Re: Newbie Questions Restoring 1957 Johnson 18hp FDE-11

[chris-p]

The good news is, that crank should not be hard to find. If you cannot find one, PM me, ill help you out.

So you have to change the piston. Install new wrist pin bearings while you have the piston off the rod anyways.

Inspect the big end needles. They are likely ok, but have a look at them under a magnifying glass and look for damage.

I usually change the center main, and top and bottom bearings if they are original. That is me while I have it opened up anyways.

Also change the top and bottom seal. And of course new spaghetti seal.

Put a wanted ad on the website here. A member will help out for MUCH less than you would pay buying retail.

Make sure the rod caps go back exactly where they came from. They cannot be flipped, or swapped between rods. I draw a line with a sharpie across the halves before I take them apart.