Re: Gale Sovereign 35
Congrats on your new old outboard. You'll find that several folks here own one that's almost identical to yours, and there's lots of help here if you run into trouble.<br /><br />Listen to Paul Moir. He's got the hot scoop on these things. I can help, too, with this outboard, since I've done most of the fixes commonly needed.<br /><br />If you have to pull the flywheel, you'll need to hold it still while you remove the big nut. Someone came up with a great holder. You make it from common 1/8" steel bar stock, about 18" long, drilling holes to match either two of the three holes around the center of the flywheel, or two of the holes for the bolts holding the starter gear. You'll especially need this simple tool when you go to torque the flywheel nut to 105 ft-lb.<br /><br />Your outboard uses J4C Champion plugs. Use the Champions. They're gapped at .030". Points, which are accessible for adjustment through a little cover on the flywheel, are gapped at .020".<br /><br />Fuel to oil ratio is 24:1. That's one quart of TC-W3 outboard oil to six gallons of gas. Don't listen to anyone who says you can run it at 50:1.<br /><br />Parts like coils, points, impellers, etc., are available from Sierra Marine. NAPA stores stock Sierra Marine parts. Be sure you're looking for the '57 35hp parts. Some of the 1958 35hp models were a slightly different design, using a different water pump housing.<br /><br />If you need a carburetor kit, though, get it from a Johnson dealer. It has the new plastic float. The carb kit from Sierra doesn't come with a float, and the old cork float is a nice thing to replace when you overhaul.<br /><br />I think, but am not certain, that the Gales from that year incorporated a fuel pump, unlike the Johnsons and Evinrudes. If that's the case, your fuel connector on the engine will have two prongs, not three. If you need a new tank and pump, and it has two prongs, then it's the standard, non-pressurized OMC connector. That will help you. If it has three prongs, then it's the old pressurized tank. You can find these on eBay all the time, along with kits to rebuild them.<br /><br />Let us know how you're doing with your outboard and don't be afraid to ask questions here. We want all these old OMC motors to keep on performing useful service on the water.
