Re: '39 Evinrude/ Elto
Nice little motors, and a good one to start with. It's small enough to sneak past the missus and not raise too many questions if she sees it.<br /><br />All kidding aside, most of the old motors were actually quite well designed pieces of machinery, given the limitations in technology for a given era in casting techniques and motor design. I've got a 1929 ELTO Speedster that still "starts with a quarter turn". It's been gone through top to bottom and works very well. It doesn't hurt to have a fair amount of mechanical aptitude, knowledge ot tools and appreciation for history. <br /> I see a lot of neophyte motor collectors with no ability whatsover who bad mouth their newly acquired motor and the person who sold it (sometimes yours truly) to them because it doesn't start easily and run smoothly. Invariably, if I take a look at the motor I can have it running in a minute or to once I've undone the neophyte's "adjustments" to the carb, unflooded the crankcase, and set the timing lever to the proper location. Every motor is different and it takes time to learn the nuances of each brand and model. As "refined" as a 1930s motor is compared to something from the 1910s, it's still a long way from the smooth, quiet, comparatively modern motors of the 1950s.<br /> Parts availability often requires some ingenuity and sleuthing, with acquiring a parts motor of the same model a common occurance. Old coils are often bad, but sometimes modern replacements are available or able to be modified to work. Pre WWII flywheel magnets have often lost their charge and may need to be zapped to be remagnetized. Many PreWWII motors won't pump water in a barrel and need to be on a boat and moving to cool properly. These are just some of the things to keep in mind and all the more reason to join up with the AOMCI gang and go to some meets and make the contacts needed to get the motor up and running properly...<br /><br /> Above all, have fun!<br />- Scott
