Re: 1959 Johnson Sea Horse 5 1/2 HP project.
Sounds like a very nice project. There's a very good chance that you may not have to do all that much work to this engine to make it a reliable runner. Those are solid old outboards and often are mechanically sound as found.<br /><br />You should start by checking the compression on both cylinders. If it's over about 70 and even between the cylinders, that's a good thing.<br /><br />While the sparkplugs are out, you can check it for spark on both cylinders as well. If both have spark, you're two-thirds of the way home.<br /><br />You are going to want to change the water pump impeller and disassemble and clean the carburetor, though, before putting this engine back in service.<br /><br />The impeller, plus electrical and carb parts are available, most easily through your local NAPA auto parts dealer. You'll need the model number from your motor to help you get the right parts.<br /><br />You'll also want some sort of service manual before digging into jobs like impeller replacement. You can find original workshop manuals at places like marineengines.com, and aftermarket manuals from Seloc and Clymer. eBay is also a good place to look for manuals and other parts.<br /><br />Cosmetics are another matter. I'm not sure whether the original paint is still available, nor the decals. You might have to hunt for that stuff on Google. Lots of people are restoring old outboards, but most of the replica stuff is being made for pre-WWII models.<br /><br />Take your time on all of this. Ask specific questions here. There are lots of folks on this forum who know that outboard model.
