Re: Steering ....1959 Lonestar Monterey....
Those parts are getting pretty antiquated so you might have some problems if you choose to keep it all original. Springs could come from a full service hardware store catalog and the cable is roughly 3/32" covered in plastic. Not all that much pressure on these cables so they don't have to be very big. Outboards back then weren't all that high in hp and speeds of 30 mph were considered flying. Current single cable steering is much cleaner and much more responsive and Teleflex/Morse is the place to shop. They can fit your engine with a transom mount for the cable if your engine is to early to have one in the tilt tube and everything else mounts on the steering wheel shaft.
If your attachment points are intact as you imply, that makes it a lot easier (you don't have to figure out where on the transom is the best place to mount them) and you said that the cables run down each side; that is a distinction also, as on some side console open boats, they both went down the same side.
The cables have to be able to move the engine from lock to lock, left to right, and be able to allow the engine to tilt up....no biggie, just something to check when you are working the hookup.
The drum on the steering wheel shaft has to be wound in opposite directions because as you turn the wheel, one side is picking up and the other side is letting out an equal amount. As I recall, you need to pre measure your cable to make the whole run and then enough to fill the drums with 2 turns left over on each side plus run the full length thru the engine pulleys , onto the deadman spring and fold back at least a foot. Get a ball of twine if necessary and work the length with string to figure your length.
Run one side and just double it as both sides will be equal. To fill the drum, find the center of the cable and run the cable through the hole in the drum between the two "chevs" till centered, then wind whatever you need on your respective drums and one will be wound cw the other ccw. Cable fills on both drums need to be equal in diameter (more or less) to allow for that to happen and with the engine at full lock, you ought to have a couple turns of cable left on the drum for either direction, to maintain control for the trip back to lock in the other direction.
On which cable from the drum goes where: When you turn the wheel cw, making a right turn, you want the engine front to go to the port (left) side of the boat. For that to happen the port cable must be taking in cable and the starboard giving up....just changes which drum is feeding which side.
Cables are anchored at the side of the boat forward, immediately out from the drums on the steering shaft, and at the transom corner, with a pulley at each position (4 total). Then the cables go to the front center of the engine where there is a bracket that attaches to the front of it and on that bracket are pulleys (2 more) which the cables route through then to back to the side of the transom and anchor to it via a spring on each side.
Setup: Locate the engine in the down position and centered and ensure that the wheel is centered with equal cable on each drum.
Using the cable clamps at the springs (dead man mounting) take the slack out of the cable and put the springs in tension; amount is arbitrary and you can play with this and find what you want. This tensioning helps to keep the engine steady while underway and makes steering easier.
Final test is to turn the wheel in both directions and ensure that the engine, in the down position, will move from lock to lock and when there there is still a couple of turns of cable on the drum for the giving up cable drum. Then tilt engine up and ensure that the cables allow it.
That's about it. Not rocket science. Getting the right cable length is probably the biggest problem and getting the drums wound.
Good luck.
Mark
....you would not happen to have the cable ties or clips that attach to the transom...?