TOPIC: newbie with '73 Chrysler Conqueror S-III

Hi,
I found this great site while researching my "new" boat. I am new to boats in general, but being a Mopar car guy, once I found out that Chrysler made a boat with a 340 in it, I had to find one!
It does appear that I'm not alone, as I've seen posts by at least two others here who have these things.
I picked it up last weekend, and am in the process of going over it and trying to learn as much about it as I can.
If it were a car, I would consider it a "survivor", as it is in pretty nice, original unrestored shape...too nice to do any sort of major restoration. It has it's original interior and motor and shows about 900 hours and has been mostly garage kept. It does run, but hasn't been in the water for about four years, as the previous long time owner got involved in other things. I'm hoping to get all the paperwork done and perhaps do a "shakedown cruise" in a local lake sometime in July.
In the meantime, I'll be trying to learn as much about the boat and this type of boating as I can, and no doubt, spending a good bit of time on this forum!
Guy

Beautiful boat. Welcome aboard!

Welcome to FG 70's thread Guy, and Nice Find on the Conqueror! As I remember, the 340's Demon/Duster cars of that era were pretty fast, that was one heck of a motor. Hope everything works out well with your new/old hot rod there, keep us posted on your progress on bringing her back to life, okay!?

Thanks for the welcome, guys!
Yes, Mark, the 340 is a legendary engine in Mopar lore. I also have one in a '70 Cuda.
I'm planning on some cosmetic work on it this weekend with the Meguiar's fiberglass restoration kit..based on a thread I believe I found on this site. There isn't a lot of oxidation on it, so hopefully there will no need to be any more aggressive than that. I also ordered a random orbital buffer to make it a bit easier!
I might even get brave, hook up the water hose, and see about starting it myself for the first time since I got it home.

Looks like a beautiful "survivor".
Unique seat layout.
The 340 should make it jump right up on plane.
What is the LOA?

Neil wrote:

Looks like a beautiful "survivor".
Unique seat layout.
The 340 should make it jump right up on plane.
What is the LOA?

Hmmm...I don't know what LOA is!

Length Over All, maybe?

MarkS wrote:

Length Over All, maybe?

Aha...that makes sense. So much to learn!
It's 18 1/2 ft. according to the factory brochure.

Looks in awesome shape!!!! You will no doubt get into boats as much as cars when you start taking her out. I didn't know Chrysler made boat until I saw mine on craigslist last year. I new about the engines but not boats specifically. Have fun with it!!!

Looks in awesome shape!!!! You will no doubt get into boats as much as cars when you start taking her out. I didn't know Chrysler made boat until I saw mine on craigslist last year. I new about the engines but not boats specifically. Have fun with it!!!

Super Bee
I thought that was a very cool boat to have so I Craiglisted it
in my area to see what I would get.
Turns out there is one up in Spokane, Wa.
1974 20 foot 340, with a volvo outdrive. 1500 bucks.
I asked him if he was interested in a trade for a perfect 76 Kawasaki 900 LTD of mine, and he e-mailed back and said that he
is 67 years old and wasn't going to renew his MC endorsement on his
license again. (What?? Why Not?!)
I would go get it but no trade AND no more room in the shop.
Neil

Wow...1500 bucks?
It would be interesting to see what kind of shape it's in!
From what I have picked up, the 340 was apparently only used in '73 and '74. After that, they went to the 360 in these like Chrysler did with the cars.

Congratulations on your new boat, I'm sure you will have a great time with it. As you work on that familiar 340, don't forget many parts are specific to marine application for safety reasons. Starter, alternator, distributor and dist cap, carburetor, are all marine specific. Electrical components are "ignition protected" to minimize risk of explosion in case gasoline fumes accumulate in the bilge. Also be sure the bilge blower is in working condition, and don't be afraid to open the engine cover and sniff for gasoline fumes before starting. Besides, it gives you another chance to admire that awesome 340!

Yes, I have noticed a lot of different pieces used for marine application. Quite an interesting thing to study.
One thing that really surprised me though, is that it still has points ignition. By '73, all Chrysler cars had gone to electronic ignition systems, and I wonder why they didn't do it on this...they certainly had the parts on the shelf.
It would seem to me that arcing point contacts would create much more of a possible ignition source for gasoline fumes, than the magnetic pickup electronic distributor.
Were points ignition still the norm in other makes of inboards of this era? I have installed the Pertronix units in some of my cars, and they perform great... is that a common thing to do in boats as well?

I have installed the Pertronix units in some of my cars, and they perform great... is that a common thing to do in boats as well?

Yes, definately! Set it up once and you're done!

Nice boat my friend. Your top pic looking down seems to show that interior is original. I'd need to see a close up to tell you for sure. The back sun panels are usually the first to go but look nice on your as well.

I think the hull's been repainted and they pretty much stuck to a few colour schemes. And you have the Volvo leg which is preferable. I have the Chrysler 300 Stern in mine which is rare but the Volvo is more dependable and easier for parts.

That 340 is called a Super Vee (Sweet eh!) and drove both the jets and the Volvo legs for 73.

Your dash looks awesome and dark as well.

Very Nice.

Bill

That's a really neat boat SB. A survivor for sure. Looks nice. That 340 just sweetens the deal. Don't bleve I've ever seen a 340 in a boat before. Though my Dad had a Chrysler V8 in a boat he home-built years ago. But I digress.

Very cool. Bet your motor sounds awesome.

Chrysler later used their tried and true electronic ignition on all their inboards. You would recognize all the components including the infamous ballast resistor.

Their are thousands of 318's laboring in marine service that used the chrysler electronic ignition. FYI, the 440 was also a popular marine engine, and was available for marine use long after no longer being used in vehicles.

Old fashioned point type ignition systems held out from other marine engine manufacturers for many years.

Don't know if that has a marine type water pump or not but if it does I would check the impeller and if the blades have a set to them I would replace it. Sure don't want the pretty thing getting over heated.
Mike aka pathfinderz1

Bill,
I just took these closeups of the interior and the instrument panel.
Also, of all the boats like this I've seen on the net, they all have blue interior..except yours. What color options were available?
I'm no expert on fiberglass, but I don't see any evidence of paint on the white parts of the boat. It looks like just the gelcoat. Is that possible?
I know the blue stripe was repainted at some point, incorrectly it seems, but other than that, I don't see any obvious signs of paintwork.

Pretty pristine interior for a '73 Guy, somebody must have taken really good care of it. Nice!

Only red and blue as far as I can tell. The brochures on Dave Kain's Chrysler Crew site is a must read/search. Indeed, the only red S-III I've seen is the one I bought.

Sorry for delay.

Bill

Hey Superbee III - do you still have your Conquereor SIII?

Hey nice boat. What brings me here is I just bought one of these. A 76 S3 outboard version with its original 105. Its white/teal. I thought they were only available in teal/white and white/teal (hull/trim). Is a real barn find. When I get it home and cleaned up I am going to start a thread on it. Maybe we can compare notes.
Mark
PS... I was a member here back when it started. Glad to see its still going.

Yep...sure do. Love it!

Sooooo,
How's it running? I assume you have had a chance to get out in it.

Yes, just once so far. I got so busy with work last year that the second voyage didn't happen.
I was pleasantly surprised at how well the maiden voyage went. It runs perfectly and we had a very enjoyable afternoon on the lake. Towards the end of the day, I noticed the voltmeter had jumped up from 14.5 to about 16, so I located a correct voltage regulator that I will install before I go out this season. I also want to change the oil, so I'm sure accomplishing that (since I've never done it in a boat) will be a little tricky compared to cars.
This summer I have lots of time and I'm planning on an adventure within a couple of weeks.
I'll shoot some video of the day so if there's a way to post it here, I will.

Super looking boat, but I would for sure do some outdrive service, unless done recent. I can't tell from the one pic, but is that a 270 Volvo, maybe 280? They are damn bullet proof, but need maintenance. For SURE replace the pump impeller. Should be a Jabsco/Sherwood mechanical pump either crank or belt driven. Nothing in the leg. Also if you run it on muffs, you will discover (280 at least, had one) about a 5/8th inch hole front bottom the bullet. Toss the muffs on and you will see. I always just shoved a home made plug in it Don't need a great seal, just stop some the water flowing straight out. Just guessing here, as better pix motor and outdrive would help.

Also HIGHLY suggest you replace the OD "Bellows". Ya get a crack/pin hole in it, and water will get in, destroy the bearings and U-Joints. Not hard to do, just yank the top "chunk" from the leg. No need to remove the whole leg.

And change the oil. And it holds almost 3 or 4 quarts straight motor oil. Think I used 40WT in mine. And use the fill hole, not the dipstick on top..takes forever.. And it takes time to drain on filling anyway. And get a new fill hole plug gasket every time.

Get a manual for that leg. Explains all. Good Luck!

Okay, I've done something very dumb today and have a question.
I was planning on going out Sunday for the #2 voyage since I got this boat, so I was doing some maintenance today.
I studied the owner's manual and some YouTube videos on how to change the oil in the Volvo 270T outdrive since I have zero experience with any kind of boat in this area.
I bought a plastic marine gear oil pump that even mentioned it worked on Volvo Penta drives, among many others. I drained the old oil, and removed the filler plug, which is about halfway up the drive.
The plastic piece of the pump that is supposed to go into the drive had no visible threads on it, so I "assumed" the small black rubber piece one end of it was sort of like the rubber tip on an air nozzle...supposed to fit against some smaller hole inside the drive and seal it so the oil doesn't run out as fast as it goes in.
Anyway, I stuck it in there and started pumping and the oil ran out as fast as it was going in. I pulled out the fitting and noticed that the black rubber tip was MIA, but now there were small threads visible on the plastic fitting at the end. So obviously, the black rubber "tip" was apparently just a protective cap for the threaded end of the fitting. The threads do happen to fit perfectly into the dipstick hole however.
I can't believe I didn't look at the end of the fitting before I stuck it in there. I would have noticed there was no hole in it and might have figured out it was just a cap.
So, the question is...is this oil a "bath" lubrication system, or is there an actual oil pump in there that could get clogged up with small rubber pieces? If it's just a bath thing, I would think it might be fairly harmless and the chewed pieces would just drain out next time I change the oil...which would be soon.
What do you think....do I need to dismantle this thing to get it out, or not worry about it? At best, I'm thinking it would probably be no worse than a small piece of gasket or gasket sealer getting loose into a transmission or a differential, but I don't really know what goes on inside this outdrive.

Yes, there is a steel "pump" on the rear of the prop shaft inside the bullet. Its pumps oil up to the top bearings. Bottom end/mid, oil bath. Why the manual says to do no prolong out of gear running, as without the prop turning, no oil is pumping up there. Now, as its a pretty rugged unit, I would think it would simple get chewed up, and spit out next change. Also (I sold my boat with the manual, so I going by remembering here)I don't think any plug could get to it anyway, and bet the gears down there will grind it up to to bits anyway first.

I'd go for it, but if you want the full skinny, go to IBoats, post this question in the I/O section. Don S there is a certified master wrench, VP outdrives.

I've been researching these drives for the last couple of hours online to get a feel for what happens with oil issues and have seen quite a few horror stories about oil being burned, black, thick and only having a pint drain out, so I'm thinking that if they can take that kind of punishment, I'm probably not going to have a disaster. It appeared to be a fairly soft rubber tip and not hard plastic. I guess it's either going to just sink to a low area and stay or...get ground up and dispersed into the oil.
I'm going with that theory...at least until Sunday!

Remember, they take almost 3 quarts reg oil, but that whats the dip stick for, right? Hope for the best...go for it

Okay....made it through the voyage today with only a couple of issues.
It has a Morse throttle/transmission control, and the little button that is supposed to pull out to disengage the transmission...doesn't most of the time. So going into reverse is more often than not, impossible. As the day went on, it got more and more reluctant to behave. It finally would never come out so I could never get it into neutral and had to kill the engine with the ignition switch to stop forward motion.
Doing a little research here back at home, seems to indicate checking the transmission cable adjustment might be the first order of business. I don't have much documentation on this boat, so I'm not even sure where the "transmission" is. Am I on the right track here with this shift thing? Any suggestions or advice welcome!
Coming back to the launch area, we did a little detour into a side channel. I was with three people who know this part of the river, so I was not concerned. Anyway, we ended up hitting some serious mud at probably 15 mph. After we got out of that, I was very tuned into any strange sounds or any signs that something might have been damaged. There seemed to be a vibration and a resistance to get up on plane, so we didn't push it..thinking there might have been some prop damage. We idled the four or so miles back to the boat ramp, pulled it and everything looks fine...no visible prop or other damage. I'm wondering if there's something hidden that could have been damaged, or whether we just were too tuned in for something unusual after that and there really is no problem. I just don't know.

Its got a cone clutch. No gears to mesh like a regular gearcase. I can't help ya any on the Morse, as they usually work fine. But I'm pretty sure you problem is in the Morse box itself. I would NOT go messing with any adjustment unless you know what your doing. If its like my 280, the "reverse lock", which works fine, but a real convoluted operation, and if thats gets out of adjustment and don't lock, the OD will kick up hard in reverse. Youre goinna need some pro help here..(Aging..go the IBoats VP section and ask..)

Okay, I joined iboats and asked, and have gotten no response yet.
I did get the Morse control out so I could see if there were any obvious problems with the cables or the unit. I disconnected the trans cable, and the Morse started working normally. I could then pull the button out when in neutral..seemed to not be a Morse problem. I reconnected the trans cable at the Morse, and disconnected it at the outdrive. Same thing, it worked smoothly like I would think it should. So I'm assuming the issue is not with the Morse or the cable to the outdrive.
Since the drive got stuck in forward on our outing, and still is...I'm wondering now if the engine has to be running for the outdrive to shift at all. I don't want to force anything, but it sure doesn't want to get out of forward at this point, and I don't want to try and start the engine in forward out of the water if it won't help.
Is it normal to not be able to shift the drive without the engine running? Is there some sort of hydraulic assist to actually accomplish the shift that isn't active unless it's running?

Man, I "think" you should be able to shift with out running, but this is getting where on the OD, I'm not experienced enough to to say much more. Wait for some pro help IBoats.