1958 Johnson 7.5 hp conversion

[walbert52]

I have a 1958 Johnson 7.5 hp that is in great shape I would like to covert from the tiller handle to throttle and shift cables. Is that possible and where do I start... Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1958 Johnson 7.5 hp conversion

Hi walbert. Neat old motor you've got there. I believe you can hook up controls, but you'll need to get a few parts. For the controls, you'll need 2 cable locks for either side of the motor (1 for throttle, 1 for gear select), 2 cables, 2 motor-end fittings and a control box (any OMC (Jonhson/Evinrude/Gale) box of this era should work. You can track down all of the parts on sites like ebay, marineengine.com, aomci.org classifieds and others. As for the steering, I would suggest a simply cable and pulley set up, buy you can also retrofit it with a modern steering cable. Here are some great links that can walk you through the job, but don't be surprised if the cost adds up. While no single part is all that expensive, there are lots of little bits. You'll have to decide for yourself if it's worth it. The good news is that once you do the job you can reuse all of the hardware for virtually any Johnson/Evinrude of this era.

Columns - Obsolete Outboards
Columns - Obsolete Outboards
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-topics-questions-not-engine-topics/drum-cable-steering-281025.html

1958 Johnson AD-12 7.5 hp Outboard Motor Parts

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 1958 Johnson 7.5 hp conversion

The throttle side is easiest, as you'll just need the clip that bolts to the carry handle forward of the throttle arm to attach a cable. Shift side takes a little more doing, as you need to either find or fabricate a bracket to mount to the cowling to support the shift cable clip. For controls, the recommended ones would be a vintage set of Johnson Shipmaster controls. The original "football" shaped ones are nice, but the rectangular ones from the 1960s are more common. Both do the job. Google "Johnson Shipmaster" and you should get an idea of what to look for. They turn up on eBay frequently, as do the clips. Make sure you get the cable ends, as the cables will NOT come with them. You would purchase new cables to fit your application's needed length.

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1958 Johnson 7.5 hp conversion



heres a couple of pics of some of the odds n ends you will need. you can see the bracket mounted on the cowl of my 7.5 with the cable clip for the shifter side, and the clip on the evinrude for the throttle cable.