1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

[cybersniper]

Hi everyone

This is my first post on the forums and i'm hoping to make many more posts in the future.
First a quick run down on why i have joined the forum.

I recently acquired a project boat which i am restoring with the help of my dad. I'm not sure how many of you have heard of this particular boat because i think they might be quite rare as i cant find too much information about them.
The boat is based of free plans on the internet from what i can see. Its called a Cabin Cruiser Sea Babe which is a 15ft plywood boat that was designed from what i can tell around the 1950's....

Anyway enough rambling and on to the actual question about the outboard.

I also obtained seperately a 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder. Serial 3009934 (i think its a short shaft, unsure?)
The motor itself seems to run quite well for its age, and i was told it was run in fresh water for most of its life.
Only downside for me is i would like to run a Power Tilt/Trim on the motor but it does not have one.

Ive seen a motor for sale on ebay that appears to be a Long Shaft 1971 Mercury 50HP with a Power Tilt/Trim but the motor itself doesnt appear to be in great condition in comparison to mine. I wanted to know if i was able to obtain this motor as a spare, will the Power Tilt/Trim be compatible with a Short Shaft?

If it isnt compatible can someone tell me what parts i need to be collecting to make a complete Power Tilt/Trim. Its a little bit daunting looking on ebay at the moment, there are so many parts available but i have no idea what works with my motor.

Thanks for reading guys, hope to hear from someone soon.

 

[Bosunsmate]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

I had one of them.
having a spare motor around is really useful
I think you can do that trim tilt addition, i never did as i had the shock absorbers on mine so it was pretty easy to lift
If you look at this link you will be able to match up your current system with what you need to put on a trim and tilt
https://picasaweb.google.com/Smig06/PTTManuals

 

[cybersniper]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Appreciate the response Bosunsmate

and thank you for the link. Hopefully that should help me out a little more.
I have plenty of time to source the parts as i mentioned i'm still working on the boat anyway.

Think i'm just getting ahead of myself as per usual.

Any other opinions are also welcome.

Thanks everyone. I think ill try post a couple of pictures in the appropriate section of the progress of my boat rebuild when i get the chance so you can all see what i'm up to.

 

[cybersniper]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Hi again everyone.

Sorry to bump this up again.
I have another question to ask in regards to Tilt and Trim for my Mercury outboard.

Ive recently seen a Mariner Outboard come up for sale that appears to look quite similar to my Mercury outboard and it happens to have a Power Tilt and Trim attached. My only concern though is just by observing the pictures it almost looks like the Mariner could be a Long Shaft and im pretty sure my Mercury is a Short Shaft. Without a clear understanding of how it all attaches to my outboard im finding hard to judge if the parts would be compatible at all.

Mariner Below

My Mercury

Has anyone had experience using parts between these two manufacturers?

I may end up having to pay the guy a visit and take some measurements i think, but i thought id at least ask around.

 

[brnschoneck]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Im not sure however nice looking motor luv these old mercs !!! I have two 65 65hp im painting both of them almost done ...

 

[cybersniper]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Thanks for replying brnschoneck.

Its a great motor, im stoked that we found one in this condition. I believe this is its original paint on the motor as well. I just finished polishing it up just the other day. Looks Great!

If anyone has any more information for me, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

 

[carholme]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

This will give you an idea of what you have:

Outboard Motor Shaft Length

Do you have the s/ns from both engines. If so, we can get you the parts lists. etc.

Gerry

 

[cybersniper]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Hi Carholme, thanks for the link ill check that out.

My Outboard the Mercury
Serial Number: 3009934

Mariner im thinking of purchasing
Serial Number: 6453124

Thanks

 

[carholme]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Mariner comes up as:

MARINER - ( 50 H.P. (1983 ))
Serial No: 06453124 Model No: 7050623

Parts list for model 7050623:

45/50 H.P. - Mercury, Mercruiser, Force, etc. Parts Lookup


Gerry

Mercury 3009934 (model 1500101)

50 500 4-cyl 3008819 3235062 1971 USA

Parts Listing for model 1500101:

MERC 500 - Mercury, Mercruiser, Force, etc. Parts Lookup

 

[cybersniper]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Thanks for the information Carholme.

So after comparing the two i noticed that the two models dont appear in each others model fitment. So im assuming what this says is the parts are not interchangable.

Another thing i did notice though was that the Mercury 500 didnt have any listing of parts for a Power Tilt and Trim. So does the Power Tilt and Trim even exist for a 1971 Mercury 500? Going off that information id be saying no, can anyone confirm this?

Then i suppose the question is, if it does not exist im wondering if parts from another model can be modified to fit my outboard....My dad is pretty handy with modifying things and if its even remotely close to being a match he may be able to make it work. Hard to tell really.

 

[merc850]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

The Mariner has the trim pump and all the hoses (4), the trim cylinders replace the shocks on your 1971 Merc . Mariner is a Mercury with a different color paint so all the parts are there but to be safe buy the other Merc with PT.Here are 2 manual pages for reference; you install the trim rams before you mount the engine on the boat, go to a Mercury dealer and get the bushings for the ram ends( located at the "3" in the diagram) and you'll need 6 stainless steel bolts to bolt it on with. Use the bleeding instructions when everything is ready to go or it won't work.

 

[cybersniper]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Thanks for your reply Merc850

Unfortunately the other Mercury with Power Tilt and Trim is now sold.
So im left looking into possibly purchasing the Mariner for the parts. I'm glad to hear that the length of the shaft does not affect the Trim mounting as that was my main concern about the swap.

I'm feeling more confident about this swap now and will probably attempt to purchase the Mariner. I suppose the worst case scenario would be that it doesn't fit and i need to resell the outboard. Best case scenario is that it does fit and i also have a spare outboard that i may even be able to fix and resell to gain some experience repairing outboards.

 

[cybersniper]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Merc850, am i going mad or have you edited your post?
Did you end up removing the section in regards to the length of the shaft does not affect the Trim mounting?
Second thoughts on this maybe?

 

[merc850]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Yes I edited to do some research and I'm sure that the cylinders are the same for long or short.

 

[cybersniper]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Ah Excellent. Thanks for clarifying that. I appreciate you researching for me as well.

Ive contacted the seller and im going to go and see the outboard before i make the purchase. Ill probably take some measurements as best as i can to confirm that the Power Tilt and Trim unit off the Mariner will definitely work for the Mercury.

 

[cybersniper]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Well had a look at the motor yesterday. Looks like it will definitely fit.
So im going to try and grab it off him if the price is right.

Thanks for everyones help on this topic, very much appreciated.

You can keep up to date with what im doing to my boat by following my 1950's Cabin Cruiser Sea Babe thread.
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-restoration-building-hull-repair/1950s-cabin-cruiser-sea-babe-602667.html?highlight=1950

 

[cybersniper]

Re: 1971 Mercury 50HP 4 Cylinder

Score!
Secured the Mariner in the picture above for $300
I only really needed the Hydraulic Tilt and Trim which ive confirmed is working, so ill be pulling that all off and maybe trying to resell the motor or i may have a go at trying to repair it if its not too costly. (more for the sake of learning)