Testing My Boaterhome on The Lake For The First Time in 20 YEARS

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I am a shade tree boat mechanic. Mercruiser engines are just Chev blocks with different heads and cam. Parts are readily available and the outdrives are basically bullet proof. Check your bellows, gimbal bearings, exhaust hoses, impeller pumps etc. Most things are relatively easy to repair or replace minus the gimbals. Kind of bears to do. Make sure the outdrives get a good fluid change and pump the fluid from the bottom to the top. It eliminates air bubbles. When ever you run those engines, get those outdrives down as low as you can. The clutch dogs and u-joints don't like that extreme angle and keep them either watered with a fake a lake or submerged. Like you said, running them dry eats those rubber impellers alive! Also, make sure when you do pull the engines, the stringers are strong and true. If the pulleys are pointed towards the hull, you will overheat due to the water not being able to have the right angle of attack under water and it will cavitate at the intake strakes at FOT. The engines not being level WILL lift the outdrives up. But as soon as you drop speed, it will pick water back up and things will cool down. Keep that thing as original as possible. Its so, so DOPE!

Good Call !!! Something that rare is only all original once.. So glad you decided to keep it as original as possible. Let that ol girl keep her soul..

If you try to run with old impellers, you’ll have a disaster on your hands. Crunchy little impeller particles will end up though out the engine plugging things like the small holes in the head gasket.

You are killing those U joints in the outdrive by running it in the up position. Pull the drive, grease the joints, check the bellows and shift cable. 👊

Those in-boards work grrrrreat Just rebuild them and supercharge them. I think renovate the dodge and keep it around as an original piece but make a big daddy truck launcher that also accepts the boat part so you can use either. Needs a makeover though. If you do too much you might as well start from scratch and just sell the boaterhome

I’m glad my opinion matters. I think you should keep it as original as possible, but add that HeavyD cool. You know what I’m talking about.

I'd say to try to keep it as visually original as possible. Under the hood, go for broke with the upgrades. That boat on the water is quintessential '70s.

Imagine this is restored, it'll be the biggest flex one everyone, would love to see it look MINT

No outboard motors. Try to keep everything as original as possible. That is what makes this such an awesome machine

Great video! You asked, so I'll suggest the following: Starting with the van, repower the van with a diesel engine. Rebuild and /or replace the transmission in the van. Do the bodywork and interior, I guess just modernize the drivetrain but keep the van looking old school. As for the boat, definitely repower with some Mercruiser 350's and have the drives either rebuilt or replace them. As for the boat itself, return it to its former glory on the outside but give it the necessary modern upgrades it deserves. This is JMHO though.

Definitely need to keep it original and restore that beast, it's just way to cool

The vehicle is a piece of history as far as the body etc keep original However do what you must on power trains and the mechanics, have a ball.

You've got a whole army of YouTubers that completely overhaul vehicles like this. Use them!!! Also, keep the vehicle original, but go all out on the motors.

SHOULD DEFINITELY RESTMOD IT FROM BUMPER TO THE I/O STERN DRIVE SYSTEM! Old school classic nostalgia look new school feel.

Keeping the van is an excellent idea but there's nothing wrong with modernizing it and eliminate the carburetor headaches

That thing is so cool, its needs to be resto modded, yes I know that costs a lot but it's the right way for something like this.

Keep it original on the out side make it look like a space ship on the inside Keep inboard Keep the cab Keep it all would be amazing to c it as it would have looked brand new

I’m surprised it still floats

Please restore it with the inboards and the van itself, including the interior restoration as well please!!