Have a Taylor, but I'm a newb

[Rick90lx]

My dad just passed his Taylor SJ to me. Its got a worn out 403 in it and has a points dizzy. I'm more than likely going to do a motor swap this summer and replace it with a 455, I heard that would be the easiest swap for me, and I have a buddy who does a lot of work with them. Anyway, I've been reading on here for the last couple of days and there's a few terms that keep coming up. One of which is a place diverter and another is an intake loader. The boat has a berkley pump with a new impeller, but I'm not sure of the specs on it and if I had to guess its a stock replacement. Like everyone else I'm wanting to make it faster, so any advice would be appreciated. In the meantime I'm going to hit the FAQ's. Thanks guys,
Rick
What kind of speeds are you guys getting out of your run of the mill motored SJ's?

[QuickJet]

Welcome to the site.
Yes the easiest thing to do is build a 455, however in doing so you would also be hurting yourself in the long run. Sure guys have gone fast with Olds power, but it takes money and block work (especially to the oiling system).
Do yourself a favor and install the BBC. Parts are in abundance and reletively cheap.
Not only that but the resale value will be more with the BBC.

[watergun4u]

Glad to have you here, welcome, well to start off and this is my opinion,in less you have no choice but to use a 455 well then, thats that, but if you are able to use a chevy 454, you be better off, for one parts are easier to get, and for the most part,less money too.also in my past work exprience, the 455 really does not have the torque, and it does not hold up to high rpm, inless you have spent alot of money on the motor, where a chevy motor will hold up to the torque, and the higher rpm's for a longer time, and you are able to get more rpm;s from a bbc then you can a 455 olds, but thats my opinion, i am sure i will get slack back on this but, i no better, have rebuilt to many 455 due to oiling at high rpm;s and had to replace alot of blocks due to rods going throw the sides, i am not saying they are a bad motor, but they need a lot more money spent on the to keep from have major problems, then a 454 BBC thats all i have to say!

[Rick90lx]

Well, I only mentioned the 455 because of the friend I mentioned earlier. Truth be told I'm a ford guy. I currently have a turbocharged 383 thats going into my mustang. If big blocks are really where its at, I would be perfectly happy picking up a 460 for the boat. I'm having a little trouble understanding the difference in big block power vs a high reving small block. My first thought was to do a another 383, slightly less cubes, but very high rpm capable with the 3" main. My thought process could be completely off base, but I'm thinking that since the drive is a 1:1, that rpm would be the best way to get some speed out of it. Am I looney?

[QuickJet]

The problem with the small blocks is that the pump rarely allows the high RPMS required to run em.
There is a nice blown Ford in the spam section for $6,500 bucks....

[Rick90lx]

This isn't a very good picture, but I picked it up at the end of summer and didn't have much time before putting it away for the winter.
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238/Rick88coupe/P1000032.jpg

[sanger455]

i have a friend who has a sj taylor with a 460 ran 76 mph at 6500 rpm but did not last long. i told him too high of rrrrrrrrs. damn the bad luck.good luck

[watergun4u]

a ford 460 is a good choice for a boat ,if your a ford guy, they make plenty of hp, and have good low end and top end performance, it would work well in your boat

[SmokinLowriderSS]

If you are more comfortable with a Ford, then by all means build one.
The olds has to have oil restriction to the heads and drainback help to live continuously much above 4500RPM. Not so the big Fords or Chevys.
The small blocks can run, but, to let them rev up, the impeller has to be cut very small, giving away acceleration. If you plan on pulling skiers or toys, you will not like the result. If you plan on occasionally getting in a race, you will not like the holeshot.
Congrats on the SJ, Taylor's are a very fine boat (I do have a bias tho), heavy, but solidly laid up with full sheet weave glass, not chopper-gun sprayed.
IMO, upper 80's are the speed to stop trying to go above. Sure, put enough muscle in them, and they'll do 100, and you are BEGGING for bad trouble.
"Place Diverter", a brand of nozzle that is elevation angle adjustable. "diverter" is the comon generic term for such a nozzle while not being brand specific.
"Loader" is a device bolted into your intake, replacing the stock rock grate, which helps to feed the TOP of the impeller with water. Water is heavy and hates changing direction. Scooping it up at speed soon creates more pressure suplying the bottom of the impeller and less at the top. Eventually cavitation (slippage) happens.
Not all loaders are alike. Not all pumps are the same, not all hulls behave the same, or like the same parts combination pushing them. You will learn a LOT of other new terms as you get to tuning your boat for best performance. There are a lot of folks on here with plenty of experience who are happy to help (there are jackasses too but those are pretty obvious after a short while)
On the top of the bearing housing behind the engine should be a small oval plate, with a set of letters & numbers stamped in it. It should read something like "12J?-?" with the first ? being the drive type letter (in a Taylor most likely an "E" or "F"), the seccond ? is the original impeller letter size code, basically useless by now. Impellers typically run from "AA" (very big) to "D" (very small). Don't get thrown by the "big/small" because the difference is not a lot and is in a measurement from front to back basically (on an angle). They will all fit your pump, but larger ones push more water at every revolution, and require more HP for every revolution. All other things the same, each full impeller size (say from an "A" to a "B" or vice versa) will change the engine RPM by about 300 RPM (larger slows the engine, smaller speeds it up).
The difference in an "E" and an "F" is the "F" had a factory electric driven diverter nozzle. The "E" was fixed straight back. The diverter does 2 things, it allows you to alter the ride of the hull, holding the nose down to stop porposing in rougher water and to lift it to get more of the hull airborne for top speed, AND it allows you to show off with a rooster-tail by blowing the jet thrust into the air. To a certain angle limit, this is faster as it pries the front of the hull up. Beyond that point, it wastes "go-foreward" energy and slows you down, but it looks cool.
That's kinda the basics, the best of luck to ya.
Here's the place on the internet Taylor owners call home:
The Taylor Boat's Roost (http://p208.ezboard.com/bthetaylorboatsroost52059)
Drop in, be welcomed, and feel at home. :)

[Arkansas]

Congrats Rick....being in the market for a good used Jet my self I can testify that an SJ is highly desirable and hard to find....so you are starting with the right stuff....going with the BB Ford sounds like the best route.....

[SmokinLowriderSS]

Depending on how much power you want, plan on headers.
IMO you will have a very hard time finding more than 400 HP on the water-cooled log exhaust manifolds, they are very poor breathers on a good day.
Thru-Transom water jacketed headers are the way to make HP, but will cost you arround $2500 a set, ballpark, and up.
Logs with snails are about $1900 brand new.
I do not believe TT headers will fit under your hood, at least I am sure Lightning Headers won't (I have in my SS). They come up beside the carb for height and your "doghouse" wil have to grow wider. Other brands might curl over lower, shop arround carefully.
IMO, run an "A" impeller cut, for best all-arround usage with moderate (under 700) horsepower. 400HP will spin an A at 5,000 RPM, 500 will spin it 5400RPM, 600HP, 5800 RPM. These are the powerband locations to plan for. something arround .600" lift, 240* .050" duration should put ya right there to match them. :D
Again, best of luck to ya. Where are you? We'd sure like to have ya come to a Taylor gathering here in the midwest. We even connected up with Roger and his son. :) :)

[atxwrangler]

;) here you go! just bite the bullet.i have 12,000 in my blown 460.this is a steal,keep the r's down with a aa impellar!only $6,500.what are ya waitin for?;) http://www.***boat.net/forums/showthread.php?t=138620

[STRETCH]

My basically stock BBF (est 330-340 HP) 76 SJ was turning 4400-4500 RPM and hitting 58-59 MPH with a few mods on freshly rebuilt pump. I added a divertor that increased ride performance and also added an inducer, which gained a heck of whole shot. Prior to teh rebuild I was averaging 55 MPH. I recommend a divertor for sure on these boats, the porpoise at top end without it was pretty harsh, and many SJ's have some good hook in the bottom and the divertor helps mitigate that.
Good looking boat! I know you have a great time in that boat. Will be hard not too!
You ever have any questions or looking for measurements, ideas etc....send a PM
The guys at Taylorjetboats.com love to lend a helping hand or answer questions as well.
Cheers!
Matt

[SmokinLowriderSS]

SJ's don't have room for the blower drive snout so you have to:
Move the frame ahead of the motor fwd,
Install longer stringers to reach the frame (short stringers),
move the fuel tank under the back seat fwd,
move the frame ahead of the fuel tank fwd.
move the back edge of the floor fwd, to make room to,
move the back seat wraparound foreward,
cut the sides of the wraparound and re-upholster, to allow wrap to move fwd,
Make new longer hood, or go topless,
make new longer closeout panels for the sides of the engine bay,
re-carpet the sides of the engine bay to re-match orriginal.
All to gain about 6 to 8". Plenty of room in the boat as I have seen an SS this was done to, but what a monster job.:sqeyes:

[Rick90lx]

Wow guys, thanks for all the useful info. I can see already this isn't going to be a cheap endevor! I do love the boat, the highlights of my day were when I was allowed to meet my dad at the boat ramp on the other side of the lake. I grew up in MN, but now I'm in Ohio. My brother is outside of Abilene, KS and currently looking for a jet. We talked yesterday about meeting somewhere outside of St.Louis at the Lake of the Ozarks? Anyway, I picked up the jet at the end of the season last yr and brought it home. I had the carb rebuilt and replaced the points and plugs. Doing those few things got it running much smoother, but I only had it on the lake twice. Each time it broke something! :D I'm determined to make it a reliable boat so my friends and family can enjoy it as much as I used to.

[Rick90lx]

My basically stock BBF (est 330-340 HP) 76 SJ was turning 4400-4500 RPM and hitting 58-59 MPH with a few mods on freshly rebuilt pump. I added a divertor that increased ride performance and also added an inducer, which gained a heck of whole shot. Prior to teh rebuild I was averaging 55 MPH. I recommend a divertor for sure on these boats, the porpoise at top end without it was pretty harsh, and many SJ's have some good hook in the bottom and the divertor helps mitigate that.
Good looking boat! I know you have a great time in that boat. Will be hard not too!
You ever have any questions or looking for measurements, ideas etc....send a PM
The guys at Taylorjetboats.com love to lend a helping hand or answer questions as well.
Cheers!
Matt
Would you or any of you guys mind sending me some pictures of your boats? I'd like to get some ideas and see how everyone has done them up.

[Rick90lx]

Depending on how much power you want, plan on headers.
IMO you will have a very hard time finding more than 400 HP on the water-cooled log exhaust manifolds, they are very poor breathers on a good day.
Thru-Transom water jacketed headers are the way to make HP, but will cost you arround $2500 a set, ballpark, and up.
Logs with snails are about $1900 brand new.
I do not believe TT headers will fit under your hood, at least I am sure Lightning Headers won't (I have in my SS). They come up beside the carb for height and your "doghouse" wil have to grow wider. Other brands might curl over lower, shop arround carefully.
IMO, run an "A" impeller cut, for best all-arround usage with moderate (under 700) horsepower. 400HP will spin an A at 5,000 RPM, 500 will spin it 5400RPM, 600HP, 5800 RPM. These are the powerband locations to plan for. something arround .600" lift, 240* .050" duration should put ya right there to match them. :D
Again, best of luck to ya. Where are you? We'd sure like to have ya come to a Taylor gathering here in the midwest. We even connected up with Roger and his son. :) :)
I'm going to have to do some research on the headers. To be honest, I'd like to keep the hood on the boat if at all possible. We like to ski and swim off of the boat and as of now it gives us a way to get out of the water. I guess I never really thought about the snails being restrictive untill you mentioned it. Anyone turbocharging their boats? I have a friend who built a beautiful turbo kit for my mustang, and another friend (an old pro stock racer) that builds custom one off headers for anything and charges $100.00 a hole. When I say anything, I do mean anything. He just finished with a stroked 455 in a GTA a few weeks ago and is currently working on a Henry J.

[sanger455]

wat part ofohio yu from wat lakes yu boat at?

[jetboat]

Would you or any of you guys mind sending me some pictures of your boats? I'd like to get some ideas and see how everyone has done them up.
go to the taylor boat roost and feast your eyes,nothing but taylors.i also have a taylor that started out as a 460,but under going upgrades.welcome.

[Rick90lx]

wat part ofohio yu from wat lakes yu boat at?
I'm in Dayton and the 2 times I had the boat out was on Ceasers Creek.

[Taylorman]

Heres a few pictures of my 76. Ive got it running in the low 70's last summer with a 455 at 4900 rpms. Future plans and hope to get it to the upper 70's.
http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/vidrinek/Boat/?start=all

[sanger455]

I'm in Dayton and the 2 times I had the boat out was on Ceasers Creek.we go there a lot. and also to brookville lake in. im in hamilton oh.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

I'm going to have to do some research on the headers. To be honest, I'd like to keep the hood on the boat if at all possible. We like to ski and swim off of the boat and as of now it gives us a way to get out of the water. I guess I never really thought about the snails being restrictive untill you mentioned it. Anyone turbocharging their boats? I have a friend who built a beautiful turbo kit for my mustang, and another friend (an old pro stock racer) that builds custom one off headers for anything and charges $100.00 a hole. When I say anything, I do mean anything. He just finished with a stroked 455 in a GTA a few weeks ago and is currently working on a Henry J.
I am keeping my hood/sundeck also, fortunately my SS has more freeboard than you do, so no doghouse, just a flat hood. To put a Performer RPM Air Gap manifold on the 454 tho took a slightly arched hood and a deeply dropped-base K&N Filter-flame-arrestor. If you can find some headers that don't come far above the valve covers, you'd be in good shape I believe. A friend of mine is working an Omega with a very similar top deck height, and wants to put the hood back where the prev owner took it off.
The hood also helps a LOT in preventing wave wash from coming in the boat from either an overly-quick stop or from wakes at anchor (which sinks low-freeboard boats from time to time, has happened to quite a few folks on this board).
The tough thing about the exhaust on a covered engine boat is it has to be water cooled for heat and potential fire-causing issues. The exahust on an open boat can be injected with a bit of water above idle speeds and not get too hot, but a covered engine they need to be water jacketed, which means headers that are 2-layers of steel tube to keep them from getting overly hot and water put into the exhaust after a point to keep the rubber hoses alive.
There are some hellishly strong turbo's out there, Unchained has a real beast, sweet running on a full EFI setup, 2-turbos (go big or just go home HAHA). I believe the turbo housings are water jacketed or the heat would be insane, even on his open boat. It IS a plastic boat (fibreglass).
Sure loks like "The Disease" already has a grip on this one, it's gonna get BAAAAD. :D
"The Disease" = "Morehorsepoweritis" :D

[SmokinLowriderSS]

Would you or any of you guys mind sending me some pictures of your boats? I'd like to get some ideas and see how everyone has done them up.
The pix I have online are here, at the Taylor Boat's Roost:
Pix of Lowrider (http://p208.ezboard.com/fthetaylorboatsroost52059frm9.showMessage?topicID= 73.topic)
I have more pix, just not online.
She looks orriginal, and mostly is, in appearance anyhow, from the red & silver glitter-flake gel to the silver diamond-stitched interior and red carpeting. Small mods have happened, the hood has a slight arch to clear the new intake, the 4" slash-cut exhaust outlets, the flush-mount bow light, I had her numbering done on a slight sweep angle (15*) to make it look like wind has swept the top of the letters back (just not enough to irritate the wa-po (water-police).
She's a hard-working lake boat that lives for pulling skiers/tubers, outrunning other boats (wackers & Baja's want to run mostly), and tying up for social beer-afternoons with others.
Her orriginal 300HP (270 to 280 real HP) 454 has run nitrous for 28 years, now makes 400 HP off the bottle (still running 8.5:1 or so), 500 on, GPS Speedo goes in this spring, soon as I can drop $400 on it. :eek: :sqeyes:

[Rick90lx]

Heres a few pictures of my 76. Ive got it running in the low 70's last summer with a 455 at 4900 rpms. Future plans and hope to get it to the upper 70's.
http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/vidrinek/Boat/?start=all
Man I love your boat, that looks great! Is that the original finish? I've toyed with having mine painted because of the cost of gelcoat.

[Rick90lx]

we go there a lot. and also to brookville lake in. im in hamilton oh.
Well hopefully I'll see you out there this summer then. I cant wait for it to warm up.

[Rick90lx]

Sure loks like "The Disease" already has a grip on this one, it's gonna get BAAAAD. :D
"The Disease" = "Morehorsepoweritis" :D
I was telling a friend today, that internet sources like this keep me broke!:D

[Rick90lx]

The pix I have online are here, at the Taylor Boat's Roost:
Pix of Lowrider (http://p208.ezboard.com/fthetaylorboatsroost52059frm9.showMessage?topicID= 73.topic)
I have more pix, just not online.
She looks orriginal, and mostly is, in appearance anyhow, from the red & silver glitter-flake gel to the silver diamond-stitched interior and red carpeting. Small mods have happened, the hood has a slight arch to clear the new intake, the 4" slash-cut exhaust outlets, the flush-mount bow light, I had her numbering done on a slight sweep angle (15*) to make it look like wind has swept the top of the letters back (just not enough to irritate the wa-po (water-police).
She's a hard-working lake boat that lives for pulling skiers/tubers, outrunning other boats (wackers & Baja's want to run mostly), and tying up for social beer-afternoons with others.
Her orriginal 300HP (270 to 280 real HP) 454 has run nitrous for 28 years, now makes 400 HP off the bottle (still running 8.5:1 or so), 500 on, GPS Speedo goes in this spring, soon as I can drop $400 on it. :eek: :sqeyes:
I've always loved that style of boat. The lake I grew up on in MN had one of those I'd see from time to time. It was an older couple who mostly just idled along. Sounded good though.

[Rick90lx]

Well, after some more reading I've got a few more questions. I've read about ride plates and shoes, can someone give me a breakdown on when / if they should be added. One of the most noticable improvements seems to be the place diverter and I dont ever see anyone complain about having one. Also, is the intake design much better these days in comparison to what I have on mine?

[Duane HTP]

We make a shoe and ride plate kit that works very well on a Taylor boat. It's called an E-Shoe Kit. And yes, a place diverter is a great improvement for a Taylor. In fact, the two products work well together. You can see the kit at www.hi-techperformance.com under other performance parts. Even have a used E-Series Place Diverter for sale right now.