A27 - Engine Room Refit

[JT48348]

Mark D: can you take more photos of your Cummins install. And general engine bay?

Thanks

[JT48348]

Finally paint day! Sprayed the engine room with primer along with the interior of the boat couldn't be more happy. Next up gloss white Rustoleum topside marine paint.

[JT48348]

Removing and replacing the deck fills, especially the diesel fuel fill was a bear. The A27 deck fills were flush mounted through the deck and kept in place by large brass nuts that screw onto the fill from the underside of the deck. After 30 years they were seized in place needing to be cut off using a grinder. In addition the three tank cents were secured using steel nuts and they had rusted solid. As I tried to remove those, they sheered off at the 90 degree elbow.

I've never been partial to flush deck fills. It seems like a problem waiting to happen. Boat builders put the fills at the low end of the boat usually on the side decks where rain water and overspray wash aft. Sure you won't trip over them but a failed o-ring or a damaged gasket and now you have water leaking into your tanks --from above deck.

I decided to raise my deck fills. I cut rings out of 1/2" coosa board using a 3" hole saw. Then used another hole saw to cut the inner opening. The rings were glassed in place and now the deck fills sit proud of the deck. Any running water should pass them by.

I can't take credit for this idea; it was documented by someone else and I thought it was pretty crafty:

http://www.wbryant.com/StellaBoat/Projects/deck/diesel/

[Mark Deeser]

Here's a few shots.

[JT48348]

Thanks Mark. So this looks different than I first thought. Based off your original description I thought you fabricated two engine mounts for the forward corners out of verticle channel stock in order to get the height of the engine proper for alignment.

But it looks like what you have is "L" shape metal used to widen the engine bed mounts. Then maybe some type of engine mount spacer which I'm assuming in prefixed to the metal bed?

It looks like it lined up properly. Or is that only on the right side?

[Mark Deeser]

Mount widths have not changed. My problem was lowering back of engine to be able to aline with prop shaft. I made aluminum pillow blocks so I could move motor mounts higher on block so as to lower back of engine. The mount placement that comes with engine will set it level, this will not work in our engine bay.

[JT48348]

I'm having a hard time understanding exactly what we're talking about. Sorry please bear with me, I'm going to be doing this exact same install and want to understand exactly what's what.

In the first photo below, what is the blue arrow pointing to? Is this some sort of stud on an engine mock up? What is the yellow arrow pointing to? Is this the "pillow block" you are referring to? What about the red arrow-- that should be a standard marine inboard engine mount, right?

Same questions for the second photo, except I presume the yellow arrow points to the factory engine mount bracket?

What's the purpose of the L shaped aluminum on the engine bed rails? How are the engine mounts attached to that aluminum and why not just go straight into the fiberglass bed?

Thanks
J

[davem554]

I have a 1986 A-27 with a LD28 Nissan. I love the boat ! Looking at the engine the other day and noticed some serious rust on the exhaust just aft of the mixing elbow. I decided to remove the manifold and take it to a machine shop to have it checked out and possibly repaired before it gets serious and possibly dumps water into the engine. So far I have removed all of the bolts visible on the side if the exhaust and all hoses. Gently using a rubber mallet I attempted to free the manifold to no avail. Has anyone had experience removing this bugger? Am I missing some bolts on the underside which I can't see ? Any help would be much appreciated.






ld28 Nissan,

[JT48348]

Photos of the forward bulkhead of the engine compartment now painted. I post these to give others an idea of the hull profile and curvature for tankage. And to give an idea of the bulkhead space available for organizing system components.

[rnummi]

That looks awesome. Are you sound deadening the engine room bulkheads?

[JT48348]

Onto engine room sound proofing. My original A27 had Soundown acoustic sound deadening barrier material on the underside of the engine room hatches. There was also some foam attached to the underside of the deck in the engine room haphazardly. The original hatch material was water logged and deteriorating. Not to mention the fasteners rusted in places, presumably from the hatch hinges where the bedding failed. When it rained, water permeated the foam and it held moisture over time.

My plan is to use new Soundown material on the underside of the engine room hatches and deck. My engine room walls will be covered with systems so there's not much room for sound deadening material there. I will worry about that later.

Soundown is expensive. But good stuff. I described what I previously had and was pleased with, so they recommended the 2" 2lb material with the lead barrier. I ordered 4x6' which is enough for both hatches plus parts of the underside of the deck. It takes 8 pins per hatch for attachment. And you need the Mylar seam sealing tape & adhesive.

I tossed the old material when I redid the hatches for paint, so I started with new patterns and cut the barrier to size.

[Sprig1]

JT I'm doing the same thing right now. I got 1 inch soundown for the bulkheads. 11/2 inch for the hatches. I'm going to foam all the crack. I think closed cell foam is the thing to use any suggestions? I have been studying sound proofing more I read more confused I get. I figured I would use standoffs on the bulkheads. Any suggestions would be great

[JT48348]

With my original engine, there was nothing on the bulkheads, chock full of holes, systems and wiring. I found the noise not too bad. So I'm least concerned about that. And will add after the fact to open areas maybe. Probably 1" Soundown. If I do any bulkheads it will probably aft most.

I'm considering 1/4" hdpe sheets I have for bulkheads as a clean surface that I can pre-layout my systems for organization. It won't do much for sound but it can be cleaned super easy. Maybe a layer under that? But I think it would defeat the purpose

I'm primarily concerned with overhead and the large open areas there. I think you're on the right track.

[smacksman]

On one engine room re-build I did on a center cockpit yacht I faced the sound proofing material with peg board ( hardboard with rows of 1/8" holes to take hooks to display goods in shops ). Once painted it allowed cables and hoses to to be screwed to it.

[JT48348]

Ughhh

Aftermounting the barrier materials with Soundown fastners, I have to say I'm very disappointed. The sound barrier material is great, the mounting system is another story. After getting everything mounted I realized the Soundown fasters are not made of non-ferrous material. The only thing that's non-ferrous is the dome caps, which appear to be aluminum, but the actual inside of the cap is made of the same material as the speed washers. The pin mount, pin mount base, and all wasters used to affix to the pins are ferrous. This seems like a total unacceptable mounting system for a marine environment. One of the reason I'm having to replace my Soundown in my engine compartment is due to the pins and caps rusting over time.

Why isn't everything made of a non rusting material? They're not even galvanized. These pins could have been made from plastic or something, or aluminum or stainless or something else. In addition 10 of the 12 dome caps you sent me were to big to even keep on the pins. I messed with the insides trying to close the pin hole, but they are worthless. The diameter of the pins is less than the diamter of the pinhole on the domecaps. Only two of the 12 caps actually stayed on the pins, once trimed to any degree. The rest all pushed right through the dome cap. Even the caps that fit properly are suspect.. The speed washers and insides of the dome caps will eventually rust in a marine environment, not to mention the pins, and then where will I be?