They are ALL money pits. Today, everything is a money pit. But to me, fixing stuff is FUN; and fun is worth money! If you don’t want to spend money, really the only solution is to sit still in your living room. Not an option, for most of us. I would say that a ’58 Big Twin is less of a money pit than say, a Mark 58 Merc; but that is a general statement. It totally, TOTALLY depends on how well the motor was taken care of, before you bought it. Let me ask you, why do you want it? If you want it for eye candy and an occasional run, fine. If you want to go fishing with it regularly, it is going to use quite a bit of fuel, compared to a modern outboard. In that respect, it would be a money pit, for sure. I think you will find that normal maintenance parts availability for the Big Twins is quite excellent, given how old they are.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by billw.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by billw.

All of the normal maintenance parts for a 35hp Big Twin – plugs, ignition points, condensers, coils, water pump parts, carburetor rebuild kits, etc. are still readily available.   Cost of some components, particularly carb kits and complete water pump kits have become a lot more expensive over the past few years but still available.  If the motor had a complete service in 2020, you shouldn’t have to do much with it initially.    You might ask the current owner if he has a copy of the service invoice he can share with you.   And of course, there’s a couple simple things you should check before buying – cylinder compression and condition of the gearcase oil and you should ask for a test run with the motor before you buy it.

Needless to say, I have a soft spot in my heart for 58Evinrudes.  And yes, many of the common service parts are still available.  Cosmetic stuff is tougher to find, but can probably be found used.   Is this an electric start model?  If so, you will need the original wiring harness and junction box.  These engines can be pretty tough to start with a recoil, even with the compression relief feature.

Recommending this engine hinges of a few conditions.  Do you have much/any experience working on older outboards?  I only ask because you will want to be able to do basic service/repairs yourself.  Finding a shop that is willing is tough enough.  Finding a shop that is experienced with older OMCs and can provide good service is even tougher.   I am always hearing of terrible/expensive experiences with shops that charge a fortune and do sub par work these days.  Paying big money is tough enough, but getting a poor job is enough to sour you on old outboards and boating.

So, I too would recommend looking at the repair invoice for the work that was done recently.  Has this shop been around a long time?  Do they still have techs that are familiar with these engines?   Trust me, I’m not trying to turn you away from older engines.  Just being as honest as I can.  Generally speaking this model is pretty rugged and fairly easy to service, provided the technician has some experience working on older OMCs.  A young technician probably doesn’t even know what a set of ignition points is, much less experience with servicing magnetos.