1963 Mercury 650 restoration

[merc850]

Just want to add this warning: the terminal on the side of the magneto is to ground it for stopping - do not put +12v into it!

 

[MPrimeaux]

Thanks for the heads up. Can ya'll coach me through troubleshooting? I'm an electrician by trade, so I've got the tools, I just don't know the components or the measurements that I should get.

 

[MPrimeaux]

Guys I'm sorry for the 20 questions, but I've got another question. I've seen some pictures of these motors with cable and pulley steering (which my boat has...not sure what it's called) and some with a more modern steering cable that runs through the fixed tube of the transom mount. Does it matter what I use?

 

[merc850]

The $400 motor is already rigged for Ride Guide type steering which is definitely better than the pulleys and cable type, throw it away - it is not safe.

 

[racerone]

The prop shown in post #12 does not look suitable for a runabout.

 

[MPrimeaux]

The $400 motor is already rigged for Ride Guide type steering which is definitely better than the pulleys and cable type, throw it away - it is not safe.

Will do. Thanks for the info!

 

[MPrimeaux]

The prop shown in post #12 does not look suitable for a runabout.

I didn’t notice that before, but I felt I would probably have to change it out for my boat anyways. Can anyone tell me off the top of their head if props are difficult to fine for this engine?

 

[GA_Boater]

The $400 motor is already rigged for Ride Guide type steering which is definitely better than the pulleys and cable type, throw it away - it is not safe.

Sorry - Have to disagree and simply not true. My opinion.

 

[MPrimeaux]

Sorry - Have to disagree and simply not true. My opinion.

Noted and thanks for your input. I’m sure both will present challenges for me. My main concern...with pretty much all of this is availability of parts. As long as I can find parts I think between help from the good people on this forum, YouTube, and the fact that I’ve worked as a maintenance technician or some sort pretty much all of my adult life, I can probably make things work. I’m just worried about getting to a point where I’ve sunk a bunch of money into a project that was supposed to be a “hey y’all, watch this” cheap/free project, only to get to a point where I need a part to bring it all home that simply cannot be obtained.

 

[racerone]

The motor in post #12 has the RUIDE GUIDE installed-----Not sure how anyone could argue about that !!!----There might be rules against installing " tiller cable / pulley style " steering on higher horse power motor on new production.----Not sure how the rule applies to older boats / motors.

 

[MPrimeaux]

Guys, I was thinking last night and one thing I'm wrestling with is maybe getting a later model tower for this boat. I can spend the same money.... probably LESS money in fact and get a motor with controls, power trim, parts will be available, etc. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. I don't think weight would be a deciding factor as I've read that the difference in weight is probably not that much between a '63 650 and a newer 90 hp. I know it'll be a lot of hp for the boat, but I'm an adult and can be responsible with it. Any thoughts on this?

 

[MPrimeaux]

sorry... duplicated this post

 

[racerone]

Have you studied parts availability for the inline " tower of power " including the latest production years ??

 

[Chinewalker]

Absolutely nothing wrong with going for the 650s. Good motors in their day. And you’ll likely need a short shaft anyway. Not likely to find a short shaft of similar size in a lae model. If they’re basically sound - good compression, lower units not roached, they can be made to run. Only issue I see is the pricing - $1000 for the pair is a lot. $200-$300 each is as much as I’d spend on either UNLESS they had already been gone through and had no issues.

 

[MPrimeaux]

Absolutely nothing wrong with going for the 650s. Good motors in their day. And you’ll likely need a short shaft anyway. Not likely to find a short shaft of similar size in a lae model. If they’re basically sound - good compression, lower units not roached, they can be made to run. Only issue I see is the pricing - $1000 for the pair is a lot. $200-$300 each is as much as I’d spend on either UNLESS they had already been gone through and had no issues.

Thanks for the input Chine. The long shaft has supposedly been gone through (his words were restored) already. The guy assures me that it's in great shape and runs. My trust in people has gotten me in trouble before, but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Without controls, I don't think there are any tests that I can perform to be sure. Jumper cables straight to the starter?? Sounds like a terrible idea... Any ideas?

 

[MPrimeaux]

As far as the short shaft goes... I can't imagine this transom requiring a long shaft. It's not a big boat.

 

[Chinewalker]

Motor will run just fine without controls. Magneto is self contained, does not require any battery input.

 

[MPrimeaux]

Motor will run just fine without controls. Magneto is self contained, does not require any battery input.

Ahhh... I see. Pull cord and rig up some fuel? If thats the case, I should be able to check fire also huh??

 

[MPrimeaux]

Chine, I was thinking that I had to have some controls with a key switch. Not sure of the path from the rectifier to the magneto. I was thinking that it went through the control cable to the key switch then back to the magneto. Is that not how it works?

 

[GA_Boater]

There is no path from the rectifier to the magneto. The key switch removes a ground to the stud on the side of the magneto to run and grounds the stud to shut the motor off. On/off is by ungrounding and grounding the points wired to the stud.