1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

[outdated]

model #fde-10 ..s#1366996
I was told the piston rings, rod and main bearings and powerhead gasket kits are no longer avalible for my motor and if they were it would not be cost efective to do sush a rebuild.
Im willing to find another power head but can't seem to find one.
And another thing is, it was missing the starter when I opened the hood, can't seem to find that either.
What Im asking I guess is should I just find a another powerhead and call it good?
And does anyone have a good idea for getting out broken head bolts ? 3 of the the bolts sheared off when I disassembled the power head.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

Don't know who told you those parts are no longer available...try some of the outfits on the Links page at www.aomci.org
Might be true, but doubt it. Also check the chapter page at that site for a state/regional chapter near you...spring swap meets are coming up, lots of goodies to be found at those. Someone on their Ask A Member board can tell you about the starter, don't know if the smaller OMC's of that era had a special one.

 

[Bard1]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

Check out Youtoob "Testing outboard coil" this guy sells tons of old parts.You'll see his web on it.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

model #fde-10 ..s#1366996
I was told the piston rings, rod and main bearings and powerhead gasket kits are no longer avalible for my motor and if they were it would not be cost efective to do sush a rebuild.
Im willing to find another power head but can't seem to find one.
And another thing is, it was missing the starter when I opened the hood, can't seem to find that either.
What Im asking I guess is should I just find a another powerhead and call it good?
And does anyone have a good idea for getting out broken head bolts ? 3 of the the bolts sheared off when I disassembled the power head.

Is the starter bracket missing also? They are VERY rare and hard to find and probably the reason it's missing. Only used one year and only on Johnson 15 w/electric start. Even it's Evinrude and Gale cousins are different. It would be easier (but not much easier) to find a 1957 or 1958 Johnson starter and bracket. But those brackets are rare also. The '57-up starter motors (less bracket) are more common. '59 bracket was changed again.

Unless you are seriously in love with that motor, it is not worth putting all that money into it. If the bearings are shot, the crankshaft usually is shot also. The crankshaft is the inner race for the bearings. Putting a new bearing on a bad crank is foolish.

 

[wbeaton]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

I'd love to have that motor. The Johnson 15 hp is the only one I'm still looking for. Unfortunately, I have to agree with FR and your mechanic. However, If this is a labour of love I'm all for it, but expect it to cost lots of $. You'd be further off looking for a replacement powerhead.

Something to keep in mind is that the 1956 is the last year of the 6V starter and choke solenoid. 1957-58 are 12V, which will make things a little easier.

 

[outdated]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

F R ..
I still have the bracket, but missing the starter and starter switch.
This motor is a labor of love,but I think I will find another power head.So any starter from 57-59 15hp-25hp will work with this braket?t

I also did manage to remove all the broken head bolts by welding on washers and then 1/4-20 nuts,then I heated the bosses up with a mapp gas torch as I turned the nuts (it worked out great)

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

Place yourself a free ad on aomci.org and get all your goodies. Expect the starter to run you about 80 bucks since they're hard to find. You can easily rig a solenoid and starter switch up. I like using a smaller solenoid than the original ones so you can fit it under the cowl out of sight. That is a really neat motor and one I wish I had, as well. If I found one in decent shape, I'd get it. I'm almost positive the '57 and '58 12 volt starters will fit it. I'm unsure of the rest. Having the bracket is the hard part. You should be in luck. There was a NOS '56 15 johnson on aomci classified ads for $125 several months ago. I wish I had the spare cash to buy it. Just thought I'd mention that as an incentive to try the aomci.org classified site. The members WILL respond to your wanted ad. --good folks.
I hope you post a pic when you get it like you want it!
Good luck,
JBJ

 

[F_R]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

F R ..
I still have the bracket, but missing the starter and starter switch.
This motor is a labor of love,but I think I will find another power head.So any starter from 57-59 15hp-25hp will work with this braket?t

I also did manage to remove all the broken head bolts by welding on washers and then 1/4-20 nuts,then I heated the bosses up with a mapp gas torch as I turned the nuts (it worked out great)

I have been wrong before, but to the best of my rememberance, the 12 volt starters won't fit the 6 volt brackets. 1956 was 6 volt. '57-up was 12 volt

 

[outdated]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

I have a few more questions.
If the eletric sleiod on the carb is not hooked up will this keep the carb from working correctly?
And is this the same carb that is on my 1959 10hp evinrude?
I was thinking installing this carb on my 1959 10 horse to try to give it a boost.
I was told by the same marine shop that the hp ratings on the motors were incorrect ,that the 59 10hp is realy a 7.5hp, and the 56 15hp is a 9.9hp..
Im not sure what to think of that..
And with that said could I use a 18hp powerhead from about the same year?

I have some lower end questions but I think I'll start another thread for that..

And by the way ,I got this motor (and tank)for $40. bucks so I don't mind spending some money to get it going..

That for all the help so far everyone!!

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

Those motors were rated at the powerhead and not the propshaft so they aren't as powerful as a modern 15 and 10hp but that's as far as it goes. I'd compare my '56 15 evinrude as about a 12hp compared to a modern 9.9 and my '56 and '55 10hp to be about 9hp (very close to a modern 10). I can tell you that my '72 9.8 merc is definitely faster and more torquey than my 50's OMC 10's but not by a huge amount. I also have a '76 7.5hp mercury and my old OMC 10's will eat it's lunch by far on speed and power. My 50's OMC 7.5hp's are very comparable to the '76 merc 7.5hp which was rated at the propshaft. They're both kind of wimpy compared to a 10hp.
If the choke solenoid is disconnected the carb will work fine without it just using the manual choke. I wouldn't put it on my 10hp. It will probably just flood it out. Your 10 can't use all that fuel.
I don't think the 18hp powerhead will bolt up or have enough room under the cowl of the 15. Quit sweating it and get a used powerhead. However, you might just find a totally different '56 15 and use the current one for parts. That's what I would do if it has no sentimental value (i.e. it was your dad's or something). You got a good deal anyway since the connector and tank itself is worth $40 and the electric start bracket and solenoid might be worth twice that to the right person.
BTW, what's wrong with the powerhead you have? Is it seized or have you taken off the exhaust manifolds and seen rust? No chance of using the current powerhead??
Just curious,
JBJ

 

[DJ]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

Try these guys for parts.

www.tcioutboard.com

If anyone has a powerhead, it will be them.

 

[outdated]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

Well -jbjennings-I took the powerhead completely apart and found that the crank has some piting where the seals ride. The bearing surfaces are in useable shap,but Im unsure of the bearing condtion and the bearing carrier.

Thats why I was interested in bearings for the motor.
At the same time 3 of the head bolts broke off in the block!,I have managed to over come that .I also had to use a block of wood and a hammer to get the pistons out!!Belive it or not the pistons and cyl's are good.
But it all comes down the rod and crank bearings..I think now I will be better off finding another powerhead..
I have no person attachment to the motor other than I like to use as much as I can of what ever Im building,(I think thats a curse).
I just found(1 hour ago) a 1954 10hp johnson sea horse for $100.bucks , runs in in abarrel and has a tank.So maybe this 15hp will have to wait a while....

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

If I'm not mistake, I am pretty sure 1956 had 12V starters. I've had two 1956 15s with electric and both had the smaller 12V starters, not the huge 6V starter. The only 6Vs I've seen were on 1955 & prior 25s...
- Scott

 

[wbeaton]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

I hate to agrue with Scott, but I'm sure 1957 was the first year of the 12V system. My 1956 Javelin 30 hp has the original 6V starter and everywhere you look for parts shows a 12V starter and solenoid only back to 1957. Further, the 1976 Evinrude common parts manual appears to back that up. However, its possible the 15 hp came with the 12V system, but I can't find any mention of it. It definately has a different starting solenoid than the 1957-58, which is 12V.

Only another 1956 15 hp powerhead will fit your motor.

After lots of research it appears a factor of about .88 can be applied to the small hp motors to determine their approximate prop shaft hp. Therefore, a 10 hp would be approx. 8.8 hp and a 7.5 hp would be more like 6.6 hp. This isn't a hard and fast number its just a guide. It doesn't even apply to all motors or manufacturers.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

I seem to recall, that there were also two different size starters used back then too. About the best thing to do is, test fitting starters to your bracket. I believe Autolite and Delco were the most common starters. Autolite, being a little fatter around than the other and possibly different mounting hole spacing. If you do happen to find a used starter, it wouldn't be a bad idea to run it by the local Auto-Electric shop and see if they can give you some info and rebuild it. Possibly, there were other starters in that time era, that would blot up to your bracket.

If your motor is in nice condition, then it may be worth rebuilding it. I would just replace the crank and rods on it, so you would keep the powerhead original. Since you just acquired a running motor, then you can shop around and get a good deal on your parts. AOMCI.org is a good place to seek out for parts. Members will have this stuff sitting around, needing a home, and these guys won't rake you over the coals for prices either. I have actually managed to find brand new parts, for motors 20 years older than yours, through these guys.

If your motor looks like hell.......then I would just try to find a good used powerhead for it. Since it is a factory electric start motor, then it might be worth a total restoration.

Just my 2 cents

 

[outdated]

Re: 1956 15 hp johnson w/electric start(tobuild or not to build?)

1946zephyr....
I thinks it's worth restoring, only becuase it was a factory starter motor and not some after market add on.
As condtion , it's rough!. but no major casting damage.
It is missing the controll panel for the front.

Well, with all that has been said, I think I know what Im going to do.
I want to that everone for there input & helping me out.

Im going to start another thread on some other motors I found in just a minute , if any one wants come over?

 

[Awayne]

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