1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the Forward Fuel Tank Supply Line

Aug17

One of the valves I installed on the fuel supply distribution manifold will allow me to transfer fuel from the aft tanks to the 120 gallon forward fuel tank that I installed waaaay back in 2016. With both the start and end points installed, next I took my awesome Swagelok tubing bender out of retirement and found the rolls of 1/2″ and 3/8″ stainless tubing I bought back in 2012. Then I got busy connecting the supply manifold valve to the forward tank with a fairly long run of that stainless tubing.

Straighten out some 3/8″ 304 stainless steel tubing from the coil

It’s very challenging getting this tubing to straighten out. I use the floor of the salon and step on the tubing while unrolling it from the coil. Then I slightly over-bend it against the remaining curve by hand. It never ends up being straight. But when I install it with clamps every 12-16 inches it ends up being pretty close to straight.

I wonder how the pros do it?

The forward fuel tank is the cube-shaped one up against the forward bulkhead under the galley

The round tank is for potable water.

I put a couple of bends in the tubing to match the steps I made

Rubber isolated P-clamps and a block of expanded PVC will hold the tubing in place and stand it off of the aluminum step frame

Drill, tap, then apply Tefgel to each hole

The Tefgel will stop corrosion from happening between the aluminum and stainless screws that hold each clamp in place.

Drill, tap, and Tefgel the remaining holes in the step frame and engine stringers

Apply Tefgel to the stainless screws, and install each clamp

I put a nice little bend below the steps, then ran the tubing straight back to the supply manifold valve

The supply line is just below the level of the ER floorboards so they’re readily visible and accessible if necessary, but there’s no way to step on them. It’s also extremely unlikely that something heavy enough to damage the tubing could fall and somehow miss the stringer on one side or the aluminum angle floorboard support on the other.

Clamps every 12″ all the way back to the manifold

That’s a wrap for the forward tank supply tubing. I still have to bend and install the supply and return lines from the forward tank to the Fischer Panda genset, but that comes later. First, I want to connect fuel system tubing to the main engines.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Bending & Installing Main Engine Fuel Return Tubing

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the Fuel Fills

Apr21

When I last wrote about the fuel fills, I’d relocated the fill pipes on the tanks and made stainless fill tubes that will connect the exterior fill caps to the aft tanks. The new hoses arrived recently, so it’s time to install them.

Fuel fill opening is fully wetted out with epoxy

I first saturated and isolated the fuel fill opening with epoxy

Beneath that dusty Awlgrip Matterhorn White paint and primer is a layer of fairing compound, aluminum plate, and then a large block of mahogany that’s glued and screwed to the underside of the plate. I saturated the mahogany with West System epoxy. Then, when the wood wouldn’t take any more resin, I thickened it with West aluminum powder filler to waterproof the entire hole–the wood, the aluminum, the filler, all the way out to just over the edge of the paint. This should keep water molecules from finding their way to the aluminum plate and starting a blister.

Vix centering drill bit puts the screw hole in the middle of the opening

The screw will go in dead-center, with zero offset

Once the pilot hole is done, drill for the tap size

In this case, I’m using a #29 drill to go through the filler, aluminum plate, and into the mahogany below.

Next, drill out the filler to clear the threads

Since filler has zero holding power, I drilled out the filler with a 3/16″ bit. That way, the threads will never touch the filler and risk starting a chip.

Tap the aluminum to 8-32

See the aluminum shoulder? The screw threads will never touch the filler.

Liberal application of TefGel, being careful to keep it off the paint.

Two more holes to go

Drilled, tapped, taped, and ready for final install

Good Sikiaflex squeeze out

The only thing keeping the 2-3/8″ red brass pipe in place is the caulk, so I put a lot of it in the gap between the pipe and the surrounding hole.

Next day, the caulk is cured.

While I was at it, I also installed the pumpout port

While I was at it, I also installed the pump-out fitting on the port side deck

That’s one more exterior hole that’s waterproof

Slick design: water that gets under the cap drains through the holes near the screws

With the exterior fuel fill installed, I had a couple of last details to weld on the stainless fill pipes I made: a screw for the ball chain that attaches to the fill cap to keep it from falling in the water if it’s dropped, and a lip to better seal the hose.

Stainless screw needed inside the fuel fill pipe

I don’t have a TIG torch that can fit in this pipe, so I’ll do the best I can with what I’ve got (both tools and skill level 😉 )

That’s tacked well enough…probably

Super long stick-out might help put more weld on the screw

Super long stick-out and a gas lens might help put more weld on the screw

It’s tough welding this because the arc wants to preferentially jump to the screw head and I can’t get the torch inside the pipe at a better angle. So I pulled the 3/32″ tungsten way out, turned the argon up to 20 with post-flow set to 10 seconds, and started the puddle a bit away from the screw, then filled back in to the screw head.

That sucker’s going nowhere

The fuel cap is solid bronze and weighs about 2 pounds. There’s a ball chain that connects the fuel cap to this screw. I’m pretty sure that even if I drop the fuel cap it won’t break this screw loose. They’re not making those Chris Craft fuel caps anymore…I definitely don’t want to see one go in the water.

Next I ran a bead around the outside of the fuel fill pipe

Next I ran a bead around the outside of the tank-end of the fuel fill pipe and cut it to size

It was very difficult maintaining a straight bead on the pipe with no reference point. In retrospect, I probably could have put a hose clamp on it 1/4″ away as a visual cue of a straight line. The purpose of this bead around the circumference is to give the hose something to bite onto. I’m not even sure it’s necessary….just a good excuse to keep practicing TIG. 😉

Ready to install

Set to install…

I love it when a plan comes together

I have some things going on the starboard side right now, so I will install that inlet and also the tank vents soon. In any case, it’s great to have another item on the honey-do list pretty much checked off.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Completing the Hydraulic Steering System

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing Porthole Screens

Jan8

If I’m going to splash the boat in 2016, I need to get it water-tight. That means I’ve got to get windows installed. Last year I did a lot of work bringing the hateful portholes back from the dead. They turned out pretty good once they were painted, but what a bunch of work. Now I need to install the screens in them in preparation for the new tinted glass I’ll be ordering soon.

Shiny portholes are ready for re-assembly

You’d think that factory-made portholes would be cookie-cutter affairs…all the parts are cast in the same molds, then drilled and tapped one after the other in the same fashion. But if you thought that, as did I, then you’d eventually find yourself as frustrated as I was when I tried to reassemble the pretty portholes.

It turns out that the castings are all the same and the big holes are all the same, but the small holes around the perimeter of the glass flange and screen flange were drilled only in the same general location. Each flange only fits its original porthole. Having assumed they were all the same, I didn’t mark them on disassembly. With 12 portholes and two flanges each, the screen flange can be oriented two different ways, and 20 screw holes per flange that all need to be checked for fit, let’s just say it was a tedious afternoon sorting them out. Some of them would have a perfect fit for 18~19 holes, but somebody on the line hiccuped on the last hole and put it 1/16″ off. So…out come the screws and try it again on the next porthole.