# 1980 Bass Tracker III



## jdrautoworks (Mar 28, 2010)

Well two days ago I picked up a 1980 Bass Tracker III from a "friend of a friend" for a hell of a price $900.....

The boat is in decent condition, has a 40 HP Merc that I know has less than 2 hours on a total engine rebuild (top and bottom end). The interior is ok but is coming out, has a live well that I have not idea how and if it works. Ended up with 2 new tires out of the deal and the bearing buddies for the trailer NIB. And a Bimini top that is in perfect condition aside from the cover.

My master plan.....

Gut the interior and replace....
Rewire the entire boat.....
The Merc will be getting a impeller kit, carb kit, hoses, plugs, fuel pump kit and a waxing along with a hydrofoil....
AlumaBright the hull inside and out then a polish if needed.....
Bow mount trolling motor....
Fish Finder....
Stereo....
Swim Tab????
Trailer, new paint, some welding, winch cable, and new runners along with the bearing buddies.....

Now some questions....

The outboard is a Mercury 40 HP and should be a 1980 the S/N is 5661770. Anyone know what model this would be? Also where would be a good place to get parts as this S/N seems to be a little harder to get parts for (I live no where close to a marine supply so they would have to be shipped)?

Next is the live well this has me stumped.... There is a PVC tee at the bottom both have plugs and it looks as one end (it's about 10" from the bottom of the well) is a "level" for the well and the other end of the tee appears to be the drain. Both of these are plumed into a approx. 1.25" line that exits the transom at the bottom of the boat well below the water level. It also has a PVC elbow right at the top entering the live well with a ball valve on it and is plumed into a pump that gets it's supply of lake water right next to the drain on the bottom of the transom again well under the water line. 

Now I see the drain and the fill level an the fill but can this setup aerate? Would I run the pump with the plug out of the "level" PVC pipe that is about 10" of the bottom of the well? My thinking since it was plumbed into the lower tansom that is would not drain but instead possibly fill with lake water or at best not drain at all....... 

Next set of questions...

Where to get marine carpet??? Looking for something cheap but in the same hand right, so who has the best deals and service online?

Next I need a windshield, anyone have one laying around they are looking to get rid of?

Also looking for a T.M. bow mount 42" shaft (or around there) foot controlled, 12 volts, 40#'s or more. Anyone have one of these laying around they'd be willing to ship?

Next is a fish finder.... Looking for something not to fancy but decent that will read temp. and speed that is also complete. Again with the wishing anyone have one they'd be willing to ship?

With all of that out of the was here she is.....






















Let me know what you guys think and hopefully you won't run me off after I get done asking a million questions as all of this is new to me (I used to be a jet boat guy)...

Thanks,
Jerry


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## jdrautoworks (Mar 30, 2010)

Well got the outboard off today and man is that SOB heavy for one person to lug around. :shock: 

Also got the front and rear decking removed only to find someone in the past has removed all of the foam from the bow....

With any luck I'll have the console, floor and seat out and possibly have the boat off the trailer as the trailer is going to be done first.


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## Anonymous (Mar 30, 2010)

Congrats on an awesome find !


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## Doug (Mar 30, 2010)

Nice looking rig.


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## jdrautoworks (Mar 31, 2010)

Got it down the the bare bones today....

Now the hard part design the interior.... I am thinking just a few small mods like add just a bit more storage and need to have one more small jump seat.

Going to drag the boat off the trailer tomorrow and start cleaning and welding. Oh speaking of welding looks like I am going to brush up on my aluminum gas welding as I found cracks on top of the transom and front on the bow.

I'll get some pics up tomorrow and some of this live well as I am still scratching my head on why it is plumed this way.


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## G3_Guy (Mar 31, 2010)

Congrats on your boat... looks like there is a lot of Mod potential there. Look forward to seeing updates soon.


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## jdrautoworks (Mar 31, 2010)

Well the wind blew today so hard I didn't want to take the boat off the trailer in fear of it might get knocked off the stands so not much progress today....

I did take some pics of what I got done yesterday....

Here she is completely stripped and man did I have to drill a boat load of rivits... :lol: 











Here is the Live Well I've been asking about...
On the top you can see where the pump supplies water from the plastic fitting on the bottom of the transom.
In the bottom you can see there is a plastic "tee" that had two rubber plugs in it that drains through the bottom of 
the transom just right if the inlet. Looks like the top part of the tee is a "level" for the well and the bottom is the drain. My questions how will the level tube drain while pumping fresh water (lake supplied)?

At any rate here it is..... 
















Supposed to rain tomorrow so I doubt I'll get anything done....


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## jdrautoworks (Apr 4, 2010)

Managed to get a little done the past few days...

Boat is now off the trailer on stands and trailer is gutted also. Wheel bearing are toast so I'll be picking up some bearings at Napa along with some DA sanding pads and hopefully Tuesday I'll be shooting the trailer with either some Caterpillar water borne enamel or some Nason urethane. Then as soon as that is dry (thinking 24 hours to cure with the current temps) I'll get the hubs back on, wheels and wire the trailer. My order should be in soon that will include the new winch, tongue jack, bunk carpet and lights along with some bearing buddies. The the boat will be going back onto the trailer for it's start after a quick was with TSP (this stuff works better than AlumaBrite check it out).

Hopefully pics will come in the next day or two.


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## minicuda (Apr 4, 2010)

_BOAT LOAD OF RIVITS_
Thats funny


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## jdrautoworks (Apr 4, 2010)

minicuda said:


> _BOAT LOAD OF RIVITS_
> Thats funny




That was my bit of comedy... :lol: 

Sad thing is that it was true all the panels in it that are carped aside from the top and rear decks are aluminum, but that is a good thing.

Now another question.... Is there anything better than Thompson Water Seal for sealing the wood. I've used this stuff in the past and did not like the performance of it.... So what do you all think????

Oh and the ole lady got me talked into a stereo for the boat also, there was no argurment on my side obviously but now I am in no doubt going to need three batteries (one engine and gauges, one for the trolling motor, and one for the rest such as lights stereo, fish finder and lights). There goes another $100 bill..... :shock:


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## jdrautoworks (Apr 4, 2010)

Another question.... I will be in the future be installing a "on board charger" and am looking to place my third battery for my trolling motor in the front (bow). I would like to pre-wire for the on board charger but don't know what gauge wire to run??? I am going to run a 5-10 amp charger and am thinking 12-14 gauge from the front (bow) to the rear where the on board charger will be mounted to charge the battery....

So what you guys think???


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## jdrautoworks (Apr 5, 2010)

Done for tonight....

Got the trailer stripped, sanded, welded, added new tail light hangers, and rebuilt the hubs and got them on.

Tomorrow I'll be shooting paint!


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## cathunter21 (Apr 6, 2010)

Trailer looks good


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## jdrautoworks (Apr 7, 2010)

Well got the trailer sprayed yesterday and did not come out like I hoped. The sub-straight (old paint) must of been a lacquer base paint because the urethane did not like it at all and cause some major "fish eye" but was able to cover it up with a few coats. I also installed my new lights (still got to get SS screws for my side markers) and ran all new wire. Also installed a new tongue jack, painted the winch, and transom saver. The bearing buddies should be here Friday along with the bunk carpet. I also managed to get 3 coats of Thompson shot on some of the lumber I'll need this weekend.

Tomorrow I'll be drilling out the bad rivets on the boat, pressure wash it with some purple power, and clean the aluminum with some tri-sodium-phosphate and have the boat ready for the trailer.

Still trying to find someone in this small town to recover my "main" seat for me to match my "bass" seats. So far it's either drive 80 miles each way to my old upholstery guy or buy new for $200. Orrrr..... I ask the wife for a sewing machine....lol. Now you can't take away my man card for that comment but I watched in my old shop our stitch guy and learned a lot and always wanted to know how so..... :shock: 

Oh and also picked up a NIB Bass Pro 5/5/5 on board charger for my rig for $65 and had to buy it! Also still trying to decide on hinges SS or chrome or zinc. Also filled to boat with water last night and only one leak over 3 hours and it was from the live well pump intake in the transom and will be a easy fix!

At any rate here are some pics....


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## jdrautoworks (Apr 16, 2010)

Been a slow week on the boat.

I managed to replace all the bad rivets now and added some chrome plated bracing to the weak points in the boat.
I also got the trailer done, carpeted bunks, foot pads, and well covers.
Got the few welds that needed done, done and cut out the ply for the floor. Went to wallyworld and got some battery boxes and started playing with mounting and think I have it nailed.

I do have a question on hydrofoils.....

Would I benefit from one and would I use the StingRay Sr. or Jr.? The Sr. is rated at 25HP + and the Jr. is 2-40HP????


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## UtahBassKicker (Apr 17, 2010)

I was going to ask about hydrofoils too. I have a 15HP 4 stroke and was wondering if anyone had some advice or input on them. Will I notice a difference or is the money better spent somewhere else? I guess it's true what they say about great minds, huh!


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## 270Handiman (Apr 17, 2010)

The Hydrofoils are basically used as a band-aid to fix problems such as porpoising or excessive bow lift. Most of these problems can be fixed in other ways, (prop change or weight distribution) which is probably the best way to go because of the extra drag created by the hydrofoil.


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## jdrautoworks (Apr 25, 2010)

Well yet another slower than I expected week....

Tried cleaning the boat with some hydrochloric acid and still looks bad and really had no effect. On the other hand a little 3M Perfect-It Med. Polish and a med. wool pad on my buffer is working wonders. I gave up on the polishing for now to get the boat back on the trailer.

Got it back on the trailer, outboard mounted, interior wiring for acc. and what not, and got about 40% of my carpeting done. I also fixed that damn steering wheel position! Got the console all set up with paint, new steering wheel, AM/FM/CD player, tach, temp, and voltage gauges. Also Got most all of my hardware and engine parts in now. Pinstriped the trailer and added some bearing buddies (don't know if I covered that in my last post), new front bow stop/rest, and new winch cable.

And best of all filled the boat and live well and not one leak!

Tomorrow I'll be installing the floor, console, controller, more wiring, and working up the front deck.

I'll post up some pics as soon as I find my memory card.... :?


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## jdrautoworks (Apr 26, 2010)

Well here are the pics...

Side note I wish I could clean this hull up a little better.... It's bad looking in the pics but not that bad in person but still aside from sanding before the polish looks like I'm going to have to deal with it.....

I will also when done post a cost of this build for anyone else interested.... Let's just say I'm way over what it could be worth but, it will pay for it's self after a few years of "problem free" (knock on wood) use.


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## Brine (Apr 26, 2010)

First time I've run across your build. 

Nice work =D>


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## huntinfool (Apr 26, 2010)

Looks good, where did you get the wiring harness from. I'm kinda wishing I had done that with mine.


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## jdrautoworks (Apr 26, 2010)

huntinfool said:


> Looks good, where did you get the wiring harness from. I'm kinda wishing I had done that with mine.



Thanks it's "home grown"....LOL Built it myself...

I am a mechanic/shop owner (auto and heavy equipment) while I don't know much about boats I do know mechanics and DC electrical.... That harness is the acc. power supply, on board charger distribution, acc lighting and stereo...

If you have any questions I'll be glad to help!

Thanks
Jerry


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## huntinfool (Apr 27, 2010)

I do fiberglass boat repairs for a living and also do some mechanical work on occasion. I have never seen a wire harness look so clean and I was wondering if this was something I could purchase. I have been re-wiring a customers boat the last couple days and I was actually thinking about re-wiring mine. Luckily my boat does not have that much to wire.


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## jdrautoworks (May 2, 2010)

huntinfool said:


> I do fiberglass boat repairs for a living and also do some mechanical work on occasion. I have never seen a wire harness look so clean and I was wondering if this was something I could purchase. I have been re-wiring a customers boat the last couple days and I was actually thinking about re-wiring mine. Luckily my boat does not have that much to wire.



I actually thought about making custom harness for boat applications but I don't know what the market would bear because there is really no one who does it that I know of. I will say that wire, loom, shrink, connectors, junctions, breakers, bus bars, and fuse blocks will run me just shy of $170 in parts alone. Labor (can can mover pretty quick  ) would be actual time and would run at least $200 based on shop rates for building automotive harnesses. Something tells me that I wouldn't move very many.... But the labor will include these circuits in this build... Bilge, Live Well, Nav Lights, AM/FM/CD, 3 bank charger, Int. Lights, 3 power outlets (cig lighters), tach, temp, and volt gauges, Sonar, Trolling Motor, Remote 120v power supply, 3 300 amp junction blocks, 2 50amp fuse panels, 3 ground bus bars, and sound so it is pretty involved but went quickly...


On another note still can't find my memory card but got all of the front deck done and installed and working on mounting my TM. I'll have some pics in the next day or two!


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## Queencitybassman (May 13, 2010)

awesome build man I just bought a Tracker III too.. its gonna take a years worth of work but it helps looking at what your doing.. keep us posted and keep up the good work


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## adt187 (May 20, 2010)

What did you use to seal the wood?


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## wolfmjc (May 20, 2010)

=D> nice work on the harness, built a few myself or should i say rebuilt! love getting the big box's of loom from napa! and what else can i say but solder,solder,solder!
Boat is looking awsome! and even with the cost its the way you want it!


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## jdrautoworks (May 22, 2010)

Thanks guys for the compliments!

As for sealing the wood I went CDX exterior grade ply wood with Thompson. I know there is a big debate about using it but I've done a few boats and the carpet has never outlasted the wood in any of my cases so it works for me.

Harness.... Oh the harness, this was one of the most timely harness I've built to date. I've done 214 wire automotive harness that did not take this long...lol. I auctually burnt up my Craftsman 19.2v drill spinning these harness for this boat. All in all I am very happy with it and know it is done right!

I've gotten most of the interior done on it now and couldn't get any pics due to my memory card problem so there are a lot of the steps that I don't have pics of. I also started a new job a few weeks back so the project has been sitting and will be for a few more weeks.

I'll try to get some updates soon!

Thanks,
Jerry


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## arlobiggs (May 4, 2011)

I have one also, and have rebuilt it twice. In answer to your old question, the live well setup just replaces water using the pump and the lake, and runs out thru the standpipe. Works great, anyway. Other than re-in-forcing the front and rear seat mounts, replacing wood and carpet, the basic structure is still sound. I lost the windshield years ago. I also replaced the foam flotation. My 31 yr old 50 hp Mercury even still runs. It's been a great boat.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Mar 12, 2013)

any finished product pictures of this build!? i have the same boat and am doing a similar build and would love to see what youve done!


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## jvoight0185 (Nov 9, 2015)

in the bow storage area did you tak you the support that goes in the middle or did yours not have one and did you get rid of the foam blocks from up front or did yours not have one.

where did you put the third battery and did you seal the original storage door up front an add one up top or reuse it. cause i was thinking about adding one up on the bow floor.

do you have any finished pictures i was just given the same boat by my father in law for our wedding and i am gutting the whole thing like you did. have a few other questions regarding wiring if you have the time.


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## jparrishbt (Apr 2, 2016)

Hi, I just got the exact same boat for $250. Has brand new tires and rims. Unfortunatly no motor though  . On the back deck of your boat near the livewell, does your deck bend down towards the sides? Mine does and it is bothering me. But I guess I have to deal with minor probs for $250. I am a few steps behind you. I'd like to get my trailer done this week, then move on to the boat, even though I got excited and already cut out wood for the decks.


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