Re: rude 7.5 what year?
Hi Islands19,<br /> Your motor is a 1954 model. If you have the original dual line tank for it you are ahead of the curve a bit.<br /> As for whether or not it's a "good idea", well, only you can decide that. On the whole, if the motor has been well taken care of, and if you're willing to do several things right off the bat, then yes, it can be a good running little motor that will serve you well. If the motor has been abused, improperly maintained, or is otherwise in poor shape, then it likely isn't worth the energy and money to get it going again. <br /> First things to do would include a compression test, a check of the lower unit oil, and a look under the flwheel for condition of the coils. Pretty much all of the basic service parts are available for that motor, including waterpump impellers, coils, points, condensers, carburetor kits, tank rebuild kits, hoses, and spark plugs. You can likely replace all of the basics for around $100 if you do the labor yourself. When you're done you should have a sweet running old motor that performs nicely, runs quietly, and draws some great attention at the boat ramp.<br /> I have a 1955 version of the same motor and really love the oldster. It's relatively easy to work on, and frankly hasn't needed much in the four years since I built it up from a couple of parts motors.<br /> Keep in mind that your motor will need a minimum of a 24:1 fuel mixture, and could probably use a good decarboning to get rid of the excess carbon that is common to older motors that need the rich oil mix. The original mixture was 16:1 using essentially automotive oil and wasn't known for clean burning. The newer oils burn much cleaner, plus they lubricate better which allows a leaner 24:1 mix - but don't go any leaner than that!<br />- Scott