pcrussell50
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2008
- Messages
- 296
hi all, got this motor along with a boat and trailer back in late may. couple of pics http://lh3.ggpht.com/_mOL8GggZY7w/S...205010308200807119a1f0f7721a5af7cb300dec5.jpg
and
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_mOL8GggZY7w/S...509010304200807110f09ce89ec481d742b00cdf9.jpg
it's a '59 super seahorse 35hp, [rds21b], and it was a runner from the day i got it. sweet. it's no show queen, more of a workhorse, but that's alright. a good piece of equipment should be able to hold it's own, right?
anyway, after running it in fresh and salt water, [i'm only a couple of blocks from the ocean] all summer, without ever looking into tuning it up or checking it out, i've finally decided to take care of that right now. there are many little things i'd like to address, even though i could go out and run it right now. they are, and in no particular order:
-no zinc plate anywhere. don't know if that's important or not. it's run in salt water, but never kept in salt water and always flushed. still, should i have one anyway?
-the magneto plate has become oily, i think i need to replace to top seal, yes? or can i just leave it like that?
-no knobs on the carb adjustment needles, [high and low speed]. i don't neccessarily need originals, since this will be a workhorse, not a restoration queen, but i want something there
-just did a comperssion check before i sink money into parts. both cylinders show about 117. i think that's ok, right? interestingly, i got those numbers by cranking it with the electric starter. when i used the recoil starter, i only got about 80 on each.
-when i pulled the flywheel, the puller screws touched the coil packs and rubbed off some of the plastic coating...but didn't reach any metal on the inside. still, is this something to worry about?
-i want to replace the spark plug wires...can i use automotive wires?
-the one thing about this motor is that it has seen maintenance, good or bad...various screw heads show wear from screwdrivers and wrenches, and the wiring is all curtailed. it think there is a cutout switch on the side of the block and some of it's wires have been removed so it won't actually ground the magnetos. the voltage regulator has been removed, so even though there's a generator, it doesn't charge the battery. i'd like to fix that, too. no thermostat inside the housing.
anyway, i'm thrilled about the compression numbers, and consider that a go-ahead signal to press on with repairs. i think i'll ask about the top seal, and what to do about it in another thread. i have the seloc manual, and have been reading it furiously. also, as a bit of background, i'd never had a boat until i bought this one in late may, but i'm a huge car hobbyist, [road course racing] and build and install my own engines, so i'm fairly comfy with most mechanical things, but i'm faaar from a pro. i will need much guidance.
-peter
and
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_mOL8GggZY7w/S...509010304200807110f09ce89ec481d742b00cdf9.jpg
it's a '59 super seahorse 35hp, [rds21b], and it was a runner from the day i got it. sweet. it's no show queen, more of a workhorse, but that's alright. a good piece of equipment should be able to hold it's own, right?
anyway, after running it in fresh and salt water, [i'm only a couple of blocks from the ocean] all summer, without ever looking into tuning it up or checking it out, i've finally decided to take care of that right now. there are many little things i'd like to address, even though i could go out and run it right now. they are, and in no particular order:
-no zinc plate anywhere. don't know if that's important or not. it's run in salt water, but never kept in salt water and always flushed. still, should i have one anyway?
-the magneto plate has become oily, i think i need to replace to top seal, yes? or can i just leave it like that?
-no knobs on the carb adjustment needles, [high and low speed]. i don't neccessarily need originals, since this will be a workhorse, not a restoration queen, but i want something there
-just did a comperssion check before i sink money into parts. both cylinders show about 117. i think that's ok, right? interestingly, i got those numbers by cranking it with the electric starter. when i used the recoil starter, i only got about 80 on each.
-when i pulled the flywheel, the puller screws touched the coil packs and rubbed off some of the plastic coating...but didn't reach any metal on the inside. still, is this something to worry about?
-i want to replace the spark plug wires...can i use automotive wires?
-the one thing about this motor is that it has seen maintenance, good or bad...various screw heads show wear from screwdrivers and wrenches, and the wiring is all curtailed. it think there is a cutout switch on the side of the block and some of it's wires have been removed so it won't actually ground the magnetos. the voltage regulator has been removed, so even though there's a generator, it doesn't charge the battery. i'd like to fix that, too. no thermostat inside the housing.
anyway, i'm thrilled about the compression numbers, and consider that a go-ahead signal to press on with repairs. i think i'll ask about the top seal, and what to do about it in another thread. i have the seloc manual, and have been reading it furiously. also, as a bit of background, i'd never had a boat until i bought this one in late may, but i'm a huge car hobbyist, [road course racing] and build and install my own engines, so i'm fairly comfy with most mechanical things, but i'm faaar from a pro. i will need much guidance.
-peter
