One thing I would do before buying any of those, is do a compression test. While the Big twin [Javelin] is a great motor, it could have been overheated and scored a cylinder. Same goes for the Mercs. It’s hard to beat any of the 30, 35, or 40 OMC engines. Parts are easy to come by and many parts are still readily available new. As Steve said, the inline Mercs are great runners too, especially the inline 4 cylinders. If you want speed, the Mercury motors will deliver. When properly tuned and set up, they are excellent running engines. Here is my 1961 Merc 500. I like it so much, it stays with me in the office at work!
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