I was pulling the motor apart this afternoon and noticed it is not a 402, it is a 403 buick motor.

Far more likely that it is an Olds 403. Olds has distributor behind the intake. Buick had distributor in the timing cover.

Posting pics would be helpful to identification.

What holds those plugs in and how do you get them out?  I like the tapping idea.  didn't think of that.  (edit: dumb question, drill em out right?)

Once the plugs are seated, the bowl material around them is rolled over the top. Thats why I suggested the tapping on the plug followed by tapping down on the material around the top of the plug.

To remove them, you need to remove the lip that goes over them. Then drill a hole in the center of the plug that you can run a sheet metal screw into. Grab screw with a pair of vise grips and pull.......Should come out.

I would try reseating them before removing.

Based on the hull ID number starting with "CXC" it is either A) not an Eliminator, or B) an Eliminator with falsified paperwork. It certainly looks like an Eliminator Sprint. I know, I've got the same hull. BTW, this is already being discussed on Powerboats forums.

The pictures may be deceiving, it has a flat deck and a shallow v, which should make it a super cyclone. I could be wrong, just going by what I learned in this thread over on PB
http://www.performanceboats.com/html/forums/showthread.php?t=10406

From the pics, it definitely looks liike a "bubbledeck", just like virtually every Rogers shown in the PB thread.
The term "bubbledeck" refers to the shape of the rise from the deck surface to the top of the dash, not the shape of the deck surface itself. Your "rise" is curved from side to side and top to bottom, therefore a "bubbledeck".

A bigger roost isn't necessarily what I'm after, I was just curious, Ralph's boat, with no droop, made a nice roost, I was wondering if the snoot being on wrong would hinder mine, I'm even  more confused

Have you verified that your diverter is actually moving all the way up? Depending on how your control is adjusted, you may be stopping it short of full "up". Disconnect the cable at the diverter. Move control to the full up position. Now pivot the diverter full up. Adjust the cable to fit without moving the diverter.

The black lines are still showing a down angle

2sav

look at it again. If the two lines were extended, they would intersect ABOVE the droop. That means that the droop has a positive(upward) pin angle.

Judging from the bowl side of the droop, it is on correctly.  On the nozzle side, it does appear that the pin angle is negative(down) as opposed to positive(up). What I'm wondering is whether that is somebody's one-off creation or a factory piece. Where did the droop come from? That is a very short droop.

Propless, like Josh said, the typical rideplate is about 18" long. From your pic, however, it looks like you may be measuring from a point further forward than the step on the back of a typical shoe. You should post a pic of what you have for a shoe. Important thing to remember, it's easier to start too long and trim it, than it is to start too short and make it longer.

Double check the baseplate gasket.

Thanks guy's but the wife and i came to a conclusion.. Im selling the 454  and im gonna build a bigger motor   Maybe by next summer i will be getting wet

2sav

I hate to say it, but this just doesn't make much sense. Complete the engine you have and get it in the boat. Use it to "shake down" this new-to-you boat and work all the bugs out, while at the same time enjoying a summer of boating. It will also give you a chance to see if the boat needs more power or if it can even safely handle it. You can start collecting parts for a bigger engine as cash flow provides. I've seen too many people fall into the trap of making plans for bigger, better, faster, only to end up selling a never completed project.

Again, finish what you have now and get out and enjoy the water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2sav, with the crankshaft in the position it is in in those pics(keyway pointing up center of #1 cylinder centerline) the dowel in the cam should be at 3 0-clock. This is the point where the marks on the cam and crank gear will be adjacent to each other(crank gear mark straight up, cam gear mark straight down). You are WAY OFF and that will bend lots of valves.

IF, and I repeat IF, they are "illegal", I'm sure its like Brad said. At some point they were probably not legal to install by a manufacturer. That said, back in about 2004, I was looking for parts for one during a trailer resto project. I spoke with Competitive and a few other trailer builders and not one said anything about that style coupler being illegal. Just stated they had not been produced for years and parts weren't available. Honestly, I bet they are a lot more expensive to manufacture than the typical "drop-on" style. They use two forgings, a welded tube and then an arm welded on. Compare that to the typical one-piece stamping of the newer style that has only one forged piece(if that).

2sav, measure that trailer tube before you go jumping into a coupler swap. I bet it is 3.5" square. There aren't any modern couplers that are designed for that. 3", 2.5", 2" are all I could ever find.

Is this the style you are looking for? If so I've never seen one that wasn't for a trailer with brakes. The pic is from Extreme Trailers. If I rememeber right, you have a Competitive trailer. If so, be forewarned that the tube size of the front of the trailer wont match any of the commonly available replacement couplers. If you are removing one of the slip-in style tubular couplers, can I have it? Thanks.