I have a 1979 35hp Evinrude. This a great running motor. I do have a problem that I need help with. This motor is equiped with the recoil and electric flywheel. Sometime in the past history someone removed the recoil start assembly. Saturday while on the river, my starter would not engage the flywheel. Inspection revealed the front starter bracket bolt (stud bolt) was very loose. A closer look revealed the hole the stud bolt screws into had chipped off. I found the chip. The rear bracket bolt that screws into the block will not fully tighten and I suspect the threads are in real bad shape. What can I do to fix this? It looks like the old recoil start assembly helped hold the starter in place. If I could find a recoil housing would this secure the starter enough? Can I drill the suspected stripped threads in the rear of the starter bracket and tap to the next larger size? Any help or suggestions is welcome. Thanks.
