The plan to get a new exhaust system was scrubbed due to the old one.... after a close inspection..... seemed to be in very good condition, apart from a covering of melted paint with a dash of surface rust. Phil took out the grinder with the plastic polishing mop an got too work.
It looked brand new after I gave it a spray with the heat resistant paint we had left over from the chimney collar.
Another reason why we decided to use the old one was, we didn't want to cut out the rear hull mounting. A clean up with the mop, a good blob around with exhaust sealant.....
All fitted, but with a flexi pipe fitted as requested by Mike (who we got the engine off). On the old engine the exhaust was fixed ridged, Mike said, "after a time of running, it being ridged, it would damage the exhaust manifold mounting bolts due to the continuous vibration." Thanks Mike, good advice to save any future problems.
Another film of the engine running........ but quieter.
Luckily one day Phil came across a length of exhaust wrap that was thrown out. We washed it and stored it away for this very job. As normal we could find it at first, but after a while it was found. the perfect length, another saving!
Next job is to make the box that fits on the port side of the engine, that is the hot air extraction tunnel.
Well as is said above the following weekend Phil got to work. Now.... Below is a photo we took of our mate Geoff's engine and you will see the box that Phil planned to make, well.... as you will see, we went for an easier option.
Both holes cut out very cleanly.
1 1/4 inch measured on the steel pipe, a good trick is to use electrical tape to mark the line you want to cut.
The plate cut out, cleaned up with the grinder and set in place onto the frame....
perfect.... lets get welding!
Phil had the welder set up just right, the weld flowed smoothly around the edges.
A hammer round to knock off the slag, then a clean up again with the grinder.
Time to try it on.
Voilà ... looking good!
Removed for a few coats of paint, then later refitted.... looking even better!
The PVC / Glass Fibre Flexible Ducting fitted.
Another successful job done.
Diesel siphoned out, tank removed.... very easily, it wasn't bolted in, it was glued to the floor. A slight tap from Phil's hand an it shifted.
The floor was bloated, so we got too work stripping off the paint and body filler... plus a lot of rust!
A brush round then a vacuum ready for.......
.......a coat of red oxide to protect the steel. Nice and tidy, ready for the new fuel tank.
A length of air ducting was fitted onto the new air box plus a bracket to direct it to the grill on the starboard side to suck in that cool fresh air.
Also the main battery switch was refitted.
At the back of.... sorry.. stern of Troutbridge there is another air vent, after sorting the air vents on either side sometime back, I thought it was time that Phil sorted this one. It would be very east for a rat to jump down on to the rear fender an pop in through the hole. I'm not having that!
It fitted on the inside closing the gap up a bit, plus a grill to stop anything climbing in. Thanks to Paul Wood for assisting Phil by banging in the rivets.
A blob of sealant around and job done.
The date.. 02/08/21 fuel tank on order from the same company that we bought the water tank off. Float your boat/Jay Wolfe Metalwork a great company that sells honest affordable chandlery. Link... Floatyourboat
Tank base, ingredients... one tank, length of angle iron, blocks of steel, threaded bar, hex nuts, angle aluminium and a section of rubber conveyor belt.
I'm not going to go into too much detail... we cut the angle iron to fit around the bottom of the tank.
Welded it together, with a support across the middle.
Welded on the blocks to the bottom to lift it off the ground.
A stag do.... say no more!
Rubber cut in to lengths to lie under the tank to protect it, plus smaller rubber sections around the sides. tank then placed in.
Threaded bar cut to length an three of them welded in place, more on that in a bit.... Aluminium angles cut to fit over the top edges of the tank, hole drilled for threaded bar to go threw, to create the clamps to hold down the tank.
A coat of red oxide. Now you see the three threaded bar in place, the other one is leaning against the silver chair base on the left.. well.. once this base is in place, to make it easier to slide in the tank.. plus if ever we need to remove it at a later date, I suggested to Phil.........
.......we weld a nut in this corner so we can unscrew the threaded bar and move it out the way, clever aye.
Next morning paint had dried Phil lifted it into Troutbridge an set it in place. Looked good... but a check with the spirit level it was slightly a bit low at the back. So Phil lifted it out to have another 2 blocks of steel was welded on.
The next challenge is to bang a hole up through the deck for the filler pipe.
Then the outer deck, bolt holes as well!
Something we had seen on other boats, a splash wall... if that is what its called... was fabricated. Its.. well I think its is quite self-explanatory, but anyway, its to stop any spillage of diesel heading towards the stern cover.
Moxey my cousin, who is in security gave us a lock that fits around the fuel filler, thanks mate. A slight adjustment needed but Phil soon fitted it. A bolt down with a blob of sealant underneath, then a good coat of red oxide paint. The rain slowed the job down quite a bit, but it gave us chance to have a cuppa tea..... or two.
Tank fully fitted with filler pipe and air vent connected, just the fuel lines... out and return to be fitted. But first an idea of Phil's this time to run steel channel along the port side of the engine bay, so the fuel pipe can be attached too.
We will see what Phil creates next weekend.
Oh yer the filler pipe, Phil welded a bit of box steel around the hole in the lower deck to stop any water that might be washing around the deck going down the hole, plus it duz make it look tidy.
This is a grease pot that is... was situated on top of the prop shaft, technical name is a stern gland greaser. Well it did its job to a point, but I thought it could do with up grading to........
THIS...... It hold about 10 times more grease, looks better and cleaner then the other one. Nicely fitted by Phil, there again, not a straight forward job. Phil had to fabricate from angle Iron a ledge for it to sit on so it could be securely bolted to the weed hatch wall.
The fuel pipes need to cross the side wall, there is nothing to attach them too.
Before they were cable tied to a dod of wood along the side of the hatch. Phil an I wasn't happy with them there, they didn't look tidy, unprotected wood rots, plus the cut of switch got knocked quite a few times.
So Phil had a thunk, he had found some racking channel, so he welded a length along the side.....
Then bolted another length along the front. The fuel lines were cable tied along the channel, also the fuel cut off switch was screwed into place as well.
A inline fuel filter plus a primer pump was fitted, that will assist the lift pump on the engine.
A drop of diesel in the tank, a quick bleed of the fuel system and Troutbridge was soon up and running, good job Phil.
A dry day... quick Phil get the sander out, I'll get the paint ready!
Ahhh and the welder! three thin bits that where covered up with a blob of body filer, so Phil welded some steel plate over the top.
Right lets not muck about, lets get this roof finished! Ahhh a loose bit of paint in the corner... like a bit of scab on a cut you just have to have a pick at it....
DON'T YOU PHIL!!!
What we found was a dod of wood hiding there....
So cut the lot out.....
Build up the area with some fresh box steel....
Weld it all together.....
Then give it all a ruddy good coat of Regal Prime & Seal anti-corrosive metal primer.
Last section of the roof done.
Looking back at the last job above, you saw that hole in the roof, well lets fill it!
This is what was in it originally, a slightly odd looking air vent to the gas water heater, held in with half a ton of white silicon sealant.... Humm lets improve that.
Hows this for something different/unique and it ties in with the theme of Troutbridge being a warship.
A 1941 shell case, date stamped at the bottom of the picture.
Fits the hole perfectly, well done Phil mate, I like it!
Before the bad weather comes in I thought another couple of coats of paint on Troutbridge wouldn't go a miss, so I put on my overalls and gloves, opened the tin of paint... stirred it of course.. put a new furry end on the paint roller and then handed them to Phil. She's looking mighty fine!
