Old v4 generations

[TommyRocker]

I'm finishing a restoration of a 59 Lake n Sea and I'm getting to the point where I need to find a motor. I like the old fat fifties for aesthetics but they're not practical for a regular use outboard. I had 60s Evinrude 80 on a Larson I redid but got rid of it. That motor was great, easy to work on, looked good, but it was thirsty. I've read that the mid to late 70s v4s are a perfected edition, can anyone tell me what to expect? Are they any more fuel efficient? Practical for regular use with proper maintenance?

 

[flyingscott]

They made the V4 all the way up to 1998 I believe anything after 79 is the best version.. No such thing as a fuel effecient crossflow.

 

[TommyRocker]

They made the V4 all the way up to 1998 I believe anything after 79 is the best version.. No such thing as a fuel effecient crossflow.

I guess I should clarify, I'm not expecting a Prius from an old 2 stroke, just wondering if they improved much from the 60s.

 

[F_R]

Motors 1973-up have two-2BBL carburetors and much better reeds/crankcase design AND the Mag-CD ignition, AND thru-prop gearcase design. All adds up to better efficiency and performance.

 

[TommyRocker]

Thanks for the info, I'll keep an eye out for a later v4 then.

 

[archcycle]

Upshot of those correct posts: you can’t have the 60s bulbous aesthetic and the 70s practicality in the same package if that is incorrect then i welcome a correction.

But with that said, you might be thinking too hard about it. Go build that sexy 60s bubbly cowling pleasure cruiser and let the extra 5 gallons of fuel per trip be damned!

 

[F_R]

Upshot of those correct posts: you can’t have the 60s bulbous aesthetic and the 70s practicality in the same package if that is incorrect then i welcome a correction.

But with that said, you might be thinking too hard about it. Go build that sexy 60s bubbly cowling pleasure cruiser and let the extra 5 gallons of fuel per trip be damned!

Correct, you have to decide which is more important to you.

 

[CaptnKingfisher]

I love the late 70s V4s I used to buy em off Craigslist left and right in not running condition, get em for less than a hundred, get em running good then sell em for five or six hundred. That's the engine I learned on. Most common things I saw on the engines I bought were bad ignition systems components and if the boat was coming out of long period of non use I'd rebuild the carb straight away. Easy carbs to work on. The only thing that sucks is if and when the stator fails, a new one costs practically as much as the engine is worth if I recall. I could be wrong about that but I seem to remember shopping around for a stator and seeing em upwards of $500.

Last thought it's a little more difficult to find one of these if you're picky about having power tilt/trim. I only had one outboard that included it of my 6 or 7 and if I recall it needed to be rebuilt

 

[TommyRocker]

Great info guys, I appreciate it. That ad was a fun read, too. It says the later ones are a physically smaller powerhead than the older so I might actually get a newer one and try to modify an older hood to fit it.

 

[matt167]

Great info guys, I appreciate it. That ad was a fun read, too. It says the later ones are a physically smaller powerhead than the older so I might actually get a newer one and try to modify an older hood to fit it.

People on Fiberglassics have been doing that for a long time.