[Pikeslammer]

I have a mid 70's Mercury 65 hp and a 80 hp outboard. The tilt/trim bracket on the 80 hp broke at the tube in which the steering connects. It literally broke in half seperating in the middle of the tube, and leaving the the motor held to the transom by the shocks and steering. I have never seen this happen before. I have decided to use the complete tilt/trim bracket from the 65 hp. My mercury book is very detailed but does not offer the directions for removing this bracket. I have pulled the bolts at the lower pivot point and unhooked the rod just above them. My problem for which I am looking for a solution is this: How to remove the 2 bolts at the top pivot point? And is there anything else which must be removed before I can get it off? I would like to hit the water this weekend so any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Chris1956]

Pike... - It is hard to understand exactly which piece is broken, based upon your description. Since I had my trim/tilt bracket apart recently, I am familar with the components.The steering rod goes through the tilt tube. If the tilt tube is the part that is broken, you might as well just replace this with the 65HP part. You might be able to pull out the steering rod and pull the tilt tube out without removing anything else. If the tilt tube will not come out, hang the motor from the garage door header. Now the bracket should move enough for the tilt tube to slip out, and you should be able to slip in the other one. If you want to replace the entire bracket, I think you will need to remove the shocks. There is a 1/2" SS fine thread bolt that holds the upper shock mount to the trim/tilt bracket. Since these bolts screw into a steel rod, rust may be a problem for you.Also there is a rod at the base of the trim/tilt bracket which may make it hard to remove. I needed to seperate my bracket, and had to cut it.