vintage mercury restore

[Laddies]

Re: vintage mercury restore

Scott, as you know Charlie was the man behind most of Mercurys innovations he was the man behind the inline sixes and the inboard outboards and most everything inbetween. He sat back and let Carl bask in his innovations, gave the I/O design away because Carl hated it and set back and said nothing when Carl let him go. OMC was tickled pink with That move. -- Bob

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: vintage mercury restore

Hi Bob,
Yep, I know the WHOLE story on that stuff. I also had the honor of meeting Jim Wynne many years ago - I was just a kid at the time and didn't really get the appreciation of who I had met until I was much older.
- Scott

 

[Scaaty]

Re: vintage mercury restore

Ya know whats sad about all this as I read through it? How the heck can I put this. Being a long time Harley rider, boat freak, NHRA fan, Oshkosh junkie, it seems the old legends that started all this are slowly going away, and are not being replaced by true innovators ....just people in front a CAD computer...

 

[basshole]

Re: vintage mercury restore

I've really enjoyed all of the info and storys. Thanks! One more question, how much do these motors weigh?

 

[Laddies]

Re: vintage mercury restore

61#

 

[basshole]

Re: vintage mercury restore

Didn't score the kf-7, but I found a kh-7 on e-bay. Should I go this way or should I stick with a kf or kg. Is their a big weight difference. Lighter the faster right. Thanks again.

 

[rdgordon1@cox.net]

Re: vintage mercury restore

Not to open an old wound but the person who would make the comments that were made about Carl,to whom we owe so much and the whole industry has benefited from does not deserve the freedom to post on this board and he certainly has not learned anything here.
He sounds just like the old died in the wool OMC fans of the old days when forced to admit that the Mercury was a superior product.They all had their stories and excuses and all of us oldtimers have heard them all at one time or another.That person at the very least should be ashamed of themselves.Other boards call them trolls and boot them off.It is a sad day when an innocent boater,looking for information is exposed to such trash thinking that he learned something new today.Shame on you!!!Ron Gordon

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: vintage mercury restore

The KH7 has all the benefits of the KG7 powerhead (four reeds per cylinder, bigger carb) plus the benefits of full gearshift! It is geared and propped a bit differently from the KG7 and might lose a bit on top end, but is better getting a boat out of the hole. My KH7 flat out flies on my 12-footer... might be a hair slower than the KG7, but not much...
- Scott

 

[Scaaty]

Re: vintage mercury restore

Post removed by me..irrelevant..

 

[basshole]

Re: vintage mercury restore

Thanks for the info. What about the weight?

 

[rdgordon1@cox.net]

Re: vintage mercury restore

I think post number 25 has your answer.I am pretty sure that 61# was what he said there.Ron G

 

[basshole]

Re: vintage mercury restore

I won the kh7 and I see some flat top racing pistons on ebay also. Are these actually different then stock and if I bought them how much of a power increase should I expect? Thanks again.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: vintage mercury restore

The flat top pistons are probably not "racing" pistons, per se, unless they're aftermarket pistons. More than likely they are just later style pistons as used in the later Mark 25s and 40-cube 4-cylinders. They were sought after as replacement pistons for the Mark 20Hs. Not going to pick up much in a KG/KH-7, though, as they do not use a "padded" block. Late in the Mark 25 run they started forming the cylinder domes to follow the shape of the piston crown. Prior to that, all the 20-cube motors had a simple flat dome. The padded blocks had a higher compression ratio (something like 6:1 as opposed to 5:1 if memory serves). Some aftermarket racing parts firms, like Quincy Welding, would take your KG7 block and weld "peanuts" to the cylinder dome to increase compression. Basically it was a bead of aluminum welded into the dome to approximate the cast-in shapes later used...
For your motor you probably would not notice much in the way of an increase in performance with any of the above mods unless you were running a racing "Quicksilver" lower unit, on a very light racing hull, with extensive testing using a variety of propellers. I think you will be quite surprised, maybe even stunned, by the performance of a bone stock KG/KH 7 on a light tin boat.
- Scott

 

[basshole]

Re: vintage mercury restore

Thanks, I'm excited to take it on a test run. I have a twelve foot aluminum boat and a set of plans for a small wood boat. The kh7 should be fun on both boats. Thanks again. Chad

 

[basshole]

Re: vintage mercury restore

Got the motor. Anybody know where I can get a tower housing as mine is all screwed up. Will a mark 15 or 20 midsection work. Lower unit seems tight and shifts. Good compression and spark. Thanks again guys!

 

[cougar1985]

Re: vintage mercury restore

hmmmm. best described as a lunatic! well if thats what a lunatic is then i want to be one.im a omc fan but have owned several mercs and they were great engines and would not hesitate to buy another one as long as it was a 2 stroke.vintage motors should be lovingly restored no matter what the make as its part of our history ,how many of us can fondly remember going fishing with a father or granfather in a boat with one of those old mercs or omc,s humming away behind it and providing many of hours of enjoyment.could go on for pages about the enjoyment and fullfiment ive gotten form tinkering with old outboards but i wont ,to the thread starter i hope you get many years of enjoyment out of you hobby as i know i do.

 

[basshole]

Re: vintage mercury restore

I will. I hope my patience and wallet holds out. Thanks for the words of encouragement.

 

[basshole]

Re: vintage mercury restore

I do need to know if a mark 20 tower will work. Please help. I'm shopping on ebay again and i think I found what I need. My housing is bent up at the lower unit towards the prop and does not fit square with the lower unit. The lower is square, but the housing isn't. I'm sure they should match and a coupler or something is missing between the shift linkage and the lower unit. Also there are a bunch of holes in the back side of the tower. Are those suppose to be there? Last thing. Where does the water go after cooling? How do I know if it is cooling? I am going to replace all the seals and gaskets along with the water pump (impeller). I'm use to cars not boat motors. I just want a change but need some help.
Thanks Chad

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: vintage mercury restore

Hi Chad,
Yes, the Mark 20 mid-section will work, as will a Mark 15, Wizard Powermatic 12, and Wizard Powermatic 25.
Those holes in the back of the leg are supposed to be there. They're exhaust reliefs allowing exhaust to exit while the motor is at idle speeds or in neutral. A mist of water will also exit there while running. Most water exits the main exhaust outlet above the prop. Some of those powerheads may have a telltale drilled into the underside of the cylinder head waterjacket. It will be a small hole, about 1/16" in diameter, drilled at an angle to allow the water to be visible from the driver's position.
If you haven't already, get yourself a copy of the 1964 & Prior Mercury Service Manual. Grubb's has it at www.oldmercs.com. They also turn up on eBay from time to time...
Hope that helps...
- Scott

 

[basshole]

Re: vintage mercury restore

thanks a ton.