1974 14’ Valco Restoration Thread

[DC_MPA]

Hello everyone! I’m new to this section of B&B and excited to join and be a part of another great group. Here’s my backdrop story. Grew up on the water, always shoreline fished or pond fished. Now that I’m in a great spot in life I sought to get a 12-14 foot flat bottom to put in my oversized pond, toss in small bodies of water around me and enjoy the simplicity of a small boat. As I was looking, someone I grew up with who is a friend of my dads informed me he would sell me his boat.

The boat is a 1974 14’ Valco. He bought a new trailer a few years back and offered me the boat, trailer, newer seats, 1968 Evinrude 18hp Fastwin, 50lb Minn Kota trolling motor, fish/depth finder, boat cover and outboard stand on wheels for $1,000. I felt it was a good buy so I bought my first boat! Also received title on both boat and outboard.

I decided I wanted to strip down the boat, Gluvit the interior hull rivets and seams (even though he said it didn’t leak), paint the interior and top exterior a light ash grey, floor it with a nice marine carpet, then paint the exterior bottom a dark green or blue.

I’ve owned the boat 2 weeks now and so far I’ve stripped the interior hull 80% with stripper and a wire wheel, and during the rainy, chilly days here in Oklahoma, I’m diving into the motor. Today I took off the carburetor and jaw dropped at a shocking find. I’ll let the pictures of the untouched carburetor do all of the talking.

As as I go along I really would like advice, suggestions, anything is welcome as I not only do my first restoration, but my first boat and first outboard motor.

Thanks for reading this and offering your ideas!

 

[DC_MPA]

Here’s the boat the day I bought it

 

[DC_MPA]

Here’s the carburetor. I pulled it off tonight. These pictures are exactly how it looked when I took it off the engine. The owner said he hadn’t ran the motor in 2 years and knows the carburetor hadn’t been touched in as long as he remembered, if ever. He warned me to expect to do a carb rebuild due to buildup over the past half century.

I opened it up, seen what you see in all those pictures, put it right back together and confident it’ll purr like a kitten for another 50 years as long as I use pure gas and burn the gas out of the motor after each day of use.

 

[FarmerTan]

Wow. You did alright there sir.

You have probably a whole bunch more knowledge than I do, but it seems like a friend of mine told me to run gas stabilizer year round in small engines, due to the chance of ethanol in it, or some such. Take it for what it's worth, and I hope someone more smarter than me chimes in. Will be following with interest my friend! Enjoy it!

 

[simon1]

Great deal! If it runs good I wouldn't mess with it. If the motor starts giving you problem vat the carb. and rebuild it.

Uncle had a little flat bottom we'd go out on the lake with in N.E. Ok. It had a small Evinrude. Dad bought a 5 hp Evinrude but never got a boat. The only time he ran the motor was in a 55 gallon barrel of water to exercise it. Don't know why he never got a boat.

The motors from that era were made right. Sorry that I don't have any experience on the rebuild. Looks like a great project though...you'll be ready for next summer.

Here's the stuff I use for gas stabilizer in my small engine lawn equipment. It seems to work better than the other stabilizers. A big mower I have used to surge, and so did my generator even though I used Sta-Bil in the gas. The engines purr at idle now. Had to run a few tanks of gas treated with that through them before they straightened up. I buy this stuff by the 16 oz. bottle. I have 4 stroke motors, but it's also good for a two stroke gas stabilizer.

Robot Check

 

[DC_MPA]

Simon, I’ve wondered about that stuff and never bought any of it. Now I will!

You’re right, there’s so many great bodies of water around here, one never could get tired of the options.

I slapped that carb back together and it’s going right back on the outboard. I’m going to borescope the inside just to get an idea of how the cylinders and pistons look. I expect they’ll look like new too.

Next up is the lower unit and fuel pump to see if they need any attention. I’m now suspecting they won’t outside a new impeller.

 

[simon1]

Simon, I’ve wondered about that stuff and never bought any of it. Now I will!

You’re right, there’s so many great bodies of water around here, one never could get tired of the options.

I slapped that carb back together and it’s going right back on the outboard. I’m going to borescope the inside just to get an idea of how the cylinders and pistons look. I expect they’ll look like new too.

Next up is the lower unit and fuel pump to see if they need any attention. I’m now suspecting they won’t outside a new impeller.

Looks like you got a great deal. The lake uncle used to take us to was Grand Lake . When I was getting Mom's house ready to sell after she passed a guy across the street offered to take me to Lake Hudson in his bass boat, which was close, but it was middle of winter. He had also been to Lake Fork here in Texas but I've only been there once and only bank fished. They pull record bass outa that lake.

A friend of mine and I used to throw his Dad's john boat in the back of my truck and take it up to Keystone Lake to paddle around in the coves. Camped for a day or two at a time and seined quite a few shad for bait. We'd also go to the spillway below the dam on the Arkansas River and bank fish. Caught some stripers that were as long as your leg. Had to use surf rods.

 

[simon1]

Oh, you said pure gas. Can you find that there anymore?

When I was in Pryor at Mom's a couple of years ago there were a few gas stations that sold it. Been up there regularly for a couple of years and last time I was there, about 6 months ago, they no longer had it. Can't find any around here anymore. The no ethenol small bottles of fuel they sell at stores is EXPENSIVE!. Ethenol is a small engine killer. The Briggs & Stratton "ethenol protectant" fuel treatment seems to have cured the ethenol problems in my lawn equipment.

I "think" your Evinrude takes a 50:1 ratio on the two stroke oil for it. I think. But the ethenol treatment in the regular gas you have for it wouldn't hurt. Does your engine have an automatic oil/gas mixer or do you have to mix the two stroke oil with the gas? I would think you have to mix it in that motor.

Be sure to keep us updated on your progress.

 

[DC_MPA]

We have lots of stations that still offer pure 100% no ethanol gas. It’s about 15% higher than 10% ethanol. I’ll have to mix the oil with the gas.

Ole Pryor! I bought this boat in Locust Grove not far from Pryor. It was a Lake Hudson boat.

Over the past two weekends I’ve cleaned all the rivet heads on the inside and polished them shiny. Let the boat fill up with water and found zero leaks. I’m going to power wash the inside and outside with my power washer (not going to get up close and personal, just clean it up. Then I’m going to apply marine epoxy to the inside hull and start flooring it and accessorizing it.

I took off the lower unit of the evinrude and found the impeller was like new with no cracks and excellent viscosity. Same with the fuel pump. After finding that along with the condition of the carburetor, I’m just going to put new plugs in it and let her do her thing. So I’m just going to do a oil change on the lower unit and test fire that puppy and see how it runs.

That’s where I’m at right now folks!