1975 Mercury 1150 or Volvo/penta 1967 BB 70.

zonaman

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Apr 1, 2005
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118
Looking at two identical boats with different motors. An outboard 1975 Mercury 1150 and a Volvo/penta I/O 1967 BB 70. Can anyone tell me what I might be running into for parts on either of these in terms of avaiability.

Thanks.
 

Laddies

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Sep 10, 2004
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Re: 1975 Mercury 1150 or Volvo/penta 1967 BB 70.

In our area Mercury dealers are every where and most parts for that 115 are readly avialable and I have never seen a Volvo dealership
 

Don S

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Re: 1975 Mercury 1150 or Volvo/penta 1967 BB 70.

I would also get the Merc OB. The Volvo BB70 wasn't even an IO engine, it was a straight inboard and was made in 1958 to 1962. So someone has changed the engine since it's a 67 boat. Parts of any kind will be impossible to find for it. Volvo doesn't even list it in the parts catalog any more.
 

zonaman

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Apr 1, 2005
Messages
118
Re: 1975 Mercury 1150 or Volvo/penta 1967 BB 70.

Thank you for the replys. Looks like the Merc is a better choice-leaves me more interior space too. Does the '75 1150 use points and if so can it be converted to some type of HEI set up that doesn't require them? This particular engine has about 150 hours, freshwater use. I presume that's good. Anything else anyone can tell about these motor would be appreciated.
 

Chris1956

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Mar 25, 2004
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27,036
Re: 1975 Mercury 1150 or Volvo/penta 1967 BB 70.

Zona, That Merc has a battery powered CDI Ignition systems (no points) with a beltdriven distributor. It is very reliable, however some ignition parts are getting a bit scarce and are pricy. Check the wiring harness on the engine. The insulation is the first to go, but new replacements are plentiful. The distributor and stator wiring can also start ot fail, and to replace the wiring is not posible w/o replacing the component, and this is $$.

The balance of the motor, props, plugs, carb kits etc are very common and easily available.
 
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