Home › Forum › Ask A Member › 1958 Johnson FD-12 18 HP help needed › Re: 1958 Johnson FD-12 18 HP help needed
Have you tried putting an ad on the webvertizer? That’s the best way to get exposure to the most people in our club.
I would not try to convert it to electric start if i were you. It is very difficult to find all the parts you’ll need to do it correctly. You’ll need:
-the internal wiring harness
-a geared flywheel
-the lower front pan to accomodate the internal wiring harness
-a starter
-the starter bracket
-a choke solenoid assembly
-the external wiring harness (that goes from the dash and battery to the motor)
-a dash plate with a starter and a choke switch
-junction box and starter solenoid
To find all these parts you’ll easily wind up spending $200-$300 and it’ll probably come at the expense of a factory electric start motor that only needs some magneto and carb work. Thus nullifying the "preservation" aspect of our club.
The FD 18 horse is an extremely easy motor to pull over and start. And while i agree the electric start is a unique feature with a cool factor that’s hard to quantify, attempting a true and complete conversion is a fool’s errand. If you really want an electric start 18, put an ad on the webvertize and keep your eyes open. One will eventually show up. In the meantime, run the heck out of that manual start 18 and have a blast with it!
Just my 2 cents
Scott