Ten and one-quarter hours spent working on this little motor so it can run…hopefully…another 50 years. So far we have torn down the power head, the motor leg, repacked the lower unit, replaced the clutch dog (shift member), stripped all parts and primed and painted them…as well as decaling the hood. Now the power head is going to be rebuilt and the final assembly of the motor finished.
Let’s get underway!
Power head components....EVERYWHERE!
This piston is pretty scratched from carbon getting stuck in the cylinder between the piston and cylinder wall.
Crankshaft bearings must be looked over with a critical eye. O-rings should always be replaced. These o-rings had given their all a long time ago!
Using a sharpie marker, I like to mark each connecting rod and related cap.
The motor block has been honed and all carbon must be cleaned from the block as well. Leaving excess carbon around cylinders and ports can cause heat issues.
As a matter of routine when a power head is over-hauled, at minimum new (or good) piston rings should be installed, and the cylinders honed to break the "glaze" or smooth surface of the cylinder walls. In this photo you can see the scratches from the honing process.
Used care placing the pistons in the cylinders. You must compress the piston rings so the engage the small dowel in the ring groove into a notch that is cut in the piston ring. Do not force the ring into the cylinder or breakage of the ring may occur.
Using needle bearing grease...or in this case Vaseline...we can now lay the 29 needle bearings into the connecting rods and rod caps. COUNT THEM! These bearings are not caged...there is no cage for the bearings to lay in, so they must be laid in the Vaseline to hold them in place until assembly is complete.
Half of the the needle bearings are in place on the connecting rods.
Once the bearings are install...all 29 of them...you may place the rod caps back on the matched connecting rod. Be sure to torque the connecting rod cap screws to the proper specs.
A low grade lacquer thinner is used to clean grime off all nuts, bolts, and hardware.
All original hardware is cleaned in solvent and readied for installation.
Using a new-old-stock gasket kit the crank case halves are mated beck together using 3M Scotch-grip 847 to seal it. This material is also used on all screw threads.
Final coat of paint has been applied to the lower-unit and transom clamp assembly.
This area was blemished with a drip. It is un-noticable now.
The exhaust leg has been installed prior to installation of the power-head.
Magneto ignitions use magnetic force to derive their power. No batteries needed.
I always clean the magneto plate to make sure it is spotless. This will allow you to quickly see if gasses or oil are coming out of a crankshaft seal later on down the road.
The coils and condensers checked good, so new plug wires were added, and the mag plate cleaned. The magneto is ready for installation.
A front shot showing the shifter and carb. The magneto has been installed.
New ends are attached to the spark plug wires. Neon spark testers are used in-line with the plugs to check for good ignition spark.
The flywheel and recoil have been installed.
The paint on the I.D. tag has faded or flaked off. This needs to be touched up too.
First lightly paint the I.D. tag with paint, then use a razor blade to lightly etch the paint off the raised areas.
With installation of the hood, this old Sea-Horse is ready for action again!
So after an additional two hours we have just under 13 hours of time in to making this old motor ready for action again. Upon bucket testing and setting the carb jets, she seems ready to run. Looking forward to spring to let ‘er rip on the river.
Hopefully this six part blog will inspire others to take on a challenge and give life to an old outboard motor. Thanks for reading!
Greg
Hey Greg… love to see the updates you’re posting. I’m working on the very same motor and a couple of others that you are. But just not as quickly as you are. Ha! Gotta pay the bills first.
One suggestion on your emails though. Your images are great but are at a much higher dpi (dots per inch or resolution) than needed. I pulled one from your email to check it and it’s at 300dpi which is what’s needed to print things like brochures. For the web, 72dpi is perfect. The images maintain their quality and move much quicker across the web. If you have the ability to change the dpi in a photo editing program I would go for it.
Keep up the great work. I wish I had the time to dedicate to doing what you do. My pride and joy is a ’57 Johnson 35hp that I restored last summer. Happy New Year!
Hi Joe!
thanks for reading…and the advise. I use the higher DPI owing to the fact I save files for print and don’t like having two copies of everything. Besides…everyone has high-speed now…Right?!?!
As to the motors, I only work fast because I have the spray booth and facilities to do several jobs at once. Today I painted a Johnson TD-20 and a 1957 Johnson 35hp.
Stay tuned. Who knows what’s next.
Greg
Just excellent work. Great pictures and advise. I have been hanging around collecting these things for a while but not really getting into the nuts and bolts of restoration. You make it look easy, and with your step by step process even I might be able to attempt something like this one day soon. Keep up the excellent work. Do you still have the FDR or is that sold now? Best to you….perhaps you will journey to Tomahawk or Constantine and we can connect there.
Paul
Hi Paul!
Thanks for the kind words. The goal here was to show others that IF I can do it…they can too!!
The FDR sold and has gone to Florida to begin a new life. I’m working on restoring our Star Tank & Boat Co. vessel constructed of galvanized steel. She is a wonderful little rowboat that my wife and I used this year in absence of our Thompson which is getting a refit as well.
I hope to be a Constantine again this year…look me up and say hi. You won’t be able to miss the Captain’s Hat!!
Greg
Hey Greg the motor looks great, I am working on the same motor and would like to know what you did for the silver band around the hood, did you polish it or put a brushed finish on it,it doesnt appear that you painted it and also I see that your exhaust is left gray, any info would be appreciated. Thanks
Both the exhaust leg and the trim are painted dull aluminum on my motor. They were originally painted on these 10hp. The larger 16hp SD’s I’ve seen paint, not painted, faded…on and on.
I liked mine painted since it was originally.
Thanks for checking in!
Greg excellent work once again! i am working on restoring an old 1960s gas can, my first painting/ decaling project. figured i would start small before i restore my motor, which is 1967 18hp evinrude that has a plastic cowl and is in need of some fresh paint but im really not sure what type of primer to use, i know to use a self etching on aluminum but not sure if that would be the right choice for this job. Any advice will be greatly appreciated, thanks!
I used DP Epoxy primer from PPG on almost everything. It has some self-etching properties, but like epoxy sticks to almost anything.
I’ve had little trouble with this type primer sticking as long as it is prepped properly.
Have you used the epoxy primer on a aluminum hull befor?
I have not, but have no reason to think…with proper cleaning and prep it would work. However there are some other products on the marine market specifically made for this application.
Greg
Hi,
WOW, I just ran across your site while looking for paint for a QD-14. Your documenttion is great! I have a few projects under way, a 54 and 55 10hp, 67 3hp folding, a bunch of 56 30hp and a 57 Javelin all johnsons. Your paint info is great as this is my first real attempt at it from scratch. A booth would be nice but Ill get creative. A few questions, do you have any paint codes for the 2 johnson greens the sea mist and the 52-55 green and for the later red in 56 and the gold for the Javelin? I was hoping to mix it locally. or do you just buy it from Nymarine?
Also, I need some emblems for the Javelin the small javelin emblem on the front and the “35″ emblems for the sides? or do you have any thoughts of who may have those?..or someone that may be able to mold/cast them…..?..any help is appreciated….and if you have any Javelins 56/57 for sale or parts let me know…..Thanks Tom……
also if you happen to need older EV/JO parts let me know I may have it.
Hi Tom!
I don’t have the codes. Peter at North York Marine sells a great product and it is worth the money.
I also do not have any Javelin parts. Keep an eye to the Auction Site for these. They show up from time to time. Keep your checkbook handy though.
Good luck!
Greg
Greg,
I have to tell you that this site has given me so much confidence in rebuilding my own motor. I am eventually going to restore my ’56 Lone Star, but I want to make sure the motor works first. It is a ’53-’54 15hp Evinrude Super Fastwin. It is my first motor and I think I’m on your site looking for advice and tips twice a day. Awesome work. Love this motor and dream about the Javelin you did.
Thanks,
Grant
Thanks Grant! That is the hope of the blog…to give others confidence to do work on their own equipment. It is important from a safety standpoint. After all, if you understand the machinery and can make “running repairs” in an emergency, you are much more likely to have a better day of safe boating.
Those Evinrude Super Fastwin’s are really great motors. Use 24 to 1 oil to gas mix. Oil is cheaper than pistons!
Good luck!
Greg