I have a very similar 40 hp motor. Think mine is a Mercury model "402" which I think means 40hp / 2 cylinder. In any case it looks very similar. Mine ran great until I eventually broke the seemingly fragile pull start housing (hopefully you have electric start!) but as far as I know this era and family of Mercury motors are oldies but goodies. Reliably pushed my 16' Super Sport just fine and the motor always sounded great. If it has been sitting for a while I'd squirt a little 2 stroke oil right into the cylinders through the sparkplug holes for that compression test and to protect it from wear in case the cylinders are dry, also check/change lower unit oil bc that shaft will be spinning gears down there as soon as she starts. If paranoid of shorts like me- it's good to do a quick check of motor wiring harness bc they're known to dry out and get brittle in dinosaur old age and can sometimes crack and ground out on engine somewhere. I taped up a few areas on mine just in case to prevent this. Best of luck with it!
Totally agree with your statement. She looks nearly brand new inside. She does have electric start. The OE starter motor is stamped 68.
Oh wow, she does look nice and clean under the cover! Love finding old engines that were actually cared for. Personally, I like my cheaper older engines that I can fix and take care of myself. Nothing wrong with that! A little care getting her ready for the season and you should be good! And like Jimmbo said- grabbing a new water pump impeller kit wouldn't be a bad idea too!
I'd say so!
Didn't know Durabak was Navy grade! That's very reassuring and looks like it came out great, sound deadening is definitely a plus. Is that stuff expensive compared to other options? I need to affordably seal a bunch of plywood decking soon.
