5 1/2 Johnson evinrude recoil wanted.

[Catwagon]

I really need a complete recoil starter for a 1959 evinrude 5 1/2 horse motor. Anything from '57 to '63 Johnson Evinrude or OMC-Gale will work. I'll be happy to pay a decent price plus shipping of course. =)

I love rebuilding old motors but some parts are getting sorta hard to find.

Steve

[Catwagon]

And here's a picture that'll give you a better idea of what it is I'm looking for. If you happen to have one it doesn't need to be pretty at all, just work.

Steve

[Timotha7]

Steve,
I don't know of anywhere around here to even look, but did little looking
around on the web and found a place that you might wanna check out
they list the evinrude 5.5's and have listing of recoil starters as well

Don't know how bad they might gouge you but it might be worth checking
into
if you are rebuilding lot of old motors and do some business with them
sometimes these kinda places will treat a customer the right way
I sent you a PM with the link to the place in it

Tim

[wewamohawk]

glad to see you trying to help catwagon tim good job ;;;maurice

[KajunPCB]

hey Catwagon...nice hat ya got there ;) i am into old motors also ...but i'm a mercury nut..my poison is the old white mercs from the late 50's to early 60's..i currently have a 1961 merc 50hp and 1960 6hp that i will be restoring soon...

i'm also into the old fiberglass classic finned boats... and i visit a site www.fiberglassics.com they have a johnson/evinrude message board where i'm sure you can either find your part or those guys will point you in the right direction...its called the JEGO forum....here is a direct link http://www.fiberglassics.com/forms/forum955/

[Catwagon]

Got your kind PM Tim, thanks =)

Kajun, Ah yes, the old white Mercs are definately the Kings of style when it comes to antique outboards. Those are my hands down favorites as well but locating and buying the parts is just out of my price range.
I've already decided that if I ever get rich I'm going to find the most awesome, elegant '60 merc 500 and hang it on the back of a beautifully restored '57 Feathercraft Vagabond. I can dream huh?

For now I'm limited to the Johhnyrudes due to the cost of parts and the fact that they're much easier to find parts for. Right now I'm working on a '59 5.5hp and a '59 18hp. They're rather homely looking since they resemble toasters more than outboards. I guess you can say they have a face only a mother could love, LOL.

As far as Mercury goes, I do have a '74 Merc 500, but I'm having to rewire a new harness for it right now so it's not ready to run just yet. When I'm done I'll probably eBay it since it's way too big for my Grumman meter series. The only other Merc I have is an '84 3.6. It needs a new armature and they're about as rare as chicken teeth I know because I've been looking for one everywhere. I got that motor in a trade a while back and I have no need of it really. Hopefully I'll stumble across an armature at some point so I can find it a new home.

i'm also into the old fiberglass classic finned boats.. You and I would get along so well in person. I love fins on boats and always have but man are they hard to find in decent shape nowadays. I've given up on ever finding a decent one so I've set my sights on a nice Feathercraft one day when I can afford it. They don't have fins, but that barrelback look is almost as classy I think.

And thanks for reminding me about the fiberglassics addy. I knew about the forum but I forgot they had a classified section because it's been quite a while since I was there.

Steve

[KajunPCB]

yup got to love those white merc's..i'm just starting them though and i think i lucked out on 2 good deals.....i found a 1961 glasspar marathon with a 1961merc 500 on the back of it.. went look at it and the guy said he wanted $50 for the motor..i said i'll take it!! lol then he says..take the boat and trailer for free, he just wanted it out of his towing lot......i ended up selling the boat and trailer for $50 :biggrin: because i was moving to florida and had to tow my main boat...so i got the merc 500 for free....bought a starter for it and it started right up...so i disassembled it for a total rebuild and painting,compression was great on it but i noticed some scoring on one cyl so i'm just just have it rebored, then re-ring it since its all apart.... i dont have a house/garage in panama city yet ..everything is on hold with it.......

few weeks ago i found a 1960 merc 60 on ebay that was right outside panama city and i got that for $78, great condition all parts there, the guys says it runs but i havent been able to test it yet....went pick it up and put it in my storage facility so thats my next project :)...the deals are out there...i'm constantly searching for them, keep and eye on www.craigslist.org in the boat section thats where i found my merc 500...i like the old evinrudes/johnnys too...but its the chrome on the merc's that get me.

i like those old feathercrafts too...if i cant find a finned one i'd go with a feathercraft or lonestar aluminum.

here's some pics of the merc and glasspar when i found it and took it home

http://s130.photobucket.com/albums/p252/KajunPCB/1961%20Glasspar%20Marathon/

http://s130.photobucket.com/albums/p252/KajunPCB/Glasspar%201st%20day%20home/

[Catwagon]

Gosh, you made a killing on the 50.00 Merc! Gorgeous motors and I'd give my eye teeth to find one for anywhere near that price. Looking over the second link I was drawn to the fact that the mechanicals are very simular to the '74 I have.

Steve

[KajunPCB]

the deals are out there man...i think i just found a motherload of old motors too...i put an ad in craigslist and this guy writes me back and tells me about his elderly father-in-law thats been collecting/workin on them for years and that he wants to get rid of the whole lot....i'm gonna be stopping by his house on my way back to panama city at the end of the month and take a look at what he has....i told him i wanted all the merc stuff but he has all kinds and if the price is right i may just buy it all.....i'll keep an eye out for you part though when i do go.

last night i started researching feathercrafts and now i'm hooked! lol joined the feathercraft forum...and found one for sale for $500..its a 57 clipper, i like but would rather have a vagabond or a ranger..the pic of it is in the link with the motors...its in the same area as the motors so i'm gonna go check it out.

http://s130.photobucket.com/albums/p252/KajunPCB/motherload%20of%20old%20motors/

[Catwagon]

I would have pooped my britches to lift a door and find a stash of motors like that, geeze! I hope you get them all. Some folks who inherit stuff like that count it as nothing more than junk and haul it off to a recycling center. Whether there's a recoil for a J/E 5.5 or not, don't let that stash slip away!

Clippers are nice, classy boats and I wouldn't turn one down myself, but yes, the Vagabonds and Rangers are much more to my liking too. Keep looking around though, I see quite a few Vags on ebay and most of them are in the South east where you could snag one pretty easily.

Any Vagabond would look sweet with a nice chromed Merc =)

[Catwagon]

Woohoo! I'm not a dumb guppy anymore.

How many posts does it take to make Flathead? That's the one I want to shoot for, nothing else is going to satisfy me.

[Timotha7]

LOL I dunno if we have flathead for a rank or not, but if we don't I will get in there in next couple days an see bout setting one up
Tim

[Catwagon]

No flathead for a rank!? That's like America without John Wayne movies or having to watch professional touch football instead of the real thing, it just ain't right, LOL.

Oh the horrible injustice of it all......

(LOL, I'm just having fun with you. I'll be sure not to miss my medicine again tommorow.)

[KajunPCB]

problem is catwagon..the father-in-law is still alive and i'm gonna have to deal with him..which could be good or bad.. if he has collected these all these years he prob is quite attached to them and could expect them to fetch high prices....but i'm hoping he says a few hundred for the whole lot lol

i'm thinking hard about that clipper cuz i want something i can use on the applach...i think it would be a good catfishing boat...maybe name it "Klassic Kattin" or something like that.....i'll definetly be keeping an eye open for a vagabond....there is a ranger on that board from louisiana..i'm gonna go check that one out too..but the guy wants $1400 for it....gonna try to talk him way down on it like to $500..its worth a shot lol