1957 Mercury Mark 6

Hi, i just picked up a Mark 6 for free the other day(found it at the dump). I was just wondering if it's worth putting any money into as I am not sure if it runs and I dont have the proper fuel line or tank. Also, it has no prop, and I haven't been able to find one on the internet. Any help is appreciated.

Re: 1957 Mercury Mark 6

They aren't worth much, and from what I uderstand is that the water pump impeller ( a part you'd want to change) is located way up the leg just under the motor and can be problematic changing it out.

Re: 1957 Mercury Mark 6

Well, not quite. The waterpump is still in the lower unit on the Mark 6. It is a neutral clutch motor, not an automatic transmission motor.

Personally, I like the little buggers. They're quite a powerhouse for the size and on a light boat can make close to 20mph. If it turns over and nothing is broken, it might be a fun project to get it back among the living. Get familiar with oldmercs.com as they are your best source for parts.

If the lower unit isn't cracked near the propshaft, it is probably worth a few bucks right there, as they are often broken due to poor drainage for storage. There's a tiny drain hold on the bottom of the bullet, toward the rear. The holes above it are for the water intake, but the bottom one is the drain for the cooling system. If it is plugged, water will sit in that cavity and pop the rear of the housing when it freezes.

- Scott

Re: 1957 Mercury Mark 6

Chinewalker said:

If the lower unit isn't cracked near the propshaft

Click to expand...

I just took some pictures(sorry if they're a little big)...and I assume this is what you mean:



The bottom end was covered up with an old shirt (in the background of the second pic) so I didn't see this when I got it.

Re: 1957 Mercury Mark 6

Yep,
That is exactly what I was talking about. Looks like it was a clean break, so there is a fix for it. You can thin a spacer to allow the threaded cap to bite on the remaining threaded area in the housing. Clean up the trailing edge a bit and it should work again. Good opportunity to go through the unit and reseal it, too.
- Scott

Re: 1957 Mercury Mark 6

Chinewalker said:

You can thin a spacer to allow the threaded cap to bite on the remaining threaded area in the housing.

Click to expand...

I'm not quite sure what you mean by this, as I'm not too familiar with outboard motors, or any motors for that matter. I just thought it would be neat to fix it up and use it on my fishing boat. If you wouldn't mind giving me instruction to do this, it would be greatly appreciated. If not, it'll make a nice lawn ornament.

Re: 1957 Mercury Mark 6

It's been a long time since I did one, but if I recall, the threaded cap has a space under it that allows there to be a cavity for the water intake. I think I just thinned the leading edge of that spacer about 1/4-inch to make up for the lost material on the trailing edge of the outer housing. This essentially allows the threaded cap to move inwards another 1/4-inch to bite into good threads, as there should be a bit of threaded area left in the housing.
Probably not the best description, but is has been awhile...
- Scott

Re: 1957 Mercury Mark 6

Ok, I'm not sure where to start...or what to do(still). So I was thinking of taking the bottom end apart and starting there. Would this be a good place to start?

Re: 1957 Mercury Mark 6

Yep! I think once you get it apart a bit it will become a bit clearer what I was referring to. In the meantime, I would get the 1964 & Prior manual from oldmercs.com...
- Scott

Re: 1957 Mercury Mark 6

I took it off and this is where I'm at... [/IMG] [/IMG] [/IMG] [/IMG]