New guy, new motor.

[vwtrey]

Good afternoon everyone,

In my first post here, I didn’t take the time to introduce myself. I’m Trey, and I’m new here. I am in the Air Force, and have been for almost 19 years. This is my first outboard engine, ever. I have experience with engines and metal working, so I should be fine. I also do a lot of woodworking, which brought me to finding an older outboard. I’d eventually like to build a small boat to go with my engine, if I can find what it should look like. The engine I bought is a Johnson J75. I put together a quick stand for it, and today I am tearing it down and looking things over. The tank is worse than I thought, but can be fixed. I’ll need to find, or fabricate, and original style muffler. I also need to source a grip for the tiller. The compression seems good, and everything looks relatively untouched. Here’s a picture of it.

[joecb]

Well, first off, welcome to the group. You will find that the folks here are most helpful in assisting you to get that motor running. From what I can see your motor looks like it’s in pretty good condition. That vintage Johnson motor is normally very reliable, you should find that the ignition coil is good, clean, clean the points (set at .020) and see if you have spark. The condenser may have to be changed as they deteriorate with age, about any .22 uf capacitor will work. That motor has a plunger water pump, be sure that the check balls are not stuck shut or it will not pump water. Clean the fuel system thoroughly, from tank all the way thru to the carb. The tank, it looks pretty nice from this view!
I’m sure that guys with more specific knowledge of the J75 will be checking in with more info.
That’s a real nice stand that you made, knock down design.. I suspect that many guys here would like one like that.
And finally, where are you located? check the "upcoming events" page here and come out to one of the local meets, that’s where you will find parts, info, help and friends.

Joe B

[vwtrey]

Thanks Joe. I forgot to mention, I am in California, near Santa Maria.

The tank is worse than it looks. The bottom is pretty bad. It would be a good runner though. I can look for a replacement as time goes.

It does run. Clean everything out, and it fired for a few seconds. Just enough to let me know it’s alive.

I’m curious, what would an engine like this have been used on?

[olcah]

Welcome!
Remember when you fire the motor it must have outboard oil mixed with the gas. Otherwise the motor has no lubrication.

[joecb]

Oh yes plenty of 2 cycle oil in the gas, at least 1/2 pint per gallon, a little more will not hurt.
Your motor is a 1935 model 1.4 hp. back in the day this was a major improvement over rowing ones fishing boat.

Joe

[david-bartlett]

Trey,

Welcome again, and I must say that is a nice looking stand. I like it. Take down model!

[Mumbles]

If you are going to replace the tank, Johnson models J-75, J-80, 100 and 110’s all used the same 12-118 tank while models J-25, J-65, J-70, J-75 and J-80 shared the same 12-53 muffler. For the condenser/capacitor, the original 72-13 cap was rated at 0.13 uF. A modern Vishay cap with a rating of 0.10 uF could be used if yours tests bad.

Those part numbers are long obsolete but this should help you narrow down your search for parts. Doug Penn might be worth a try as he has lots of parts and reproduction grips. ☺

http://www.penn.itgo.com/

Here’s some pics of a J-75 I found somewhere to help you see what your muffler looked like originally. Notice the short tiller with what might be a bicycle grip on it. The tanks filler is also in a different position.

[skeg]

Take a look at the club library. There is a section that shows how they were painted, polished, etc. Also contact Dixie Hammock for decals. She does excellent work. I have used John Deere Corn Head grease for the lower unit with great success.
Look to Doug Penn or Ebay for reproduction tiller grip and NY Marine (peter) and Reprotint for proper paint if a cosmetic restoration is also desired. Also check the library and postings for proper cleaning and sealing of the tank. Great little kicker that was used on rowboats and canoes of the day. I have used one on a canoe with great success.

Kevin

[skeg]

Also note that the tiller grip in the previous picture provided is on a restored motor but the grip is not correct from the era. Also note that the parts to be painted are in the restoration guide on the club site.

[lindy46]

For a repro rubber grip, check here:
http://penn.itgo.com/
I just got one for my 1947 Sportsman and it looks real nice.

[Author]

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