Nice find — the starter alone is worth the price and likely the lower unit as well.
I’ve had 3 of them — they often suffer from driveshaft self-destruction syndrome. My latest (’73) has very low hours — I have a NOS crankshaft waiting to be installed — the driveshaft receiver is all torn up. It looks it should work, but the between the driveshaft wear and receiver wear, there isn’t enough metal-to-metal contact to get the drive train to spin.
So, it may cost you a base gasket, but it’s a good idea to replace the driveshaft top grommet whether it looks like it needs it or not, then load up the receiver with a reasonably viscus grease.
I would replace the driveshaft as well, especially if you are spending the money and time for a new crank….The wear in the driveshaft splines might cause the splines to “chatter” which will result in premature crank spline wear. I realize this is a common issue for these engines, have seen it on one of my own engines as well. But, you may want to make sure there is no misalignment issues causing the wear. I know the manual prescribes using a surface plate/dial indicator, something most of us aren’t set up to do realistically. I think using a very basic test should suffice. Bolt the gearcase (with driveshaft installed) up to the exhaust housing once you have removed the powerhead. Now, simply “have a look” at the driveshaft’s positioning in the opening on top of the exhaust housing. Any major misalignment should be easily spotted, the driveshaft will be obviously “off center” in the top of the exhaust housing.
I know we are not supposed to coat the top of the driveshaft with moly lube for obvious reasons. But, I would take some extra time to coat the crank splines before installing the powerhead onto the midsection. Simply using one of those small brushes, coat the crank splines with moly lube. If you are concerned about “overdoing it”, simply install the driveshaft in and out of the crank several times to expel any excess moly lube that might hydraulic lock the splines later when the gearcase is installed. I have found that simply coating the driveshaft splines is often times not enough to lubricate everything nicely….The moly lube coated on the driveshaft splines is usually “wiped off” during assembly. Use a new OEM oring in all cases. The gearcase should be removed at least every couple of years in salt water to check/relube the splines.
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