Author Topic: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe  (Read 19455 times)

Ace

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1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« on: May 11, 2014, 02:53:55 pm »
Hello, I'm back on here at last! My previous buying of the 390 in NJ end of 2012 ended up in a massive failure. Sent the money to the guy but he claimed he couldnt clear the checks and sold it to someone else. I eventually got my money back but was really pissed.

A few months later, thanks to Han's newsletter I discovered there was one for sale much closer to me in Italy!! It was supposed to be in very bad shape mechanically and electronically but the hull was depicted as in very good condition and was selling for 11500 $. Some time later I saw the price dropped to 7000 $. I decided to call them and see how low I could get it for. They accepted to close the deal for 3900 $  :)

So I'm the owner since September but have waited till now to find a mooring place on the Geneva Lake, which I just did, and to gather the funds to pay for transport from Roma to Switzerland.

The boat should arrive in a couple of weeks now!

So now is questions time !
First of all the boat has been abandoned in the shipyard for more than a decade, so batteries are shot and electricals are a big question mark. One of the engines (they are stock 400hp mercruisers)lacks the carb and has a broken manifold. The other one is complete and seems in better condition. Can I start and operate the boat on on engine or will I damage something by doing so?

Is the fuel tank easily removable for cleaning? Or can I clean it without removal?

Fun adventure that begins!
Pictures at : www.facebook.com/MovieCarsCentral/albums/531522410302646/

Franck

stinger390x

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2014, 10:41:58 am »
Hello Franck.
Glad to hear you got a boat at last. The one in NJ, was it white with blue stripes similar to the one you have now except they didn't cross at the rear? If it was the same boat I saw you should be glad you got your money back as it was JUNK!!!

Now for your questions.
The gas tank...can't be removed without cutting floor open so just draw out the old fuel and put some new stuff in. When you draw out the old fuel see if there are any sediments in the fuel. If there is you will need to flush before refueling however in my experience those aluminum tanks stand the test of time quite well.
You say the manifold is broken and a carb is missing? Is it the intake or the exhaust manifold. I have a spare intake and a set (3) spare square port heads ready to bolt on.
Don't do anything to the other engine until you go through it with a fine toothed comb! Change the oil, plugs, wires and cap a rotor for the distributor. Make sure there are no cracks in the block or manifolds and check all hose fittings. Once you check the timing mark, belts, hoses etc then feel free to start it up. Make sure you have a garden hose running water in the system or have the boat in the water (even if it's on the trailer on the loading ramp) as the sea cocks must draw water for cooling.DO NOT RUN THE ENGINES DRY AND OFFSHORE!
(my engine bay has a special fitting for a garden hose which flushes the system for both engine simultaneously)
As for the other engine let me know what parts you need and I might have some spares?

It would be a good idea to do a compression test on all the cylinders of both blocks just to be on the safe side. Pressures should not vary more then 20psi on any set of cylinders. Optimun should be at the 160-180psi mark for that particular engine with stock pistons and cams.

Let me know if you need any other advice. happy to help out....

Tom...

stinger390x

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2014, 10:46:11 am »
Just looked at the pics again.
Do you have thru-hull exhaust? Pics aren't clear?

Also not sure what kind of drives you have. Are they TRS?
The reason I ask is sometimes the exhaust goes through the outdrives on some models. This is ok but not the most efficient way to exhaust an engine. Thru-hulls are a bit louder system but let the engine breath very efficiently.
Let me know what's under the swim platform.

ttyl...

ccstinger

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2014, 05:16:18 pm »
The boat looks great!  I've seen that striping scheme before, but typically on a black boat - for example:  http://chriscraftstingers.com/gallerypage.php?gallerydir=Lake%20Erie%20390.  I've seen the striping on 390s, 260s and 230s right around 1983/1984.  Can't wait to see her in the water.

Ace

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #4 on: May 14, 2014, 12:43:27 pm »
Yes the exhausts are through hull, and here are more pics :
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0By1GtMCu_Xv4R0ROVmVlS3dpM2c&usp=sharing

I took pics of everything broken or damaged I could see.

Do you think the small exterior damages to the hull would prevent to put it in the water like this?

Tom, if you have a spare for the exhaust part that is broken on mine I wouldnt say no. Now what could have caused that?

smfadmin

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #5 on: May 14, 2014, 07:41:36 pm »
Wow! Looking through those pictures - your boat is like a time machine!  It's about as original as they come nowadays.  Maybe the gauges were changed out, and I haven't seen the batteries stored under the cockpit bench.  But the interior, the radio, the panels, exterior paint job, etc!  I'd love to hear the story of who originally owned the boat, how it got to Italy, etc.

stinger390x

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2014, 11:19:56 pm »
Yes I agree... lots to work with and it looks good. Move the batteries over to the port side inside of the engine bay compartment and clear that under-seat area for ropes and gear and whatnot. You don't want your batteries under there for safety reasons.

The scratches in the hull look only to be dock bruises and are in the gel coat. If you know how to fix this it is quite easy if you have the right tools but left unchecked, from what I can see, it looks like you can get it wet and go boating. I would however look into getting it fixed. If your not good with gel application call a local boat guy and get him to help you or do the job. You don't want the scratches to swell any worse or get moisture penetration into the hull over a long period of time. You could fix it for under a hundred dollars so if you need advice just ask and I will gladly give details on gel repair.

One small thing... your shifters are set up weird? I'm not saying wrong, only that it makes more sense if you set those things up like I have them. The shifters are on the inside towards the driver and the throttles are on the outside. They should be "paired" not split? (just a small detail I would change)

Wow! Can't believe you have the original Motorola stereo in it! I had the same thing in mine but I took it out to replace it with the top of the line Clarion. By the way that Clarion fits right in the hole very nicely and covers most of it. The rest of the hole I use for storage of CD's and DVD's.
Your interior is the same colour as mine. Looks good! Are your teak sliding doors still on the cabinetry? Not sure from the pics as they look open??? The hole in the floor in the carpet is for a table stand. I see your missing the little aluminum slot that bolts to the floor to take the tube? I think you can find one of those at any RV store as they are all the same. I bought the tube from a store and made my own card table between the chairs. Great for the laptop too!

Let us know how the engine thing fairs out and if you get it running ok.

xl2000

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #7 on: May 11, 2016, 03:44:36 pm »
Any News and updates about this Italian Stinger?

stinger390x

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #8 on: May 23, 2016, 10:41:03 pm »
yes I was also hoping to hear something.....
It took me two years to find a good engine replacement for my boat and I live in Niagara so it must be almost impossible to find a good block in Europe?!?!?!?????

I hope he made out ok?

archareon

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #9 on: May 29, 2016, 11:12:26 am »
Jeezes I saw the pics and the boat is in a bad shape.  I think you've got a mercruiser 454 engine with TRS drive.

xl2000

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #10 on: June 16, 2016, 01:58:42 am »
I asked the owner about status and it is still the same..  nothing is done.
He planned to move boat to switzerland but I have heard that Italy have some heavy customs to deal with when exporting out of the country.

stinger390x

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2016, 01:16:15 am »
So much for the EU free trade agreement?????????????????????????????????

archareon

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #12 on: July 27, 2016, 02:21:28 am »
I've imported my excalibur 312 SL from Italy(Naples)  to Belgium, and customs were not that high.

But i don't know about zwitserland , it's not an E.U. country.

stinger390x

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Re: 1986 Stinger 390 - "Class Act" in Europe
« Reply #13 on: August 08, 2016, 10:08:43 pm »
Such a shame...
Like they say...governments don't like people to be free!

They always have their hands in your back pockets for something

I don't believe in free trade as it only helps those with the most to gain........................................