Gauges for '59 Super Seahorse?

[ShortyLaVen]

Hello! I'll preface this by saying I don't know the first thing about outboards, so get ready for a plethora of simple/dumb questions in the upcoming months as I get near completion of my project LOL!! The motor I am working on is a 1959 Super Seahorse 35. I'm not sure the exact model number, but I will check that later today and post back.

I really want to add some gauges to my new dash, especially a tach. I'm not really familiar with how a tach functions on an outboard, except that it measures generator output instead of points cycling like one for a car. I have read that there should be a wire in the engine harness, but I would really like to know how this actually works rather than "hook up to x color wire".

I would also like to have a temp gauge, or maybe water pressure? I'm not sure what is more useful information for these engines. Is that correct that my engine does not have a tell-tale? Is temperature alone enough to monitor for overheating or is having a tell-tale or water pressure gauge a better method?

Thanks in advance for the help and advice!

 

[F_R]

Well, we can start off with the tach. There ain't one. At least there hasn't been for many years, You are misinformed about the generator. Modern outboard tachs count the AC pulses from the ALTERNATOR. If your motor has any kind of battery charging ability, it is a belt driven DC GENERATOR. OK, so what did they use for tachs back in The Day? They used tachs that counted the pulses from the MAGNETO points. If you are real lucky, you might find one, just like you found your classic old Super Sea Horse.

The other option is one of those little digital tachs that count the inductive pulses from a wire wrapped around a spark plug wire. I guess they work, but certainly look out of place in a restored old boat. Called Mini-Tach, or something like that.

Temp gauge is easy. Get one that reads the temperature from a sensor under a head bolt. Here at -boats.

Everybody these days seem to want to watch something pee. We got along for years without that. But yeah, we did sell quite a few temp gauges.

 

[ShortyLaVen]

Well, we can start off with the tach. There ain't one. At least there hasn't been for many years, You are misinformed about the generator. Modern outboard tachs count the AC pulses from the ALTERNATOR. If your motor has any kind of battery charging ability, it is a belt driven DC GENERATOR. OK, so what did they use for tachs back in The Day? They used tachs that counted the pulses from the MAGNETO points. If you are real lucky, you might find one, just like you found your classic old Super Sea Horse.

The other option is one of those little digital tachs that count the inductive pulses from a wire wrapped around a spark plug wire. I guess they work, but certainly look out of place in a restored old boat. Called Mini-Tach, or something like that.

Temp gauge is easy. Get one that reads the temperature from a sensor under a head bolt. Here at -boats.

Everybody these days seem to want to watch something pee. We got along for years without that. But yeah, we did sell quite a few temp gauges.

Thanks for the reply! No problem finding a vintage tach, that's what I would be after anyways. I really like the Airguide ones with the red/white star. That makes a lot more sense to me that it would count mag pulses. I would imagine that is much more accurate, too! I should add, while I'm new to outboards and old boats, I am a mechanic that specializes in '60s and earlier cars. So finding old things and making them work is no problem once I have a good understanding of what I'm dealing with.

I think the tach you are talking about is the Tiny Tach, maybe spelled differently. I have seen those before but didn't think about that as an option! I think they use the same type of pickup like a timing light. That's a great idea!

 

[Chris1956]

Some of those older Johnnys had overheat senders, that utilized idiot lights. Not sure about your motor.

If you have a generator, those older motors used ammeters. You had to run some heavy wire to the gauge, as amperage gauges need to be in series with the generator and battery.

 

[racerone]

1961 appears to be the first year for over temperature light.