Just bought a boat with a 1960’s Merc on it – need some guidance.

[doctorlogical]

Hi there everyone, 😀

Someone from reddit suggested I visit this forum about the boat I just bought, but more specifically – the motor I got with it.

I bought a boat, motor and trailer combo for $500. I was really just after the trailer, but eh – for the price this might just be the little project I’ve been waiting for.

Now the previous owner had told me it was a 1968 1250, and the case and cowl seemed to indicate that – but when referencing the serial number on the swivel bracket – the # falls in the 1963 Merc 1000 range. 🙄

Now I’m thinking maybe at some point someone put a different cowl on it – but I can’t honestly tell the difference between the two.

Anyway – while at the previous owners place he started it with the hose adapter, took a few try’s to get her started but she eventually did start and shifted gears too.There’s also some questionable work going on in the upper unit, but I don’t know enough to determine what it’s actually supposed to look like (see pictures below).

So I brought her on home. My first task before anything was to drain the lower unit and see what I was dealing with. Of course I get a milky water oil mix, which didn’t surprise me. So, wanting to learn more about this thing, I did some general research on where the water could be getting in, and after a little tinkering I managed to get the lower unit off, remove the water pump and base, as well as the prop.

I plan on replacing the water pump with one of the water pump kits I’ve seen online. However, I did want to get a look at the gearcase, as if the ring gears are too worn I’m not sure it will be worth putting the money in.

Now once I got the prop off I knew there would be a ring nut (bearing carrier retainer nut?) between the prop and the gear case. The previous owner had given me this big red monster of a tool and informed this was to remove said nut, however, the big red tool doesn’t fit and seems to be for an entirely different motor (not surprising considering it’s looking like it’s not even the original motor he said it was).
Now I’ve read that trying to remove these things without the special wrench can be costly, and could potentially crack the housing/case – so despite the advice of my mechanic friend I’ve decided not to attempt to remove with a makeshift device.

I’m pretty sure I’ve found the correct tool online but for $60+ not sure it’s even going to be worth it if I know the thing runs. 😯

Tonight I’m going to be putting a new prop on it, and ordering the water pump for it. Once I install this new water pump and seals, I’m guessing all I can do from there is test run it again.

I’m reaching out to you guys as evidently I’m pretty new to working on these motors (I also own a 15HP, 2 stroke Evinrude for my tin can that runs like a champ), and the people over at /r/boating didn’t seem to have much advice regarding such an old motor.

Is there anything I should be aware of when working on one of these old suckers? Should I leave removing the gearcase to a professional? 😳

Is there anyway I can determine without a doubt whether it is a 1963 Merc 1000 (what the serial number says) or a 1968 1250 as the previous owner had said?

I have more pictures of the boat and what not as well.

Does anyone anymore online resources or physical resources I should source about this old girl?

THANKS IN ADVANCE

Link to picture of serial number on swivel bracket
http://imgur.com/mFHt33M

Link to more pictures.
http://imgur.com/a/2qVVO

More pictures.
http://m.imgur.com/a/UDalG

[jw-in-dixie]

The more helpful site would be John’s Old Mercs: http://johnsoldmercurysite.com/portal/index.html
But you must be a member. If you’re going to keep that old Merc, it would pay you to join, IMHO. They are more difficult to work on than store-brand motors. Good luck. JW in Dixie

[doctorlogical]

quote jw in dixie:

The more helpful site would be John’s Old Mercs: http://johnsoldmercurysite.com/portal/index.html
But you must be a member. If you’re going to keep that old Merc, it would pay you to join, IMHO. They are more difficult to work on than store-brand motors. Good luck. JW in Dixie

Thanks JW, I’ll check it out!

[dave-bernard]

it is NOT a 63 1000. for sure. look for the serial # on the block that will tell the story.

[crosbyman]

1000,1250 if it runs it will be a screamer. did u check compression before buying… very important gear oil can be changed a few times while you put money in the piggy bank

Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

[doctorlogical]

quote crosbyman:

1000,1250 if it runs it will be a screamer. did u check compression before buying… very important gear oil can be changed a few times while you put money in the piggy bank

I only made sure she turned over, didn’t actually get a compression reading. I was more so concerned about the trailer at the time as that was what I was originally after – the motor and boat were kind of a bonus project.

And by screamer do you mean like LOUD? Cause she definitely was noisy while the guy started her for me but I thought that would have been typical of an old 2 stroke.

And do you mean flushing it out a few times with gear oil in the meantime?

Again – kind of new to boat motors. I’ve sort of given up on getting to gear case in the meantime and put on the new prop tonight the previous owner had given me with the sale.

[doctorlogical]

quote betty ann bernardd:

it is NOT a 63 1000. for sure. look for the serial # on the block that will tell the story.

Thanks!

And where exactly on the block should I be looking? Wish I had read this before I went and put the new prop (previous owner gave it to me for free) tonight. I did manage to get a serial number directly from the lower unit.

[dave-bernard]

try on the starter mount. I think it was there back then. been awhile since I looked.

[mercuryspecialist]

Hello,
As the transfer ports have a unique shape on a 1250, yours definitely is a 1250 cylinder block, and everything I can see agrees that it is a 1968 1250 model. The Canadian serial number appears to be from a 1966 model (950 or 1100), but I would need more pictures to venture further as to why.

Regards,
Joe

[doctorlogical]

quote MercurySpecialist:

Hello,
As the transfer ports have a unique shape on a 1250, yours definitely is a 1250 cylinder block, and everything I can see agrees that it is a 1968 1250 model. The Canadian serial number appears to be from a 1966 model (950 or 1100), but I would need more pictures to venture further as to why.

Regards,
Joe

Thanks for the reply Joe!

So I guess it might just be a 1250 afterall!

I can get more pictures tomorrow morning for ya to review. Is there any part of the motor you would like to see specifically?

Is it possible the cylinder was moved on to a different swivel bracket?

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