Looking for outboard for father/son building project

[dave-bernard]

To bad I an in NY I have a VERY CLEAN evenrude 18 hp electric start about a 57 or so complete.

[outbdnut2]

quote dblply2:

So I found a ’58 Johnson Sea Horse 18 for sale locally. It probably hasn’t run in a while. Are they hard to get back up running? Is $180 a reasonable price.

Sounds reasonable. I just paid $150 for a 1958 18 Johnson with gas tank that came with the age-old story "Ran good last time out 10 years ago". Like the one you found, Compression feels good when I pull it over. If the motor you found hasn’t been run for a really long time, it will probably need a water pump impeller and if the magneto coils are original, they will be bad, but not hard to replace and very available, as that same coil was still used up into the 1990s on the 2 HP.

Be sure you get the dual line pressure-gas tank with it – they can sell for $50 to $100 alone.
Dave

[dblply2]

Thanks Dave,
Dumb question, but I am assuming that a ’58 Johnson 18hp can be run remotely? I’m planning to run our boat with a steering cable with throttle and shifting controls.

[outbdnut2]

Yes – the Johnsons back then can easily have remote controls and steering hooked up on all except the 3 HP. Of course, that old, they are set up to accept cable and pulley steering. SIngle cable steering compatibility didn’t show up until somewhere in the late 1970s.
Dave

[dblply2]

Could it still run a cable steering system? with a modification?

[outbdnut2]

Teleflex makes an adapter that allows the single cable steering to be used on older motors. It has a bracket that attaches to the transom to one side of the motor, but I’m told it does not allow you to turn the motor as far to each side, and some who have used it are disappointed. Cable and pulley systems work fine as long as the cable end clamps are tight so they don’t come apart, and the cable is routed correctly so the plastic outer coating does not rub on anything and wear off. The two cables can be run one on each side of the boat, or both down the same side, with one crossing over at the transom, which was factory standard method on old Crestliners.

Newer motors made for single cable steering have a hollow tilt-hinge pin for the cable to pass through.
Dave

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