1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

[jallenlots]

Hello fine folks!

Long time reader, first time poster!

I recently purchased a 1960 Johnson 40hp RDS 22 (so says the listing) for just under $30.00 on an auction website. Running condition is totally unknown (which is exactly why I bought it! ), but it appears to have everything but the motor cover. I have 3 very quick (I think) questions if anyone who may have experience with this or a similar motor would be so kind:

1) I purchased this because I wanted an old-ish project motor just to have fun with and restore. Is this a fair choice in motor for what I'm doing? I'd hoped to go smaller but I figured the price wasn't all that shabby...

2) Is there anything about this motor that I should be aware of before diving in? (hideously outrageous parts cost, common problems, unusual lack of parts availability etc..)

3) I won't be totally restoring the motor in terms of making it look "off the shelf" or anything, but I would like an original cover if possible. I've checked e-Bay and searched google, also checked a couple of popular outboard parts websites. No luck. Any suggestions?

I promise I'm not trying to get anyone to do MY homework! This is just a first-time project for me and I am blown away daily by the incredible amount of knowledge spread throughout these forums!

Thanks everyone!

J. Allen - Vetus Hamiota

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

have you checked the salvage yards at the top of the j/e forums? sounds like you have a fun project....at a good price!! also google doug penn, not sure if he has parts for the " bigger hp" motors, but worth a look.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

I should really ad myself as a salvage yard, lol.

Send me a PM wih your email address.

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

hightrim to the rescue once again!!! lol

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

Here is what it should look like

http://www.old-omc.de/j_1960/seite_12_13.jpg

By the way, according to my wife, my Salvage Yard is now called, "Chris' Big Pile O' Sh!# That Smells Like Old Oil and Is Ugly"

I dont know if I could fit all that on a business card though Women just dont get it

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

hightrim to the rescue once again!!! lol

I would actually love to find some nice homes for some cowls. I have no idea where I even got them all, but have quite a few 40hp cowls from the 60s

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

.......not allowed to use them as decor??? i think they would make awesome lampshades, salad bowls, etc etc. ( ...and i know.....women dont see the beauty in that stuff!!!)

 

[lindy46]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

. . . and mailboxes!

 

[jallenlots]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

First of all, you guys are a riot. Secondly, and most importantly, thanks a ton for the help and the sweet ad! Nothing but good experiences here so far...and I'm sure many more to come.

P.S. - I hope this motor is the beginning of a very large "pile" of my own!

J. Allen

Weapons of Choice:

1968 16' McKenzie Cherokee Aluminum Deep-V/1968 85hp Evinrude Speedifour - V4 Electric Shift
1963 12' Sea Nymph/196? 3.5hp Ward's Sea King
Coming soon: 1960 Johnson 40hp Sea Horse
Looking to buy: Any (and all if I could) fun-looking 40's, 50's or early 60's "low HP" projects

 

[Rudemen]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

If all else fails you could always try American Outboard Motor & Salvage good chance they have that cowl. Good luck, can't wait to see progress

 

[jallenlots]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

Pick-up date is soon! I'll be sure to post some updates! Can't wait!

 

[kodibass]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

I am going to talk to a guy who has this same motor this weekend, If I can get a good price I hope to buy it, I don't know what kind of shape it is in under the hood but the outside looks complete, Like I really need another one, just can't help myself. sounds like you already have a cowl but if I end up with it and it turns out to be a parts motor I might have one.

 

[jallenlots]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

That sounds great, thanks! Still cowl-less at this exact moment but the hunt here is looking quite promising. I purchased this motor at auction and the final price actually came out to $17.37. Missing prop and cowl, running condition unknown. In all honesty, I would've liked a cowl and a prop, but the whole idea for me was to get a motor to work on and fix up. I read a few good reviews of the motor, so I'm pretty excited. Hope you get one too, and thanks for the heads up! If I end up with a hunk o' junk I'll definitely have parts, and I'll be sure to let you have dibs in case you happen to get the motor and fix 'er up. This is only my third motor (first big project over 10hp) so I'm not really sure what makes an old motor like this workable vs. better-off-scrapped.....yet. I'm assuming scored cylinders, overly hard-to-find or expensive parts? Regardless, I'm really looking forward to it.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

glad you got a new toy. about the only thing that makes these old motors scrap worthy is bad compression, which can often be fixed by replacing the head gasket. however, if a new head gasket fails to remedy the issue, it's probably more trouble than it's worth. otherwise, most parts are readily available and reasonably priced. you can get virtually all consumable parts right here at iboats and other parts can be found on ebay, aomci.org and other sites. keep us posted.

 

[jallenlots]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

That is EXACTLY what I needed to hear kfa4304. Thanks a ton. I can't save and post the pictures of my motor, but I do have a link to the auction listing, with photos and the provided info, if anyone is interested in taking a quick peek. There isn't much to go on, but I love a mystery as much as the next fella. After all, I bought it to WORK on lol.

http://auction.repocast.com/details.cfm?ID=825795

Jess

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

Hello again Jalen. Looks pretty good for $30! The parts alone are worth that. It also looks like there may be hope for the motor too. The paint on the head is still in good shape, which suggests that the motor probably has not overheated in the past. It's not a guarantee, but an encouraging sign. Many other vintage motors will have paint peeling off of the head, which is indicative of an overheat at some point in the engine's life. Again, compression will be the key issue. Any reading over 100 psi is good. Just as importantly, you want the two cylinders to be within 10% of each other as well. A large imbalance in the compression readings between the tow cylinders usually means you have bigger problems. It's best if you can test the compression by using the electric starter as it is better able to spin the flywheel, but it can also be taken using the pull starter as well. Make sure you have both spark plugs removed before you test it and you may also want spray a bit of lubrication such as Deep Creep or WD-40 into each cylinder to help free things up. Even if the overall compression is somewhat low, but well balanced you can probably increase the compression numbers my performing a decarb and/or letting the motor run a while to warm up. Here's a great that can walk you through a tune up of one of these old beats. Keep us posted. Holler if you get stuck.

btw....that is a longshaft motor, which means you'll either need a jackplate to raise it to the ideal height on a standard transom, or you'll want to convert it to a normal/short shaft set up which entails getting a new, shorter drive shaft, water uptake tube(s) and lower shift rod.


http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/04/s/columns/max/24/index.cfm

 

[jallenlots]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

Hi there,

That all sounds like great news to me! On top of the good news about the motor, I much appreciate the helpful hints and the article. Because of all the advice here, I'll be starting out by checking the compression as soon as I get it home.

So far everything seems to be falling into place, the manual will get here the same day as the motor and I've got parts lists and wiring diagrams already. You suggested Deep Creep or WD-40 for the cylinders...is Sta-Bil Fogging Oil okay to use here? Just wondering because I was going to fog my 85hp Evinrude before I take it out later in the week, too. As it pertains to the longshaft vs. shortshaft....would this mean getting a whole new lower unit also? <- Hoping that's not a dumb question.

As always, thanks for the priceless info, sir.

Jesse

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

Hello again Jallen. I've never used the Sta-bil oil as you described, but I don't think it would hurt anything. The Deep Creep/WD-40 trick is just used to help free things up a bit, if the motor has been sitting a long time. Lots of folks will spray a few squirts into the cylinders (i.e. "fog" the motor) prior to putting the motor up for the winter to prevent any condensation of water or moisture in the cylinders that could lead to rust. I've never done it because we dont really have "winter" where I am, so there really is no off season.
Don't worry about the Lower unit job, you don't need a whole new lower unit to convert the motor to a short/standard shaft length. You keep the factory exhaust leg and gear case and simply remove the exhaust leg extension found above the prop, while also replacing the driveshaft, water uptake tube(s) and lower shift rod with their standard/shorter versions. The pic in the ad was too small to show you the extension, but you can see it circled in the one below. To perform the swap, you simply unbolt the extension, replace the parts mentioned above and bolt it back into place. In order to track down the parts you'll need for the job, you may want to place a WTB ad on aomci.org and you should probably be able to find someone who can sell you the need bits for cheap. Good luck. Keep us posted. Holler if you get stuck.

 

[jallenlots]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

The motor has arrived at it's new home. Upon further inspection it appears to be a fun project in the making. F

First task at hand, evict the numerous wasp and hornet homes from the flywheel and lower cowl . I've given it a few spins, though the recoil needs some work, and it doesn't seem to have a TON of compression, but there IS compression. From what I'm told, that'll improve drastically once I get some deep creep and a little lubricant in the cylinders so I'm not too concerned there. Waiting for payday to go out and buy a nice compression tester to find out what's going on for sure, but I'm feeling good about this. 14mm threads on these guys, right?

Taking the opportunity at work tonight to make a new stand. The current stand that I built and now use seems to only fit short shafts. Thankfully, my Deep-V uses a long shaft, so I'm hoping to end up with a spare "main motor" here in case my '68 85hp 'rude V4 takes a dive (wiring is getting preeeeetty brittle ). The next thing on the agenda is to pull the lower and carb to see what's going on there. I'll post pics as soon as I dig in!

Quick question. It appears that if I remove the little throttle control on the motor, I could hook a tiller right up to that spot and control my throttle with a twist-grip tiller. Though I would be using controls if I were to ever make it my main, I like the idea of possibly using her as a tiller motor. Is it possible, and/or a good idea to do this? If so, how tough would it be to get a tiller?

Thanks again guys! This is turning out to be so informative and such a blast, I've already pre-bid on about 7 other motors coming up for auction this week! :facepalm: Looks like my own "junk yard" isn't too far off. hahaha

 

[jallenlots]

Re: 1960 40hp Johnson RDS 22 motor cover? First project!

P.S. - Until I'm sure on the compression I don't want to pull the trigger on one, but I'm still cowl-less! Help!