Reply To: new to outboards

[Don]

Well that is a beauty, 1959 was Evinrude’s golden anniversary, 50 years in business… Looks like she will clean up just fine, no cosmetic work needed. These are great little engines and are usually worth the time and effort to rejuvenate them…
But, like everything else, just because it looks good, doesn’t mean it is OK mechanically. So, you will want to do some basic inspections to ensure it is in decent mechanical shape. First, just have a close look at everything. Any cracks or bent castings? Next, remove the fuel tank cap and have a look inside with a light. Is it clean inside, or is it fouled/rusted. Pretty tough to clean one of these tanks, and you wouldn’t want to substitute another one if it wasn’t the same year and in decent cosmetic condition. Next, pull the plugs and do a compression test. These engines don’t have a lot of compression, so you will only see between 70-80PSI.
Finally, remove the lower gearcase oil drain screw for a few seconds. How does the oil look? It should be very dark in color, unless it was recently changed. A frothy/milky color indicates there is some water leakage inside the gearcase. Raw water draining out spells real trouble.
If the engine passes all of the tests/inspections I have prescribed, then it is safe to say it is surely worth rejuvenating. Here is a brief description of the work that will be needed to make this little beauty a reliable daily runner:
The ignition system will need to be overhauled, you will probably find that the ignition coils have cracked apart and are not usable. The engine will probably need new points, condensers, and plugs also.
The fuel system will need to be overhauled also. Starting with the tank filter, copper line, and valve. The carb will need to be rebuilt also.
The gearcase will have to be removed, gear lube changed, and water pump impeller changed.
The service parts I have described will probably cost around $100, plus your labor and time. Having this work done at an outboard shop will probably cost an additional $200-300 depending on your location. Have you had any experience working on outboards, what mechanical experience do you have?
None of the work I have described is very difficult to do, but the devil is in the details…
Finally, don’t rejuvenate this engine thinking you will sell it for a big profit. Unfortunately, old outboards like this just aren’t worth as much as they should be….Don