day he was browsing EBAY and "accidentally" bid on this ugly ass brown 1974 Cobra Jet... well turns out he won the auction and had to drive to Texas to pick up his new found toy. As it turns out Joe has never worked on a car/truck/boat or bicycle for that matter. In fact his motto is "if it doesn't come from Ethan Allen I don't own it" Needless to say he never got the boat running or took it out since he picked it up from Texas.
Fast forward to when Joe moved to Nor Cal and started supervising my good friends that work under him now. When these guys found out that Joe had a Jet Boat with a 455 in his driveway they said "well get it running for you". So they bought a battery, changed the oil, put in new plugs and wires, and fired her up! All good right? Wrong.
Instead of going on the water just the two of them to test her out, they invited their wives, kids, Joe, his wife and infant son to have a grand ole time. They launched and it was going well until one of the kids was splashing about near the back of the boat saying "Mommy look! Theres water back here!" They turned the boat around but by then the motor started bogging down and stalled out. They were about 300 yards from the dock and the men jumped in and started swimming the boat back to the shore. Luckily they were able to trailer the boat and get it back home. Correction they towed it back to my friends house cause Joe wanted nothing to do with the boat.
So there it sat for the better part of a year, in the drive way. Joe even asked my friends wife to try to sell it on ebay/craigslist for him with only one problem IT WOULDN'T FLOAT!! Of coarse nobody bid, and so again the boat sat.
That brings us to early this year. I was on a company vacation with Joe and all my friends and we got to talking about the boat over a couple of drinks. I told him, "you know if you need someone to take that thing off your hands for you I will" I'm always looking for things to take apart and put back together again. So he said he'd think about it.
When we got home I waited a couple weeks and asked him again, and he said "take it"
The next day I drove out to my friends house, picked up the boat and drove it home. I spent some time looking around the thing, figuring out how things worked, fired up the motor, got it timed and running good. I have a lake about 15 mins from me so it wasn't too hard to go to the dock and test the boat. I learned from my friend's experience and backed the boat into the water but left it strapped to the trailer. After letting it sit there for a while I saw no leaks. When I started the motor water came gushing in under the engine.
So I took her home and took off the exhaust and there to my surprise were two missing freeze plugs out of the block. I thought to myself "it can't be this easy". I went to the auto parts store in town, spent $5 on new plugs and tapped them in.
This time I took her to the lake and again started the motor ran good and NO WATER! So I said the hell with it and launched the boat all alone (not to smart, but oh well) I couldn't believe how well it ran (at least in my eyes), it screamed up and down the lake.
I took it home and called my friends. Any one of those guys could have done what I did, and had a free boat on their hands, but they didn't. Joe could have taken it to mechanic for a $100 and had him diagnose the problem, but he didn't.
I did and I got me a free jet boat. I named her "The Root Beer Float" thanks to the God awful brown gold flake paint. Although she's not so free any more. This season called for a new carb, new distributor and some other odds and ends. I had one bad trip (rubber exhaust tubing cracked and boat sunk overnight ) and about 15 awesome trips. I even bought a pylon and towed some of my associates and myself on a wakeboard.
It was a great summer and just recently I pulled the motor to clean some stuff up and do some work.
My question for you guys is, while I have the motor out what should I do? Keep in mind I know nothing about Jet boats other than what I learned this summer (like dont leave the motor running with the ski rope in the water).
Also keep in mind that the boat was mostly free and I can't really mess it up.
Thanks,
Nick
pushingvws@gmail.com
p.s. here's some pics http://picasaweb.google.com/pushingvws/RootbeerFloat#

[SkyHarborCowboy]

Great Story!
I really dont know anything about Olds engines but find a local burnishing company and have them polish up any aluminum parts you have. They basically tumble them in a polishing medium and they come out pretty good looking (not like polished aluminum rims but good) and its relatively cheap. I have no clue where you are actually located so I cant help you with where to go. I have a great place in Los Angeles I go to. Just make sure to take any brass fittings off as the acid will eat them up bad!
Every Olds I have seen has a really low profile intake manifold stock so you might look into that. Other then that just replace every hose, belt and wiring that may need addressed as preventative maintenance.
Joe

[SkyHarborCowboy]

Look on my website and you can see what burnishing will look like on one of my mounts which is sand cast out of Aluminum. The smoother the original finish of the part the better the burnishing will make the part look when its done.
Joe
www.gooseneckshades.com

[jetboatperformance]

Nick ,Welcome to the boards and the world of Jet Boats , Great story ! good read ! Good luck with the boat lets us know if we can help Tom

[pushingvws]

Nick ,Welcome to the boards and the world of Jet Boats , Great story ! good read ! Good luck with the boat lets us know if we can help Tom
Tom, thanks for the reply... do you have anything that jumps out at you that I should take care of with the motor or pump while I have them out?
Thanks,
Nick

[Cas]

Nick,
If the engine runs good and the pump pushes the boat, just leave it alone for now and enjoy it. You can read many many stories about someone buying a boat with an Olds and the first thing they do is try to supe it up. It's almost inevitable that something goes wrong and it's the engine's fault.
The Olds motors are pretty good so long as you don't start trying to modify too much. It can be done but it comes with a pretty good price tag, in many cases.
That said, it would also be a good idea to get some baseline numbers with your combo. In order to do that, you need a working accurate tachometer at a minimum. Having a hand held gps can give a lot more accuracy in what you've got going. The best thing to do is to get mph numbers at 3,000, 3500, 4000 and wide open throttle. You can then compare your numbers to an impeller chart to tell you approximately how much hp you've got. If the numbers are way off the chart, you can then tell whether or not you need some pump work.
Really good story!

[ck7684]

Keep everything lubed up that needs to be and dont pumps sand and rocks through the jet. Another good idea is to make some type of cover for the jet intake to keep the grit out during towing...

[Cas]

pushing,
Here's an article on pump maintenance I scanned from a 1978 Hot Boat magazine. It'll give you some info on the Berk pumps along with what you should do for maintenance.
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data...0Pump_Main.jpg
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data...Pump_Main1.jpg

[pushingvws]

Thanks for all the help. I think I'm going to take the simple approach "if it aint broke don't fix it" I'll lube everything up re-wire it, new hoses and put the motor back in.
Oh I did want to ask you guys. My boss told me that while it's out I should install a "rat tail" to make draining the oil easier. Any tips on making/buying or installing one of these? Are they sold or do they have to be made?
Thanks,
Nick

[Cas]

most boat shops carry an oil drain kit that you can buy or you can make your own. Just pull the drain plug out of the pan and get the proper sized 90º brass fitting with a barbed end to replace the plug. Attach a hose to the fitting that is long enough to extend through the plug hole at the back of the boat and plug that end. Make sure the hose you use is at least 1/2" ID so it will drain better. Even with that, it takes quite awhile for the oil to drain out unless it's hot.
If you do use rubber hose, it's a good idea to wrap it with something to protect it from getting a hole in it due to rubbing on the bottom of the hull....ask me how I know that one
I use a fitting that is pipe thread into the pan and a compression fitting for the hose. I then used 1/2" steel braided line that is normally used for a dishwaster hook-up and a brass plug at the end. Works real well for about $15.00