Re: 1957 johnson 7.5hp water in lower cylinderbut still have good compression?
Glad to hear the head gasket is fixed, main problem solved. How did you do with the broken bolt?
Regarding your newest problem, if I am understanding you correctly, when you put backpressure on the exhaust, ie run it in water, she wants to die? To start, what is your new compression readings? Is she sparking on both cylinders and jumping a good 1/4" gap on an inline tester?