50 year old surprise

[kyron4]

I got my '56 Lightwin 3 hp last spring from an older lady at a yard sell for $75. It has some dents and the paints scratched up abit, but overall in good shape. I replaced the ignition parts and plugs, filled with fuel and it fired right up. Ran it about 10 hours this year. It ran really good too, but since its 53 years old I thought I'd go ahead and rebuild the carb and replace the head gasket and impeller. When I pulled the head I expected to see years of built up carbon and soot. Instead I saw shiney clean pistons and a clean soot free head No soot, no carbon. The water jacket around the cylinders still had the reddish color paint like new. When I pulled the exhaust plate it was just as clean except for some oily slugde build up in the corners and crevices. All seals were 1956 factory and it shows no sign of being cleaned. Is it possible this motor has spent most of it's life being kick around a garage; or do all 2-cycles stay this clean after years of use ? All internal componets show no sign of real wear . However the outside has alot of scratches and 1/4 the skeg is bare metal as was a 1/3 the prop. The gas tank has a few good dents and a few gouges too. Looking at the outside you'd never guess it was in such good shape inside.I plan on getting many years of use out of this motor. Just felt like shareing.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: 50 year old surprise

Not typical...but entirely possible, just a low-hour workhorse stuck back in the corner and then forgotten until yardsale time decades later.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 50 year old surprise

I can't believe you would trust that antiquated piece of junk!
Why don't you just buy a new 3hp for around $1000 and have something trustworthy? Do you really think you're saving money by investing in that 50yr. old motor???????
I know a guy that uses a '57 18hp johnson and he's always buying gas for that thing. It's sure to break down sooner or later.
I guess you'll just keep using your old 3hp, too, and having to put gas in it.
Enjoy the darn thing,
JBJ

 

[jasper60103]

Re: 50 year old surprise

If I had a short transom tinnie I would be tempted to pickup one of those little guys to putt around the lake. I seen one on CL recently for about the same price.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 50 year old surprise

Yea, it's nothing uncommon to find that these old motors look better on the inside than they do on the outside. Most of my previous motors were like that, especially my older ones. If they been kept up good, then this is possible. I've found a lot of antiques that never touched salt water and the water jackets still look good. If they're thoroughly flushed out after salt water use, then they last a lot longer too, but not a whole lot of people will do that. I picked up a motor one time and all jackets and passages were completely caked in with salt and corrosion, because it sat for a long time without being flushed out.

So....yea, give that little jewel a good tune up and you'll have years of reliable use from it.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 50 year old surprise

Well I am just utterly amazed at the way old OB's can survive considering cast aluminum, salt, seals getting stiff and all that. It just blows my mind how these critters can survive the test of time.......I think that is the definition of quality......survives the test of time......in spite of the owner. Grin.

Mark