Help with 1957 Johnson (RD19) 35 hp Remote Conversions

[luvmyrd19]

I have a nicely (and too expensively) restored rope start tiller controlled RD19 motor needing a string of conversions to make it useful for my 16.5 foot 1957 Lyman. It runs and looks great, but useless to me without remote conversion and electric start. Thus far I have acquired very few of the needed parts (I have the toothed flywheel and the locks for attachment of remote controls, and the throttle/shift box with new cables). I am looking at converting to electric start, remote choke and starter button/key, and eventually conversion from long to short shaft. I also have an identically equipped parts motor which is no help for the parts I need. I have read some very encouraging material on the Duckworks magazine site by Max Wawrzyniak, which has emboldened me as a beginner to not give up on these conversions.
So here I am asking for help – mainly right now in procuring the parts needed, and then for direction on how to proceed. I have no wiring harness, no relay box, no cowl mounted connector, no starter (including the bracket), nor a choke solenoid. I do have all the material I need to hook up cable steering (have springs, pulleys, drum, steering wheel, and cables) for cable steering, assuming I should go that way. I found the wiring harness(s) available on NYMarine.ca for huge dollars (over $600), but do not know what the relay box would consist of to terminate them. And aside from this source, I have no idea where to go for the parts I need, or what to expect for the total cost assuming I can do this all myself. I had heard that building your own wiring harness is possible for this engine but would need basic direction, including schematics and a parts list.
I am hoping for help in any/all of these needs. Your comments would really be appreciated. Thanks! 🙄

[Casey Lynn]

So ……lets have a little fun to start with and throw you a teaser!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1wiVqv74ws

Now, having done that to you right off the bat ………. am sure you will have schematics very quickly and there are a bunch of folks in here that may have parts to help you along the way. You have landed in the right spot!

[chris-p]

Ok , starting with the wiring, hard wire a harness into your motor. The expensive harness, with plug, will do you no good anyways, as you do not have a lower pan which will accept the plug, and motor side harness. Simply drill a hole in the lower cowl, and run the freshly made harness in. You will then need a solenoid box, with solenoid, and then make some wiring from solenoid box to the key switch/start button plate. Ill post some wiring diagrams here for you.

As you know, you will need the flywheel, starter, bracket. Members on here can help. Where are you located geographically?

The remote steering/shifting/throttle is the easy part. If you have the remote controls, and cables, you simply clip them onto the motor. Does your motor have the SS clip, on either side, to accept the ends of the cables?

I will send you a private message with my email address. I can send you a manual, and wiring diagram to help.

[frankr]

Be aware that the carburetor requires a few modifications to accept the electric choke. I’ll bet Chris can help you with that too.

[vintin]

I didn’t have a harness for one of my 35’s so I mounted a solenoid under the cowling and ran two battery cables there too. Used a four conductor ‘snake’ from the motor to the dash for choke and start that picked up it’s power under the cowling.

[luvmyrd19]

quote Pappy:

So ……lets have a little fun to start with and throw you a teaser!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1wiVqv74ws

Now, having done that to you right off the bat ………. am sure you will have schematics very quickly and there are a bunch of folks in here that may have parts to help you along the way. You have landed in the right spot!

Pappy,
Thanks for the encouraging post – yeah, believe it or not I have taken a similar ride in my Lyman with this motor only handling from the stern rather than the front seat. It was a hoot, and looking forward to getting it right. I will be slow as I have other things on my plate, but eager for the help I see already responding…Later!

[luvmyrd19]

quote Chris_P:

Ok , starting with the wiring, hard wire a harness into your motor. The expensive harness, with plug, will do you no good anyways, as you do not have a lower pan which will accept the plug, and motor side harness. Simply drill a hole in the lower cowl, and run the freshly made harness in. You will then need a solenoid box, with solenoid, and then make some wiring from solenoid box to the key switch/start button plate. Ill post some wiring diagrams here for you.

As you know, you will need the flywheel, starter, bracket. Members on here can help. Where are you located geographically?

The remote steering/shifting/throttle is the easy part. If you have the remote controls, and cables, you simply clip them onto the motor. Does your motor have the SS clip, on either side, to accept the ends of the cables?

I will send you a private message with my email address. I can send you a manual, and wiring diagram to help.

Chris, Thanks! Not too sure yet how to interpret your note but it sounds like you are telling me to make my own harness with a wiring diagram that you can provide for me. If so – Great! Also sounds like the solenoid box is what I think of as a relay box mounted near the motor. Right?
I am located in the Thousand Islands, NY part time and in Binghamton, NY as well – splitting my time between locations. You refer to an ss clip on the motor – All I see are what I call "lock fittings" which are mounted on both sides of the motor (stainless steel, or ss) and are there to accept the ends of each of the cables. Frankly right now I am not sure that the cables are terminated with the proper hardware to mount into these "locks". I will have to check.

Thank you for being there!

[luvmyrd19]

quote FrankR:

Be aware that the carburetor requires a few modifications to accept the electric choke. I’ll bet Chris can help you with that too.

Frank, Thanks – I did not know that but of course it sounds logical. I will check with Chris. 😉

[lindy46]

You may want to consider looking for an electric start donor motor. It may be cheaper than buying all the individual parts.

[Casey Lynn]

Post some photos of your cables. We can quickly identify what you have for you.

[Author]

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