1957 35 hp sea king questions

[happytimes63]

Have a few questions about my newly acquired boat. I numbered the questions so if you are kind enough to reply, you can use the numbers for any answers. Also have pictures to look at. The boat is a 16 foot fiberglass.
1. the boat model number is I think 23152, but is hard to read. Want to know who is the maker, thought it was a starcraft.
2. Do not know where to look for the numbers to find the maker of the motor. I read it may be a gale.
3. The motor runs pretty good, but the lower unit leaks oil at the seam at the bottom.
4. The water pump is not working, no water comes out of the upper port, where I pointed to in the pic. But water and oil comes out at the lower port where I pointed in the pic.
5. Someone has lost one side of the motor cover, and rerouted the fuel line, so it just sticks out the side of the motor. See pic
Finally, looking for advice on whether to fix this, or find another newer motor. I like the boat, it is in pretty good shape for an older fiberglass boat.

In 2 short days I found practicly everything I needed to know to restore my boat motor.
My engine and boat is actually a 58 or 59, not a 57 as originally thought.
Below is a link to a sales brochure I found about my boat and wanted to share.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

It is a Gale, but not a '57. The 35hps were made in 1958-59. Give us the model number off the ID plate. Some, but not all, also have the model number along with the serial number on the powerhead

How do you know what comes out the underwater exhaust? Do you have it in the water? If you do, and it is deep enough and no water comes out the "upper" exhaust relief, then the pump isn't working. Hey, you should replace the impeller anyway, because it will fail just from old age, and that will destroy the motor.

As you say, the lower unit needs to be resealed.

There is a pretty good chance that the coils are shot, again just from old age--unless somebody has already replaced them.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

F_R is right as usual. Be sure you always/only run this motor in a test tank with water filled up to about and inch or two below the upper ehaust port you pointed at. You can't run these old motors on muffs. They must be in a test tank. Per your "is it worth it" question, well that depends. If you don't mind spending between $150-$200 and getting your hands dirty, you can probably get this gem running again in no time. However, if you don;t want to bother with a "fixer upper", then you probably want to quit while you're ahead. I personally love these old motors and they can run just as well as any new motor given the proper care. I say gie it a go. You'll learn lots and come to appreciate the ingenious simplicity of these old motors. They truly don't make 'em like they used to. There's tons of info here and in the forums. Do get the impeller/waterpump replaced ASAP per F_R's suggestion. It would be a shame for you to fry it. Keep us posted and ask lots of questions. We love pics too

 

[happytimes63]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

Sincere thanks to F R, and kfa4303. I want to restore it myself. I have always worked on older model stuff, and do not mind the effort. Just did not know too much about marine. Was amazed how it fired right up, and sounded pretty good too. So on the parts, need a liitle input as to what and where to get the parts. I will probably want to find a service manual as well. So to get started will probably want to get the impellor, lower unit gaskets, and coils. Not sure what to do about the fuel line cobble, and the missing side cover though.

 

[happytimes63]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

F R
I put the motor in a clean tank of water, and before it got too murky, I could see the rush of water and air coming out the bottom portion. Also the water had black oil all in it after I run it.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

Of course it had black oil on it. That is the oil that you put in the gas. It has gone through the engine, done it's job, and discharged out the exhaust, where it picked up carbon particles---turning it black. It won't be nearly as noticeable whe running where it is supposed to run--on a boat on the lake.

Many normal service parts are available right here at iboats. Just use a 1958 Johnson in your search. iboats also has generic service manuals, which are as good as any when it comes to that particular old motor. The seloc #1300 will work.

 

[happytimes63]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

to kfa4303
Thanks for your reply. A few hundred bucks is a small price to pay, and look forward to doing the repairs myself. I only paid 150 for the whole thing. Since the motor was older, was unsure if it was feasable to get it fixed and if the parts were still available. I have owned numerous older model trucks my favs are the late 40s and 50s chevys, and did all the work to them. They also were pretty simple, and east to keep going with a liitle care. So I am a believer in the oldies are the goodies. The older ones were built to last and the newer ones are built to wear out.
Thanks again

 

[happytimes63]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

F R
Thanks
Just did not think it put out that much oily stuff in the water. Knew it would have some from the mix gas.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

Yep, running in a barrel makes a downright gross mess.

 

[happytimes63]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

F R
Thanks
I bought it at a reliable auction house with bill of sale, and know who the previous owners were, so if anyone had reported it stolen then I would give it back no problem. That id plate has been gone for a long time though. Is it possible for the id plate of the boat which is next to the boat drive controls to have that information on it. I will post a pic of that plate on the original post. Thanks for all the help, wow 14000 plus posts, you must really be involved in boats and boat motors.

 

[KingHardcor]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

That lower unit looks exactly like my '56 Evinrude lower unit. Here's a link to a thread of mine about that and there is some info in there about me replacing the seals. You can at least get an idea of what it looks like in there. It really is an easy repair if'n you're good with your hands. These are simple, ingenious engines.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

Be sure to use the 24:1 fuel mix with TCW3 rated oil. The Gale and OMC motors have more new and used parts available from many vendors than any other brand.Rugged,easy to work on
reasonably powerful if a little thirsty.Try looking at fiberglassics.com They have many catalogs.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

F R
Thanks
I bought it at a reliable auction house with bill of sale, and know who the previous owners were, so if anyone had reported it stolen then I would give it back no problem. That id plate has been gone for a long time though. Is it possible for the id plate of the boat which is next to the boat drive controls to have that information on it. I will post a pic of that plate on the original post. Thanks for all the help, wow 14000 plus posts, you must really be involved in boats and boat motors.

Boat and motor are two entirely different products, made by different people. Don't expect to find any motor numbers on the boat tag.

EDIT: I was working for a Gale dealer, back when that motor was new.

 

[Mas]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

We've got the same motor...'59 Montgomery Wards SeaKing...made by Gale...a division of OMC (Evinrude/Johnson). Almost all parts are interchangeable. You might have a '58...but I do not know the difference.

Mas

 

[Willyclay]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

I will probably want to find a service manual as well.

Welcome to the forum! As you have already discovered, the members here are great and will help you with any problem on your boat, motor and trailer. You are off to a good start with an "expert" like F_R posting in your thread. You can get a lot of service information at the link below. It is a free online public library that has many manuals saved on their website. It is a Clymer manual and not as complete as a factory manual but it served me well for ten years with a 1959 Johnson 35 (identical to yours) that was siezed when I got it. After a complete teardown and some minor repairs, it started and ran on the first crank and I have never worked a day as a professional in the marine industry.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=393281

Login as directed and drill down to: Small Engine, Marine/Boat Motors, Evinrude/Johnson, Outboard 35HP (1956-1964), Condensed Service Data. Good luck with that great old motor. FYI, they don't die; you have to murder them!

 

[happytimes63]

Re: 1957 35 hp sea king questions

Thanks to everyone for the help, I am well on my way to getting on the water with our sea king.