Re: 57 35hp Javelin quirks?
These are very solid motors and were made in various configurations for many years. Before you get into the ignition system though, you might want to ask the previous owner if he ever changed the coils and other ignition parts.
If you can't determine when the ignition system was last rebuilt, I think your idea to replace the coils and points is a good one. I would probably replace the condensors and spark plug wires while I had the flywheel off, as well. On all of these parts, however, I would look them over to see what condition they appear to be in. If the points show little or no signs of pitting, you can make a fair assumption that they were recently replaced. Most people replace the condensors at the same time, so they may be ok too. If the coils have any sign of cracking at all, replace them but if not, and the motor is running well, you may be ok for some time. You can also pull the coils and spark plug wires and take them to your local OMC/Bombardier dealer to have them tested. Aside from cracking/leakage issues, coils pretty much either work or don't work - there isn't much "in between."
Use either an OMC puller or a harmonic puller with schedule 8 bolts of the right size, thread count and thread depth to pull the flywheel. My personal preference is to use the OMC puller because it comes with exactly the correct bolts for a variety of OMC motors. While it is more expensive than the an auto parts store harmonic puller, you don't have to spend a bunch time fooling around at the local "big box" store trying to find the correct bolts.
Do not use a gear puller or any other type of puller with jaws that pull from the ouside of the flywheel - OMC flywheels are aluminum and doing so can result in a broken part.
If your motor uses a pressure tank and you would like to go to a fuel pump/single line tank, this can be easily accomplished. There is a thread here at iboats describing a number of methods to install a fuel pump on these motors. My favorite way of doing this is to simply replace the upper bypass cover (port side of motor) with one from a later model 28hp or 33hp. This allows you to simply install a stock fuel pump on the cover as you would one of those motors. Once that is done, you change the fuel connector to a single line unit and you are ready to go.
Another issue with the '57 Johnson and Evinrude 35hp motors, is that the clutch dog is apparently different than in the later models. According to my OMC dealer, they are no longer available. If you ever have clutch dog problems though, don't automatically assume that you have a '57 lower unit on the motor. The later model LUs (not those from the "SuperQuiet" models) will fit your motor and it is common for the '57 models to have something other than a '57 LU on them.
I think the biggest headache with the older OMC electric start, 35hp models is getting a wiring assembly and dash plates/switches that are in good enough condition to use. On my '58 Evinrude Bigtwins, I just made a wiring harness and ran it into the cowl via the hole in the lower, front portion of the cowl pan. I also took the air silencers off of my motors and installed Mercury starter solenoids (they're smaller than OMC) in the pan to replace the solenoid that would normally be located in a box on the transom. That said, your motors are of the Javelin/Lark type so they are a bit more special and I could certainly understand wanting to keep them 100% stock.
Here's a site that might be of interst to you ....
"http://javelin1957.com/"
You realize, of course, that you now have to go out and buy a 50s vintage boat and restore it to go with your motor!
