Agree on older engines having them. First nothing...hit a stump, engine lower unit slammed up out of the water, engine went to "destruct" rpms, gravity put the lower unit/prop back in the water running at max RPMs then whammo, knock out the transom or a mounting bracket.
Then comes shocks and the tilt switch to kill the triggers when the mercury switch on the mid section raises to a certain height...I think the 100 HP Merc 1000 had one and the shocks and then like my mid 70's 850, 85 hp, the mounting studs for the shocks becomes a convenient place for Mercs first power trim pistons. Later, with your 4 cyl, they put the tilt and separate trim pistons between the transom brackets with loop charging, lower unit styling and other changes for the "new" look. I had a marketed '89 115 I6 "Tower of Power" but found out later on here that mine was the last of the "direct charged" 6 cylinders and was actually manufactured for the '88 model year.
