The Perich Brother

Nothing helps mark the passage of time

like your kids birthday.

Can't believe it's already Jake's 14th!

How did that happen already!?

Since he's stuck at school today, 

he got to skate Saturday,

and we burnt some gas on Sunday.

Good times.

If your contemplating having kids,

just do it!

It's the best thing ever...

TP

Legit

Oh man you guys are in for a treat...

When Sonya get to see an authentic lowrider/hopper!

This rolled in to an adjoining spot.

I'm not sure how but it did!

It's like it's tip-toeing on ballet shoes!

The rear end was heavily reinforced.

Dig the chain straps...

Some serious alignment issues!

The rear suspension is just like a hot rod.

Would be cool with ladder bars.

A little reinforcement was needed...

For the 20 batteries...

and easily 500 lbs of steel!

The system used old school hydraulics.

I need to evaluate this setup.

Looks like they'd only need two,

There's only 4 cables and two trigger wires.

Maybe there's some hidden wiring.

The master controls.

Makes the whaler look like overkill!

This was made for wheel standing,

as evident from the crushed tailgate...

and the buckling of the quarter panels.

That wheel offset is crazy!

Wacky chit goin down here...

TP

Skimmer - more Klipsch fortes!

If you click on the "audiophile" tab 

on the far right or very bottom,

I've definitely become a sound snob

in the past 5+ years.

Search patterns have become more refined.

I'll pass on things that used to seem like deals.

The underlying variable is cost.

As tastes become more refined,

prices naturally follow.

The other evening I found this sweetheart deal.

A score ad posted for 8 hours 

is gonna be a 50/50,

especially with smart phone search apps,

which I've resisted so far.

I emailed the guy and tried to forget about it.

An early morning email reply 

was a definite surprise.

I called and we set a midday time.

Tough!

This is when higher offers derail plans.

He kept his word,

and even sweetened the pot,

with a late 70's Tandberg TR-2030 receiver,

made in Norway!

Weird thing used DIN plugs instead of RCA.

The tuner worked but no way to test the tape.

Not bad sound for how dirty it was inside.

I contemplated a cleaning project...

Nah...

This was an obvious flipper opportunity,

I've got enough chit to do...

Now you can see why I have so much stuff!

Keep what I like,

get rid of the fluff.

It's like getting awesome stuff for free!

Not including the time it takes to wrap.

A hoarder keeps everything right?

This is more of a skimmer...

These new klipsch fortes are in the best condition

of all (cough) four pair we have.

The grilles and drivers are perfect.

The walnut is gonna gleam after a little floor wax.

Now where to put them?

TP

Whaler Resto pt xv - yamaha 90

Another whaler post so quick?

Yeah,,,

Over the weekend,

the wife and kids were gone.

The perfect selfish time.

boston whaler 16/17 with yamaha 90 hp 2-stroke

The Johnson/Evinrude to Yamaha swap started easily,

as both share the same OMC mounting hole placement,

as well as control cable positioning,

although with different ends.

Reminded me of the ford flathead and SBC.

1988 yamaha 90 hp on transom extension bracket

But anyone that's done repowers

will know there is always a catch.

There should be!

The marine business is all about spending money

and time figuring all this stuff out!

Learn it or go support your local boat mechanic!

1988 yamaha 2-stroke 90 hp

The main piece to the puzzle 

was the wiring harness.

Ya already know it's not going to match up.

yamaha vs OMC/Johnson/Evinrude wiring harness plug

eBay helped to score a perfect donor.

So nice I found it hard to cut it to length!

No problem

 It's only ten wires...

Really it's ID'ing 30,

as the yamaha color coding 

didn't match the Johnson color coding,

which didn't match the console wiring colors...

No problem,

didn't even need a wiring diagram.

This color translator better be correct!

On my back for an hour or two,

due to the great positioning of the console.

Who designed this thing?

custom boston whaler 16/17 console with Morse controls

And why didn't they make a trim switch?

At the time I couldn't imagine being so lucky!

The far right switch was commandeered for the task.

Now 5 switches are actually hooked up!

A little overkill,

but each will have a purpose...

first time with electric/hydraulic tilt

By Saturday evening the engine bumped over,

and wow the electric/hydraulic tilt worked.

Loved to hear that pump whine!

It was the perfect night to go for a cruise...

temporary idiot light

Nope still wasn't 100% finished.

The Evinrude transition outboard 

could have been saved with an idiot light

or warning buzzer.

Typically it's in the control box,

but remember who designed this?

A junk pile light was rigged up temporary permanent style,

no way I'm gonna burn this engine up

without a fight!

One thing I had made a while back

was this splash pan.

The extension bracket makes a 12" gap,

and water would occassionally bounce back

off the outboard.

Boston Whaler 16/17 transom extension bracket

The piece doubles as a handy workbench.

The last task was changing the fuel fitting,

the Yamaha is a little bigger.

4 pm on a Sunday...

Finally splash time!

The engine has the VRO 2-stroke oil reservoir,

so there's no premix fuel.

(Another reason for the idiot light)

To be on the safe side,

and since this was the first start in a while,

I ran the mix fuel tank and let it idle.

Smooth!

A bit heavier in the stern.

I'll have to reposition the battery and tanks 

for better balance.

Definite difference from 50 to 90 hp!

The big stainless prop has much more kick,

even just engaging gears.

Out in the bay,

the engine wanted to run.

20 mph was an easy cruise,

25 mph seemed about 2/3 throttle,

and I maxed out at 30 with room to spare.

No reason to push it on the first go.

There's still some adjusting to do.

I had moved the trim rod out there

but may experiment by raising up a notch.

At the launch ramp I tested the 4 hp kicker.

Boston Whaler 16/17 with Yamaha 90 & 4 hp outboards

Much more bite than the Johnson,

probably cause the longer shaft length.

Boston Whaler with Yamaha 90 hp outboard

For now I'm super relieved.

Feels good to not have a broken boat!

TP

220022

Here's the scenario...

Do ya use a $20 coupon in the mail,

for a random smog test shop,

or do you stick with the lucky shop,

that's gotten ya this far?

The wife said,

"Duh... Of course you stay loyal!"

I guess we're both a little superstitious like that.

With 220022 miles,

the van needs all the help it can get!

This time the guy didn't do the dyno test

or even check the exhaust,

just a simple computer diagnostic.

A recent change for 2000 and newer cars.

The best part was the bill.

Normally big rigs are close to $100,

but this one was about half!

Who needs a coupon?

TP

The Moreno Coupe - outta here...

Last time on here the coupe was finally on wheels,

or could be.

Next up was the firewall.

A divot was made in the center,

allowing the tri-power set up to fit.

The wire and cardboard template was getting battered.

The hole needed to be trimmed out,

and finally a stronger cardboard template made.

The new filler bubble was bent 

out of a single piece of sheetmetal.

And finally tacked in.

Lotsa work getting this to fit right!

While I was in the hammering mode,

the big holes were filled in.

Lotsa tapping!

Now for 4+ feet of welding...

I brought the TIG in to play here.

The inside welding was a killer.

The bottom lip was trimmed and hammered 

to hold the wood kick plate.

I couldn't doing a little finish work,

even though Mario wanted to save hours here.

The trusty black epoxy primer sealed things up,

and showed the warts and dinks on the process.

Little sanding,

some filler and that was it!

Times up!

Meanwhile Mario rattlecan rebuilded 

the baby 260 ford windsor...

To look like the perfect date for the prom.

Lipstick and makeup do wonders.

Some frame holes were welded up...

Rear shock mounts whittled out,

and welded...

And next thing ya know,

it's back on the tow rig!

Too bad not to see it put back together,

but there are many layers to do before that,

and Mario finally has room in his garage...

Cause he dropped off his bitchin 30 coupe project!

Some guys...

TP