View Single Post
  #13   IP: 128.220.159.8
Old 10-07-2019, 05:44 PM
ernst ernst is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 148
Thanks: 59
Thanked 14 Times in 10 Posts
Thank you for your constructive replies!

Yes, I agree, in a perfect world I would like to do nothing more than moving the motor out, fix the clamps properly (and replacing with T-bolt clamps), clean out the gunk of 45 years, and give all a fresh coat of paint! This would be a very satisfying job.

In my not-so-perfect world, I am trying to scrape by with what I can do, with all the other constraints I have. As you can tell, among these is that I am intimidated by the thought of removing the motor, and I am afraid of the can of worms I might release.

Now, the good news: It turns out the loose clamp was a false alarm! When I thought I had felt it being loose, I had not realized that was I was wiggling (and what is visible in the picture I posted) is actually the (very) long tail of the clamp. It is kind of stuck under the hose which is why I did not realize it is really the tail. I found this after I pretzeled myself under the engine and really got to work. I could then put a very short ratcheting wrench in place and while I was there, tightened all clamps a little bit. All work, there is no corrosion and all seems very secure (T-bolt clamps were better, admittedly, but see above). The last two (the most aft) clamps do overlap a little bit but I hope that this is OK. Phew!

I then decided that the crack in the fiberglass that started all this just needs to be stabilized. I poured slightly thickened epoxy into it until it was full. Now the wood should be protected from water intrusion which is all I really need.

There is one more thing that I may want to do but it should not be urgent, and may not be necessary at all. The motor mount in question is at a slight angle, see attached photo (which is turned 90 degrees for some reason, sorry). I haven't measured it precisely but I estimate the outboard side is maybe 1/10" higher than the inboard side. Very roughly, the mount is approx. 2" wide so the angle is atan(1/20) = approx 3 degrees. I found that this source https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/motor-mounts says the angle should not exceed 4 degrees 'if possible.' So I feel that I am within specs. Am I wrong?

Again, thanks again for the tips!

(my next stop on the A-4 journey is the water pump but that is a different chapter...)
Attached Images
 
Reply With Quote