1967 Johnson 60hp

[allCAD]

Hi all:

Seems odd that this is my first actual post - I've lurked here on an off for a few years, but have always found what I needed without asking a question directly. Usually just basic odds/sods, and often for others. I just bought my own first boat, so I'm sure I'll need to ramp up my knowledge, and this is the first place I thought of.

Anyway, I stumbled across a for-sale that included a 15' fibreglass on a new trailier with a rebuilt 40hp Johnson Seahorse (clean as a whistle and runs like a top) pushing it for a deal that was too good to pass up. So I didn't. In order to sweeten the deal (he had been trying to sell it for a few months, lots of lookie-loos, but no open wallets) he also gave me a project motor: a 60hp Johnson longshaft from '67.

Mechanically it is sound (I'm told), but it has no wiring - apparently a mouse got into it and chewed through the harness, and all the wiring was pulled out as a result. I'm looking at the parts catalog, and it references model #'s vx-vxl-13A and vxh-vxhl-13A, so it is one of those 2 motors (I have the catalog here in my office, but the motor is at home, so I can't reference the plate on it right now). I believe I also have the wiring diagram for it (looks to be only 2 pages, so may not be a complete diagram).

This motor and I owe each other nothing, so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it, but I would much prefer to have this one going and on the boat. I have been around and using these old Johnsons for as long as I can remember, I have no doubt it can get running as good as new again (they were built like tanks: this one weighs in at like 300lb).

As I move along through the project, I'll have questions for sure, and will be greatly apprecitive of help I receive. I'm a DIY kinda guy and love a good challenge. I know that eye candy is worth it's weight in gold, so I'll have progress shots put up as I move.

Anyway, 1st thing I notice is that the skeg is broken off. Guy I got it from says he got it like that too, and initially intended on having it welded back in place. It's obviously cast aluminum, so welding will probably be a pain (and I couldn't do it - I'm no welder). A replacement lower housing will probably be pricey, if I could find one (any idea where I would even look?). Is there a decent middle ground that would be satisfactory (not just some quickie, cheapo solution that I'll be redoing often)?

1st piece of advise I got was to just leave it as is and move on. I'm not a fan of that idea: I don't walk around my garage in bare feet for a reason, even though I know it well and keep it clean; my motor should have similar peace of mind (or at least the guy who's driving it).

I'll get some better ones done, but here is what it looks like today, and you can see where the skeg used to be.



Sorry for the wordy post: I'm chatty, but no wordsmith.

Glad to be aboard,

 

[rwilso]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

One choice could be a skeg guard

 

[allCAD]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

One choice could be a skeg guard

Please excuse my ignorance, can a guard be added to something that no longer exists?

This particular concern is not a mechanical one, so I'll end up sounding lost. If it were a mechanical problem, I'd be comfortable (I'm pretty sure I rebuilt a chainsaw in my sleep once), but this skeg deal has me scratching my head with a mumpy look on my face. I don't know what a skeg guard is or how they work, etc.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

Thje missing skeg is not a real issue. Concentrate on getting the motor working. Some motors are magneto, and some battery/coil. The wiring is a bit different, but if your motor is a agneto, you can start it for test purposes, without any external wiring.

Check the distruibutor cap. If the wires exit the cap straight down, it is a magneto motor. If horizontal exit, it is battery coil.

Use some jumper cables, jumper to the starter directly and give her a compression test. Anything 90PSI and above and even is fine. If Magneto ign, and the short wire from bottom of distributor to top of distributor is intact. Clean and Set the points to .020" (both sets), and give her a spark test. Post results.

 

[allCAD]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

Thje missing skeg is not a real issue. Concentrate on getting the motor working. Some motors are magneto, and some battery/coil. The wiring is a bit different, but if your motor is a agneto, you can start it for test purposes, without any external wiring.

Check the distruibutor cap. If the wires exit the cap straight down, it is a magneto motor. If horizontal exit, it is battery coil.

Use some jumper cables, jumper to the starter directly and give her a compression test. Anything 90PSI and above and even is fine. If Magneto ign, and the short wire from bottom of distributor to top of distributor is intact. Clean and Set the points to .020" (both sets), and give her a spark test. Post results.

Niceness. I'll do this today when I get home. Here is what I was given for a wiring diagram, so it would appear to be coil. I will confirm when I get the cover off for a better look.

View attachment 118711

 

[TN-25]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

I believe those 1967 V4s (under 100 hp) were the last with the magneto / distributor; for 1968 they started using the all electronic ignition & surface gap plugs (all of which appeared on 1967 100 horse V4s).

The skeg replacement might be a simple as buying a used one from a parts motor (any mechanical shift V4 85 hp and less from 1960 - 1968 is my guess...)

 

[F_R]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

1967 60hp has battery ignition, not magneto, and not electronic/CD

The motor in the picture is a VXL model.

 

[allCAD]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

1967 60hp has battery ignition, not magneto, and not electronic/CD

The motor in the picture is a VXL model.

Ok, so I will not be able to perform a compression test using the method described by Chris1956? I will need to get the witring done first?

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

I believe those 1967 V4s (under 100 hp) were the last with the magneto / distributor; for 1968 they started using the all electronic ignition & surface gap plugs (all of which appeared on 1967 100 horse V4s).

The skeg replacement might be a simple as buying a used one from a parts motor (any mechanical shift V4 85 hp and less from 1960 - 1968 is my guess...)

Agreed. get a new lower gear case housing w/skeg off of a junk motor. It may not be the same color, but it should be easy enough to find for cheap.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

Nah, you can jumper the starter to spin the motor and take a compression test. The spark test will be more difficult, without the wiring.

Is the wire from the - side of the coil to the distributor intact?

 

[F_R]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

Be aware that the coil is fed by a special resistance wire built into the harness. Don't connect the coil directly to 12 volts.

 

[allCAD]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

I appreciate all the advice I'm getting, but I'm left a bit confused and feel that I have some conflicting answers: or am I reading them wrong?

Re-wiring won't be like moving a mountain, so I think I'll just get that done and then go from there. Again, it is supposedly perfect mechanically, just the wiring is gone. It is certainly quite clean under the cover, and I can see some of the gaskets are new, so I'm hopefull. Worst case scenerio it has to be re-built, but that's nothing to lose sleep over: it was free.

Also, thanks to those that have chipped in regarding the busted skeg. I'll start looking around for a scraper to take parts from, and if anyone knows anywhere/anyone in my area (Southern Ontario) to ask, I'll appreciate the advice.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

The value of that motor and the technology is such that you will not want to put lots of $ into it, IMHO. I would recommend you find out what it takes to make it run, before spending any $ on a new skeg. Jumper the starter and test the compression. The test is free.

 

[allCAD]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

Agreed, I'm certainly not putting good money into nothing. I did want to ask about the skeg though, I don't see any reason why this can't get running just fine with some elbow grease and tlc. Also several swear words.

 

[allCAD]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

My small engines knowledge is only going to take me so far in terms of outboards, so I apologize in advance for what will be a series of grade 2 questions I'm sure.

I'm just rebuilding the whole thing. I have all winter to do it in, so I might as well just turn this back into a new motor, and it'll give me the opportunity to pretty it up some, as it has some corrosion and filth: nothing desperate, but it doesn't look good.

Anyway, I'll need a few tools that I probably dont have. At the very least I'll need a harmonic balancer puller for the flywheel, and I know for certain that one is not in any of my boxes.

Does the parts list on this model look to be sufficient for my vxl V4? I'm sure there are ones of much better quality, but this is one of those tools I may only ever need to use once, so do I need to buy a $50 or $60 option? This one is $20.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

You don't have to buy any parts book. You can view it free at www.marineengine.com Then come back here to iboats to buy your parts.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

You sure you want to rebuild that old beast? If it were me, I would test it out, run it if it needs little and toss it when it needs more $$. You can get a whole lot better motor if you get one from the 90s. They are not that much $$.

 

[allCAD]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

You sure you want to rebuild that old beast?

100%. Once rebuilt, it'll be just as good, if not better than the day it was born. And then run for longer than I would wager to guess with proper maitenance. Besides, the boat is from the same time. I want the 60's motor on the 60's boat. In fact, I believe they are both 1967; that couldn't be any more perfect. Were Led Zeppelin to get back on tour, you wouldn't want Kurt Cobain at the mic just because he has a smaller beer belly.

Other than lubes, oils, plugs, and other assorted basic stuff, I am new to fixing these motors, but I've been using them my entire life from 2hp tiller to dual 220's, and when running equally, I couldn't say that models from the 90's are any better than those from the 60's or 70's. Probably lighter (don't really pick them up much), and somewhat quieter (I've never taken out an SPL meter to see): 2 items that matter not.

I don't see how this is going to cost me much more than my time. It would appear that my biggest investment will be a new wiring harness, and then the paint.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

Gee, I guess I was confused. You said you were going to rebuild the whole motor "turning it back into a new motor". To me that means boring cylinders, installing new rings and pistons, bearings, gaskets etc.

 

[allCAD]

Re: 1967 Johnson 60hp

My apologies, I will attempt to be less confusing in the future. Or at least not eradicate I guess; it of course can't be turned into a 'new'motor, but stripped down to the bare parts, cleaned/painted, and replace all the rubber and plastic parts; that's pretty close to new in my world. Other than boring cylinders. I dot have access to that kind of machinery.

I had the boat out on the harbour today, too nice of an afternoon to pass up, but I did find some time to get dug in for a bit. Dissasembled the lower housing, it all looks pretty good aside from that skeg. Oil drained nicely, the right colour, doesn't smell like toast and had no prizes in it; not a single shaving, etc that I could see. I figure ill take it apart from the bottom up.

I took a few blackberry pictures, ill get them up shortly.