I'm thinking of buying a kiekhaefer super 10 lighnting kf-7 to restore. Does anybody know if these motors are worth fixing up? Can they be tricked out at all? Thanks
I would not recommend that anyone other than a collector purchase a 50’s or even a 60’s Mercury. During this time period, Mercury was run by a man best characterized as a lunatic. This was reflected in the engines by lots of weird stuff like fine threads, left-hand threads, and assemblies requiring lots of special tools for disassembly. Lots of Mercurys suffer from weak lower units. The late 50’s mercury Mark 25’s (18 to 20 hp) are often found with bad lower units. Later 60’s and early 70’s 20 hp Mercurys have the same weakness. Other weird things about old Mercurys include little lead seals on the crankcases so that dealers could tell if an owner had disassembled the engine, thereby voiding the warranty (if the engine was still covered by the warranty, why would the owner be trying to fix it himself??).
early 50's I think. It's not a mark motor. I see kg-7's going for a lot of money. Anyone know the differences between a kf-7 and a kg-7. I'm so interested in this motor because I believe they were suppose to be pretty fast.
we all need to support iboats marine store when ever possible. you get, competitive prices. fast shipping, top notch customer service. also it provides us, this great FREE forum.
What are ya all bonkers? A KF (or KG ) will pulla TON of bucks on Ebay. The lower cowl alone if decent will fetch $150! I found one an idiot was going to toss, and parted it out and made $600+! HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE!!
I'm thinking of buying a kiekhaefer super 10 lighnting kf-7 to restore. Does anybody know if these motors are worth fixing up? Can they be tricked out at all? Thanks
HEY SCOTT..(Chinewalker!)...these people need some learning! (Tricked out?...HA...little puppys will toss out 20+ hp done right)
The KF7 was somewhat of a "bridge" motor between the original 20-cubic inch KE7 and the ultimate "sleeper" motor, the KG7. The KE7 Lightning was introduced in 1947 and was rated at 10hp at 4000 RPM. However, it was shipped with a propeller that would allow it to rev over 5000 RPM on a light hull, at which point the motor was pushing 14 +/- horsepower. The KE7 was a great little motor, but it did need a little refining. The KF7 Super 10 Lightning had some of these refinements, among them a slightly heftier lower unit and heavier connecting rods. The KF7 ran about 15hp.
The KG7 Super 10 Hurricane was further refined with the addition of two more reeds per cylinder on the reed block, and larger intake and exhaust ports. The KG7 pushed close to 17-18hp and was still referred to as a 10 in literature. Anyone who has grabbed the tiller on one of these on a light aluminum boat can tell you there is nothing like it. The last evolution of the KX7 series was the KH7 Super 10 Cruiser, which had the KG7 powerhead mounted on a full gearshift lower unit with a twist grip throttle. The KH7 (1952) evolved into the Mark 20 (1953), which added streamlined cowlings and an extegral fuel tank.
It is possible to upgrade a KF7 to KG7, but it requires some machining and parts swapping. Would be easier to find a KG7 powerhead and swap it over in its entirety and keep the KF7 powerhead for posterity, particularly if the motor is in particularly nice shape. All of the 20-cubic inche powerheads will interchange with a minimum of modifications as they share the same bolt pattern, water tube placement, and driveshaft height. That means you can use a later Mark 20 or Mark 25 powerhead on your KF7 lower unit as well.
Parts, manuals, parts list, etc. can be had at oldmercs.com.
Just wondering who or why my complete post on this thread was deleted, it was in responce to a tasteless personal attack on a family freind by a member of this forum and was in the form of a comment on the stupidity of the remark not the individual. Who ever removed my post did not have the common curtesy to remove the one that was a attack on a person that is deceased but took the time to omit my compete post. I know that this is a free forum and it belongs to iboats and if the other poster is your brother in law I guess I could understand the action taken by who ever this nameless deleter was. If tastless things are said and must be omitted, then lets let the wheel turn all the way around not just half way. Bob Ladd
Just wondering who or why my complete post on this thread was deleted, it was in responce to a tasteless personal attack on a family freind by a member of this forum and was in the form of a comment on the stupidity of the remark not the individual. Who ever removed my post did not have the common curtesy to remove the one that was a attack on a person that is deceased but took the time to omit my compete post. I know that this is a free forum and it belongs to iboats and if the other poster is your brother in law I guess I could understand the action taken by who ever this nameless deleter was. If tastless things are said and must be omitted, then lets let the wheel turn all the way around not just half way. Bob Ladd
Huh? There's nothing in this thread like that. Are you sure you're on the right thread?
Bob, I'm (and seems most of us) not sure just what you are trying to say here? But I have at times realized I posted something, then actually to NOT complete the clicking, and it never got posted. Maybe this is what happened to your post. I really doubt anyone can (except a Mod) delete a post. And I don't know why they would, as you are a respected member. Was it something I said? Who said what here? I'm a little lost here...
Scaaty, what happened, I was upset about one of the forum members calling Carl Kiekhaefer who was a freind of the family a lunatic. So I responed by quoting his post and responding to it by saying.
Better to remain silent and be thought of as stupid than open your mouth and prove it.
This individual is one who seldom gives advice and tends to provoke people. This time he did me and I responded, my post was there for a couple of hours infact my son saw it and called me on the phone about it. To agree with me and infact Basshole even responded after I complained. I don't belive a mod can completely remove a complete post that take a administrator. I don't really care if they kick me off the site. I get so flustered with some of the crap that goes on here sometime it would be a God Send. I simple would like to know who in the administion of iboats thought my responce was so much wore than the post that provoked it. So I guess the only option I have is to keep bringing it up till someone responds or I get kick off the site.--Bob
Bob, thats kinda what I thought (your PM (thanks) .. and reading between the lines.
Ya know, some of the BRIGHTEST people have created some of the most FANTASTIC stuff known today. Sure its been improved on, but most all lately have been simply destroyed by bean counters and lawyers.
I have known Bobby Switzer (northern Illinois) personally since the 70's. Google "Switzercraft Boats) Him and his brother created the most OUTRAGEOUS boats known, now highly collectible, and they are STILL at it. And he started with those old Mercs hung off the back.
I am proud to have meet an old Merc Guru that does mostly 6 inline Merc "Stacks". The knowledge I have learned from him in a VERY short time is ...well, ya can't put a price on it.
There are some people that are simply etched in my mind for what they created, WAY before their time. Simply brilliant.
Don't let the bastards get ya down...we know who's who..and who's real...Robby
PS. When it comes to weird stuff, 47 years saddle time Harleys and the other 2 wheelers. How about 1/4-24 threads on the old Shovel lifter blocks! NC is 1/4-20, NF is 1/4-28. And they use a S#$THOUSE of 7/16ths NF bolts. . Know why? When ya build a million of them, and get oddball item half price, ya save a ton, and stiff the competition on price out the door...
Laddies,
I've had the pleasure of chatting with Charlie Strang on several occasions, which is as close to meeting E.C. as I could ever hope. Had a chance to pick his brain about all things, including a bit about the whys and wherefores of the old Mercs, of which I have a few. It was a wild period in the American marine industry's history, to say the least...
- Scott
Scott, as you know Charlie was the man behind most of Mercurys innovations he was the man behind the inline sixes and the inboard outboards and most everything inbetween. He sat back and let Carl bask in his innovations, gave the I/O design away because Carl hated it and set back and said nothing when Carl let him go. OMC was tickled pink with That move. -- Bob
Hi Bob,
Yep, I know the WHOLE story on that stuff. I also had the honor of meeting Jim Wynne many years ago - I was just a kid at the time and didn't really get the appreciation of who I had met until I was much older.
- Scott
Ya know whats sad about all this as I read through it? How the heck can I put this. Being a long time Harley rider, boat freak, NHRA fan, Oshkosh junkie, it seems the old legends that started all this are slowly going away, and are not being replaced by true innovators ....just people in front a CAD computer...
vintage mercury restore
I also had the honor of meeting Jim Wynne many years ago - I was just a kid at the time and didn't really get the appreciation of who I had met until I was much older. 
Linear Mode
