Reply To: 50’s 18hp OMC retrofit question

[shoestringmariner]

U

WAYNE wrote:

Well, you aren’t going to get 25-30 hp out of that 18 hp without swapping power heads and I don’t believe any 25-30 powerhead that will swap. At best you could swap in a 70’s 25 hp powerhead, but I don’t think it will be easy. Plus it won’t have the mounting points for the cowl.

24:1 shouldn’t be as messy as you are experiencing. If it’s still too dirty and you aren’t willing to use 50:1 then I suggest finding a newer motor in the hp range you want. I don’t mean that to sound harsh. I just don’t see an alternative.

Thanks.

I don’t want to get 25-30hp from an 18 hp. To get that power, I will ditch the 18hp and go with a 25-30 hp motor build. So it’s either those swappable powerheads and or swappable internals (crank, rods etc) amongst these respective motors that I’m seeking info on. And I could always make custom mounting brackets for the cowl.

It is possible that I was still running 16:1 instead of 24:1 as I had TNs at the time, which might explain the mess. But I’m still looking for ways to convert and run 50:1 IF possible.

And your newer motor suggestion has merit; I recently saw a tohatsu 4stroke painted like a 50’s Johnny. Pretty cool.

And I don’t mean to offend any purists. I see the value of restoration but I’m also the hot rodder type. Bone stock 57 Chevy or 32 Ford??? Not for me…Gotta hot rod them