(update)To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

wildmaninal · Apr 25, 2008

I stumbled across a mercury 1000 at a old outboard and boat repair shop (the man is retired out), still has a few parts and motors around that he is wanting to do away with.

Anyhow I don't know what year this mercury is but after doing some research I found out that the Mercury 1000 was made in the early 60's to mid 70's or so. This old man if I recall right he didn't like to work on a Mercury motor, he said "the man that use to own this motor just upgraded to a newer motor" and "that he (the old man) didn't know if there was anything wrong at all with this motor", in other words he has never checked it out.

Finally the price on this motor $150, I figure maybe I could get my money back in parts if this motor didn't run after all, plus if it did run I might have a hull coming that I can put it on. Now to be honest Mercury motors are a whole different ball park to me.

What do you guys think?

tashasdaddy · Apr 25, 2008

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

you need the serial # to determine age, and parts availability. you can look up the serial # at oldmercs.com. when properly tuned and timed. they were power houses. serial # on plate between the transom mount bolts, like the old rudes.

F_R · Apr 25, 2008

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Isn't that a "Dockbuster"? Do you get the control with it?

wildmaninal · Apr 25, 2008

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

I honestly didn't think to look at or for the serial number when I was there, I was sort of in a rush to pickup another motor out of state. I'll look for it when I go back to see him, he has another Johnson that I can't refuse for the price ($15), I could use a few part off of maybe.

FR, that price is for the motor only, I can ask if he has any controls still but buy the time it is all said and done I might half to wait on the purchase of the controls if he does still have them.

I recall hearing the term "Dockbuster" but I can't remember what it means lol. Is the definition a loud motor?

As for the old man, I forgot to mention that he was the type (that I have heard from the grape vine) that would tell someone "don't bring me a mercury motor for repair".

Scaaty · Apr 25, 2008

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

1000's we not Dockbusters, but shifters. First 62 I think. $150 worth it for parts easy, but I would not mess with it to get in running if it don't, and ya don't know old mercs. Parts are not cheap (hence the "worth it for parts" part. Depends how clean it is.
Heres a link to years
http://www.oldmercs.com/siteguide.html

wildmaninal · Apr 25, 2008

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Hmmm..... If can get this other boat hull in I figure it might be setup for a Mercury. I would love to see good compression and spark on that motor though, I couldn't see it in my heart to part it out if it had both.

I'm going to get in touch with the old man and see if he comes clean about any gremlins that motor may have.

Any way I turn I should just buy the darn thing and check it out, or I should say check it out further then possibly buy the darn thing lol.

Scaaty, so I would make a decent profit even if I did end up parting it out, sounds like a thumbs up to me. I really haven't sold any boat motor parts, mainly ATV and motorcycle parts, always wanted to get into the salvage business for anything but cars.

Scaaty · Apr 27, 2008

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

I'd buy it in a heatbeat for $150, then see if it will run. Gotta start somewhere..

wildmaninal · Apr 28, 2008

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

I bought the Mercury, and 3 other motors. I got a late 60's 9.5HP and 70's(?) model Chrysler (year and HP I'm not sure of yet), and a 1950's 10hp Johsnon motor all for $220.

These motors are still in the back of my truck so no I didn't get to look at any of the serial numbers yet. The old man said that the Mercury was a running motor when it was taken off of the customer's boat, and I did get a wire harness for it but no control box.

tashasdaddy · Apr 28, 2008

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Re: To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

a dockbuster is an old merc that runs clockwise, and counter clockwise. it did not have shifting gears. it ran one way for forward and the opposite for reverse. they had to be immaculately tuned or you hit the dock. "dockbuster".

wildmaninal · Apr 28, 2008

Re: (update)To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Thanks for definition TD, I was wondering what "dockbuster" stood for.

I'll reply back tomorrow with what I find out on the years on these motor, it'll probably take me all day to find out the years/models lol.

At least I should have a motor for each one of my hulls now plus some to spare, once I get them all tuned up and back running again.

I did remove the cowling on the Mercury and it is a complete motor from what I can tell, I removed the cowling before I bought it. The old man did give me a gas tank for the Mercury also.

wildmaninal · Apr 29, 2008

Re: (update)To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Well I got a 68 or 69 model Mercury 1000 eletrical nightmare, the hole harness is burnt up. I did a compression test and it shows 110 (really it was between 110 and 115) on the top, 120, 120, 125, 120, and 120.

Don't know if the motor needs a battery hooked to it to have fire but it showed no fire without a battery, I just jumped a battery to the starter to turn the motor over. Most likely I figure I do need a battery.

As for the other motors so far I've found that I have a 1970 9.5HP Johnson, 1955 10HP Johnson, and a Wards (not a chrysler) outboard. I haven't pulled a compression check on any of the other motors, I'm fixing to do that in a few minutes.

jbjennings · Apr 29, 2008

Re: (update)To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

OOOOOH, how I love my '55 10hp johnson! It was a fair deal just for the johnson if it's in good shape. I smell a part-out on the merc.

JBJ

wildmaninal · Apr 29, 2008

Re: (update)To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

jbjennings said:
OOOOOH, how I love my '55 10hp johnson! It was a fair deal just for the johnson if it's in good shape. I smell a part-out on the merc.
JBJ

I got the coils off of the 10hp right now, it might be a part out as well didn't get to do a compression check on it after all due to a missing tool

.

jbjennings · Apr 29, 2008

Re: (update)To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Maninmal,
those coils can be had pretty cheaply if you look in the right place.....I've heard you can get them as cheap as 12 dollars apiece. The sierra coils aren't bad from my experience, but I don't have a lot of hours on 'em yet so I can't say for sure. You don't have your compression gauge??? AAGGH! I'd cry if I lost mine, but quickly get me another 20 dollar one at o'reilly's auto parts. Why do you think it's a parter-outer?
JBJ

wildmaninal · Apr 29, 2008

Re: (update)To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

The head bolts were loose on the 10hp, basically the bolts were just started in each hole with the head on it. I don't know what the old man that I got the motor from was having to do to it. I lost an adapter to a drill that I use to turn the motor over with, I don't do the compression check by pull start if I can help it (I haven't done any by pull start yet) plus the pull start on the motor needs a new cord. I still have a the compression gauge

, that stays in a safe spot.

All in all I need 3 sets of coils, all of them are the same one set for 1 35hp, another set for the other 35hp, and another set for the 10hp. I'm going to try and get this other 5.5hp sold where I can get the money to get these parts.

DoctorCreepy · Jun 1, 2008

Re: (update)To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Thats odd I just picked up a 69 Merc 1000 for 150.00 as well. It had a Merc 1500 cover which threw me off for ID till I got some help on here with the serial number. I haven't got to the point of firing it up yet.

wildmaninal · Jun 1, 2008

Re: (update)To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

Interesting Doc. I still haven't messed with mine yet, been busy on the smaller motors. Don't have enough energy to work on the bigger one

, JK.

I'll get around to it one of these days, I have a Cobra Phantom bass boat hull that needs some work (even though it is one of the newest hulls I have), it needs deck work and maybe even a transom. Anyhow I might throw that motor on that Cobra and see how it works out someday after I get it all fixed.

Might work on the 16ft '57 Whitehouse Runabout first I have just added a running motor to the back of it.

(update)To buy or not to buy old Mercury 1000

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