CHRIS CRAFT COMMANDER FORUM ® .......A photo-intensive technical reference file and ongoing newsletter regarding the original fiberglass Chris-Craft Commander series. This is an independent not-for-profit and non-commercial web site, not affiliated with the Chris Craft Commander Club ~~ or ~~ Chris-Craft Corporation. Our mission here is to "have fun and share information" about the Commander series (and those associated fiberglass boats on the Chris-Craft family tree) for your individual personal use, and by doing so help promote the good name of Chris-Craft, and help preserve, restore, and appreciate Chris-Craft boats. The main reference feature is the ever expanding MASTER INDEX File which contains what we believe to be the world's largest collection of documentation photos and technical information on the Chris-Craft Commander line of boats, (like these original brochure scans, featuring the iconic first 38 Commander styled by Fred Hudson, and many of the great Dick Avery renditions that followed) , (a huge collection of Chris-Craft 427 tuning and specification information), and a few words about how to use the forum.

We extend to you a cordial "WELCOME ABOARD !" Come on in, make yourself at home, we are a friendly group of enthusiasts, and we also appreciate the classic Chris Craft Roamer, Corsair, and Lancer boats too , as they are all on the same family tree and share much in common !

This forum is registered as chriscraftcommander.com

 Return to index  

Dipstick tube modification................one small step for man.....one giant leap for...

July 30 2012 at 1:02 PM		Paul  (no login)
Well I know its been a long time but the Lancer 427 project is still moving ahead. I do not get much time to spend, as this week-end I was out with my better half having fun doing lots of things but NOT working on a boat restoration project. So in the evening I was able to take care of one little detail and that was the darn dipstick tube.

Believe it or not, with virtually EVERYTHING about this motor being custom from the motor mounts, transmission, water intake and exhaust system, carb, intake, cam, you name it..........now the oil dipstick tube would not fit due to a conflict with the new exhaust system.

For some strange reason I ended up with several dipstick tubes in my parts bin from when I purchased two complete 427 motors years ago, so I took the rusty one and started bending on it carefully until it actually conformed to the new route it had to take. Once I was satisfied with that i took the nice new brushed and painted one and bent it to match, used a small o-ring and some RTV sealant and inserted it into the proper opening and fastened the topside to a new fitting I fabricated out of steel with two holes and a nice twist with a shot of high temp primer.

[linked image]

The original bend was there to work with the big iron exhaust system and this new system is totally different. I was able to re-use the same topside bolt hole and flange, by bending it slightly and using a new piece of fabricated metal to bridge the distance. The old one bolted directly to an exhaust bolt. Once you start changing the Chris Craft cooling system around, you end up with more issues than you can shake a stick at, and this is just one of many.

While I was at it I natually tested the oil sump and it read low. Hmmmm, that is odd so now I am taking this dipstick to the 38 Commander Express and I will compare it with the one on the motor, and see if the reading is the same, etc. The never ending saga of custom work. It is difficult enough to get one back in shape using all original parts. Doing custom work often shows the fact that it was custom when it is done, too, which I am trying hard to avoid the DONE IT MYSELF look.


I have four dipsticks in my shop now, two of the long ones for the starboard motors, and two short ones, and one of them has "427" actually empossed on the darn dipstick. Look here, part number 7878! Well heck that will remind me what motor I am checking at oil-check time.

[linked image]
[linked image]


Regards,

Paul


 
 Respond to this message   
Responses

Contact the Chris Craft Commander Forum
chriscraftcommander@hotmail.com

©2005, ©2006, ©2007, ©2008, ©2009, ©2010, ©2010, ©2011, ©2012, ©2013, Chris-Craft Commander Forum, Inc., ®, also known as ChrisCraftCommander.com. and the Chris Craft Commander Forum, Inc.; Information and intellectual property on this not-for-profit non-commercial site may be copied for individual personal use, but any other reproduction or use requires written approval. Any entity who mines this site for names, material, or their other commercial/financial benefit in any way is subject to copyright and intellectual property law; the integrity of this site will be aggressively protected. The material here is for individual personal use and is not to be otherwise used or reproduced. Chris Craft is a registered trademark of Chris-Craft. Neither Chris-Craft nor any subsidiaries of Chris-Craft shall bear any responsibility for the chriscraftcommander.com content, comments, or advertising. Chris-Craft Commander Forum, Inc., is independent from Chris-Craft Corporation, and not affiliated with the Chris-Craft Commander Club in any way; it is an independent educational-based not-for-profit entity that is intended to share free information and have fun. Copyright/trademark/sales mark infringements are not intended, or implied.