58 Super seahorse 35????

[mjstef]

I picked up an old boat for a few bucks tonight. Gotta go back this weekend and dig it out. This guys grandad had it in a huge dry concrete floor shed. Last registration is 1977 and he says he believes that is the last time it was on the water. It has a Johnson Super Seahorse 35 on it. The boat and motor look EXCELLENT from what i can see. Stuff piled all around it though. Trailer tires are flat but no big deal.

Besides tearing the carb down and rebuilding it what else should i look for? The guy was a mechanic by trade and everything in the garage looks to be WELL taken care of so i expect no less for the boat and motor. I thought about fogging the cylinders with WD-40 right away, tearing the carb down and doing a compression check. If all checks out try starting it. Would the crankshaft seals need to be replaced from age?? The water pump will be changed for sure.

It is an RDS20 with serial # 1757066 which makes it a 1958. I am in Montana where we get 11 inches of rain a year with NO humidity so i took a chance and stuck my thumb on the ring gear. It turned over fine for 1 full rotation. That is as far as i turned it until i get it drug out and fog lube the cylinders. Are parts available for a motor this old?? Thanks......................


Here are some pics. They are currently digging for the title so i have no idea what make the boat is. Anyone???

[LIQUID NIRVANA]

1958 JOHNSON Sales Brochure & Specs.



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[ChampioNman]

I'd replace the fuel lines and maybe rebuild the fuel filter, mix it at 25:1. XD-25 or XD-30 what ever you can get your hands on.

[SEAHORSE]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mjstef &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Besides tearing the carb down and rebuilding it what else should i look for? </TD></TR></TABLE>


Water pump.

Pull flywheel or check thru the access port to inspect the ignition coils for cracking.

Inspect all wiring for cracked or rotted insulation.

Open fuel tank and look for caked varnish or rust.

Check all rubber products and hoses.

You are fighting the calendar here, not the run time on the motor.

That motor is a good old classic and should restore easily

[Backfire]

Certainly one of the better/best J&E engines of it's time. Noticed the lower unit swap, probably an Evinrude unit, a pressure test might show seal leakage or not .
Fuel pump rebuild, and look at the electrical plug and harness- the condition of it- or the fact it it still in one piece. Not many Mercs have a wire left at that age. Spent many hours on a ski behind on of these and the 1969 model 35. We used to figure they would go 800-1000 hours before the wrist pin needles came out and porcupined the head and put some grooves in the cylinder. In 1960 J&E bumped it up to a 40 hp with out much testing and turned out to be one of the worst engines they ever produced. The 1961 had some of the problems fixed, but it took a complete new powerhead design in 1962 to return to excellent engine life .
Backfire