1972 F26 stuffing box access

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James moran
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Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2017 11:13 pm

1972 F26 stuffing box access

Post by James moran »

I have a purchased 1972 Trojan F-26 last fall. It was owned by a marine mechanic for 25 years. He re powered it in 1994 with a Chrysler 360 with a paragon P31-R V drive. It has approximately 1000 hours.He took very good care of this boat.

I love this boat and have spent some time upgrading all the finishes on the interior.

The current engine and v drive are in good serviceable order and don't seem to leak or show signs of wear.

My issue is the stuffing box leaks excessively and I would like to replace it with a drip less but it seems I have to pull the transmission or the whole power plant to get it out.

I ordered a crowfoot 1 7/8 wrench to try to at least re stuff my current stuffing box but that has proved to be quit a task getting to. I could use some advice here?

I would love to re power with a new fuel injected power plant but not this year if i can avoid it.

If I have to start pulling motors or trans then I am going to pull it all and redo the whole compartment.

This would be a shame just for an extremely leaky stuffing box.

Any help would be appreciated!
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vabeach1234
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Location: Hampton, VA
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Re: 1972 F26 stuffing box access

Post by vabeach1234 »

I feel your pain. I have a 72 F26 as well. In order for me to access the stuffing box, I remove the cabin stairs and lay on the floor of the cabin. I purchased two stuffing box wrenches and am able to get the wrenches on both nuts, one from each side of the vdrive . Try to get one to lay against the engine or hull and turn the other one. Spray it down with a lot of WD-40 before doing it. I used Graphite packing and that works a lot better than the old stuff. It drips but not as bad as with the old stuff. While at rest is doesn't drip at all.

I originally considered the drippless stuffing box but have a heard a few, I stress, a few horror stories where the thing explodes and fails if you don't have the tranny and shaft aligned perfectly. It being a v-drive and hard to access, I couldn't image trying to address a failure while away from the dock in a single engine boat with a v-drive. Hence I stuck with the original with the graphite packing. Really haven't had an issue with the set up.

The wrenches I use are the non adjustable kind. I had to put them on the grinder to fit but they seem to work well, pour casting, however very beefy. I think the adjustable packing nut wrenches aren't as rigid or beefy but I really haven't dealt with them.

Good luck.
Ken
1972 Trojan F26 Express
1985 Dell Quay Dory 13
Hampton, VA
http://s853.photobucket.com/user/vabeac ... ojan%20F26
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The Dog House
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Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2012 6:51 am
Location: Bordentown, NJ

Re: 1972 F26 stuffing box access

Post by The Dog House »

I can pretty much echo Ken's comments. Normal flax packing swells and shrinks resulting in a large amount of leakage. It also only lasts 2 - 3 years. I replaced my packing with Gore GFO packing ( https://www.gore.com/products/gore-gfo-fiber ). You will need 3 feet of the 1/4" GFO packing. The GFO packing does not swell or shrink and has a 10,000 hour lifetime. Replace it once and you are done for the life of the boat. When adjusted correctly, it will not leak when the stuffing box is at ambient temperature and the shaft is not spinning. With the shaft spinning and/or the stuffing box is warm from use, it will leak 1 drop about every 6 - 10 seconds. I would recommend using the GFO packing instead of the dripless.

I purchased Buck Algonquin packing box wrenches ( https://catalog.hydrasearchrecreational ... 2&filter=1 ) but like Ken I had to grind them open since the 2" opening size was actually 1 7/8" and didn't fit the stuffing box. After grinding them to a 2" opening they fit fine. The purchased overall length was 9", but since it is a V drive there wasn't enough room for such a long wrench. I cut 3" off of my wrenches (6" total length) and they work fine now. You will need to lay on your belly and use a mirror to see what you are doing, but it can be done. You definitely want to do this when the boat is out of the water though! :D

I have had my GFO packing for 5 years now and it has required no adjustments whatsoever. Spend an afternoon replacing your flax packing and you'll be set for the rest of the time you own your boat.
1993 Sea Ray 200 Overnighter OB with 1993 Mercury 150 hp Outboard
1979 Starcraft 14' Rowboat with 2011 Mercury 9.9 hp Outboard
Former boat: 1971 Trojan F26
James moran
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Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2017 11:13 pm

Re: 1972 F26 stuffing box access

Post by James moran »

Thank you for the advice and I am happy to report that I was successful in swapping out my stuffing Box with the graphite packing. I had to make wrenches out of 1/4 inch thick aluminum cut to accomidate the 2" nuts and clear all obstructions. I also had to make a custom curved bar so that it could be wrapped around the motor and tapped on in the cockpit as I was unable to get enough leverage to break them free. I will post pics as soon as I learn how. I have also completely refitted the interior and will post pics of that.
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