Bp?

[lilabner]

Thanks Gene - Not only have you solved that question, but you have also helped to solve aniother question that I have had for a long time. That is, the what, where and when of that Jones "cat". At one point in time, which my befuddled memory can not quite figure out, Ralph Seavey and I went to Jacksonville to work with Ted Jones in Mabry Edwards' shop at the old Imeson airport. The project was to cut a vee bottom in half longitudinally and install a tunnel between the two halves. I graphically remember the boat in the "old" Lake X shop during rigging. There was conversation about devising a method to actively trim the engines while underway. Jim Emerson welded a outer transom bracket that could be trimmed in/out by hydraulic rams. The three engines wee then attached to the bracket. This method was devised in order that all three engines would always be at the same trim. If they had been trimmed independently, at that point in history, we had no way to keep them in sync. It should also be remembered that, at that point in history, we selected a "pin position" and fastened our outboards in down in that position. That is to say, we could not actively trim "on the run". We even had some sort of device that locked them in position against the transom. I can visualize it, but I cannot explain it. It/they were large bolt type devices that went through the transom with a large cupped washer, with rubber inside the cup, on the outer side of the transon and flat waster with nut on the inside of the transom. On the engine end of the bolt was an eye that fastened where the shock absorber normally fastened. Wow! I can see it in my head, and I am sure somebody can come up with a photo. Anyway, as I remember, the improvised trim baracket that was attached to the Jones "cat" could not sustain the forces and failed during testing at Lake X. By the way, the photo of that "cat" is one of only very few that I have ever seen. Here are three more. Looks like Tom "Becky" Wyrobeck standing behind it in one of the pics.

Steve..

I'm pretty sure I took those pictures at St Pete..I thought the cat was a thing of beauty, being a big fan of the Jones family..I was running with the My Moppie that day, working for H&M..

[Jerry Howard]

Yeah Lynwood was a great guy, he was my powerhead carrier, the guy would actually carry the powerheads one in each hand into the build-up room for teardown. I miss him too.

[Jerry Howard]

Oops sorry, my last post was to Gene's post #38, not to good at this yet.

[GENE LANHAM]

Yeah Lynwood was a great guy, he was my powerhead carrier, the guy would actually carry the powerheads one in each hand into the build-up room for teardown. I miss him too.

Hey Jerry---Brownie says Mel and Wayne Vickers will be at OFF this October!! Mel was the only man I knew that was stronger than Lynwood---

[jackie wilson]

Back in "THOSE DAYS" i had a Mercury shop and was racing outboards ----just for fun------ The BP came along and i took it up to The london motor boat racing club for a test run--------The commodore was Len Britnell and he came running out of the clubhouse yelling and screaming ----TURN THE DAMN THING OFF-----. He had a noise meter in his mitt and he was yelling it was off the scale---there was no way was he ever going to allow that thing to run until it was quietened down.
Tried a dozen different ways to lower the decibels-------in the end he settled for a 6" square piece of rubber tyre nailed over the exhaust outlet--but you could never silence a thoroughbred---not even the stackers made sound like the BP.

[jackie wilson]

HEY VICKY You really still alive and kicking? -----in spite of all the weight you carried-------If i make the OFF this year --i will give you some stick about the good old times we had.

[willabee]

.....And I thought this thread might get a post or two when I started....
The first one I expected to answer never even posted!

I recall this question coming up some time ago. I said then that I was sure it stood for BluePrint, but that I thought it was because of the lower unit, not the powerhead. I called Dick Lanpheer today to ask some questions on a different topic and just happened to remember to ask about this also. Dick, who spent his career as a research and development engineer for Mercury at Plant #6 in Oshkosh and worked closely with the racing program confirmed that thought.....BluePrint, because of the assembly of the lower unit.

BTW, who did you expect to answer first?

[seeroy]

I recall this question coming up some time ago. I said then that I was sure it stood for BluePrint, but that I thought it was because of the lower unit, not the powerhead. I called Dick Lanpheer today to ask some questions on a different topic and just happened to remember to ask about this also. Dick, who spent his career as a research and development engineer for Mercury at Plant #6 in Oshkosh and worked closely with the racing program confirmed that thought.....BluePrint, because of the assembly of the lower unit.

BTW, who did you expect to answer first?

I finally won something. Check post #2.

[GENE LANHAM]

Steve---I always thought that Ralph had set up that boat? I picked it up at the Lake before the Nassau race, October, 1969. The boat was complete, ready to race, sitting on one of those heavy yellow K. C. tandem axle trailers. Doc had 'defected' to OMC earlier that year, and Mercury was very anxious to get him back to 'Black Power'----Gene

After the Mexico City Olympics, 1968, "Black Power" was used often---even by the big man himself---Politically correct?---I don't know----

[99fxst99]

I recall this question coming up some time ago. I said then that I was sure it stood for BluePrint, but that I thought it was because of the lower unit, not the powerhead. I called Dick Lanpheer today to ask some questions on a different topic and just happened to remember to ask about this also. Dick, who spent his career as a research and development engineer for Mercury at Plant #6 in Oshkosh and worked closely with the racing program confirmed that thought.....BluePrint, because of the assembly of the lower unit.

BTW, who did you expect to answer first?

MK75, the forum historian!!

[GENE LANHAM]

I recall this question coming up some time ago. I said then that I was sure it stood for BluePrint, but that I thought it was because of the lower unit, not the powerhead. I called Dick Lanpheer today to ask some questions on a different topic and just happened to remember to ask about this also. Dick, who spent his career as a research and development engineer for Mercury at Plant #6 in Oshkosh and worked closely with the racing program confirmed that thought.....BluePrint, because of the assembly of the lower unit.

BTW, who did you expect to answer first?

BP. BluePrint. Black Power.
'Mark 75H' did a great thread on the lower unit. An engineering masterpiece. Full gearshift, three driveshafts, four different gear ratios available. And a disaster for Mercury Racing for a couple of years. Guaranteed to self destruct in 3 to 10 hours. Willabee remembers what the garage floor looked like in that house they rented in Havasu, 1969----

[Jerry Howard]

Back in the day, I was told it was "Blueprinted", not that it makes a big difference, also the needle bearing that they installed halfway down the propshaft made a huge difference in reliability.

[FUJIMO]

Not to be confused with the later V-6 Racing BP motors nomenclature ...which was an abbreviation for bridgeport.

[Mark75H]

Back in the day, I was told it was "Blueprinted", not that it makes a big difference, also the needle bearing that they installed halfway down the propshaft made a huge difference in reliability.

I'm not aware of any bearing assembly, the thing half way down the drive shaft is the shift mechanism ... and its the failure device mentioned earlier

[willabee]

I finally won something. Check post #2.

.....and by getting that right, you have improved your accuracy ranking on S&F. You have jumped into a tie with Jackie..... both of you have now answered one question correctly on the first try!