User Tag List

Thanks Thanks:  0
Likes Likes:  0
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 37
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Annapolis, MD ragboat capital of the world
    Posts
    11,463
    Thanks (Given)
    591
    Thanks (Received)
    164
    Likes (Given)
    2428
    Likes (Received)
    445
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)

    Super Speedmaster meets the Frankenstien monster of Speedmasters

    In 1968 Mercury introduced a very complicated racing lower unit for their 1250 BP and 1000 BP racing motors we saw in other threads on some offshore boats.

    These lower units featured narrow profile bullets, mutliple driveshafts and full gearshifting. Here is an alternate design patented by Carl himself. The units sold to racers were different.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails aabpalternate.jpg  
    Last edited by Mark75H; 12-11-2002 at 06:05 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Annapolis, MD ragboat capital of the world
    Posts
    11,463
    Thanks (Given)
    591
    Thanks (Received)
    164
    Likes (Given)
    2428
    Likes (Received)
    445
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)
    The BP lower units sold as customer racers used this arrangement for reduction and shifting.

    This arrangement allows fairly quick change of drive ratio and places the water pump lower where it is more likely to work well.

    Note that this type Speedmaster uses three thinned driveshafts and a total of 11 gear surfaces (15 if you count the dogs on the shifter mechinism).

    Apologies to dialup users, I just couldn't reduce the image anymore without sacrificing quality


    Can anyone explain how the shift mechinism works (besides you start up the motor, slam it in reverse and the whole thing explodes! that happened often enough a kit came out to limit the speed the motor could run when you shifted into reverse)


    The base image here is from the US Patent application for the BP, but I claim ownership of this enhanced, corrected and colored version. Feel free to save it on your personal computer and print for yourself, but PLEASE DO NOT repost this to another bulletin board, put on a website (yours or someone else's) or print in a magazine or book without my written permission.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails bpcolors2.jpg  
    Last edited by Mark75H; 09-28-2003 at 11:46 AM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Argentine township, Mi.
    Posts
    2,045
    Thanks (Given)
    20
    Thanks (Received)
    6
    Likes (Given)
    76
    Likes (Received)
    31
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)
    That's alot of hardware turning at 6 to 7 grand. The shift setup looks like the purple dog moves up and down to ingage the case. The driveshaft stops at the shift dog and foward gear would be with the shift dog up. driving the back two shafts, The reverse gear ratio would be what ever the case is and foward gear you could change the ratio with the red and green gears. Am I right? One thing I noticed is the routing of the water passage though the gearcase you think they could have ran it strait though like the SSM'S. Sam, Was there something in the way that's not shown on the drawing or did they move it back to keep the leading edge narrower on the case ?
    Last edited by crazy horse; 12-13-2002 at 02:24 PM.
    DaveW

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Annapolis, MD ragboat capital of the world
    Posts
    11,463
    Thanks (Given)
    591
    Thanks (Received)
    164
    Likes (Given)
    2428
    Likes (Received)
    445
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)
    The patent diagram is not an engineering/set up diagram.....somethings maybe placed just for convenience or better visability I don't know the answer to the water passage question.

    Your description is basically correct, but all three lower shafts turn together all the time; the blue gear is constantly engaged to the gear behind it and that one to the gear in the back.

    So, as Crazy Horse has described for forward the purple shifter dog (which is splined on the upper driveshaft) is raised and it engages the the green gear. The driveshaft does not turn the green gear directly.....as far as the driveshaft is concerned the green gear is just a hollow disk it runs thru. The green gear turns the red gear. The red gear is on the same shaft as the back gear of the 3 gear train. This turns all three driveshafts and the three pinion sets (orange on my diagram) that turn the propshaft.

    If the red and green gears are not the same size (with the same number of teeth) there is a change in speed between the motor and the lower driveshafts. The production BP's had these reduction ratios listed 1:1, 1.25:1, 1.5:1, 1.75:1 and 2:1, but the gears were not interchangeable front to back; the bearing support surfaces were not the same, the back gear is splined and the front gear is just hollow.

    For reverse, the purple shift dog drops down and drives the blue gear at the front of the 3 gear train; causing the train to run in the opposite direction from the way it turns when driven by the green and red gears. (While you are in reverse the green and red gears turn because they are solidly connected to the back shaft of the train, but there is no connection to the upper driveshaft.)

    This image shows the 3 gear train. Notice the tall shaft on the right, this is the back shaft. The red gear fits on those splines. On the front gear (colored blue on the colored diagram) you can see 2 of the 3 pie shaped dogs (ears) that engage with the shift dog that does the shifting (the third one is behind the fork). You can also see the fork that raises and lowers the shifter dog on the splines of the driveshaft .
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails angletopcloseup.jpg  

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Argentine township, Mi.
    Posts
    2,045
    Thanks (Given)
    20
    Thanks (Received)
    6
    Likes (Given)
    76
    Likes (Received)
    31
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)
    Sam, Was the gearcase ratio 1 to 1 on all the BP cases ?
    DaveW

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Annapolis, MD ragboat capital of the world
    Posts
    11,463
    Thanks (Given)
    591
    Thanks (Received)
    164
    Likes (Given)
    2428
    Likes (Received)
    445
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)
    The foot ratio is 15:16 (almost 1:1), but the green and red gears were the reduction ratios or 1:1 as I mentioned above.

    Here is an image showing the green and red gears and the purple shifter just barely visable. Note that the gear on the right (red on the colored diagram) is larger than the gear on the left (green). This is a reduction set. For 1:1 they would be the same size.

    For later reference note the six studs screwed into the case that stick down when the motor is upright.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails bp..gearend.jpg  
    Last edited by Mark75H; 03-04-2003 at 09:11 PM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Argentine township, Mi.
    Posts
    2,045
    Thanks (Given)
    20
    Thanks (Received)
    6
    Likes (Given)
    76
    Likes (Received)
    31
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)
    Did the top gears run submerged in oil ?
    DaveW

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Annapolis, MD ragboat capital of the world
    Posts
    11,463
    Thanks (Given)
    591
    Thanks (Received)
    164
    Likes (Given)
    2428
    Likes (Received)
    445
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)
    No, see the brass fittings and plastic tube in the picture with the train gears? That is part of the lubrication system. I think oil came up from the bottom at 1/2 psi or so from a passage near one set of the pinions. The top stuff just ran in a mist of oil splashing around.


    Like their more sane cousins the BP's came in right and left. All the images we have seen so far are of a right hand rotation BP. For left hand the double sided gear would be between the middle and back lower driveshaft gears and the single gear would be at the front instead of the back. (These are the little orange bits on the colored diagram.)
    Last edited by Mark75H; 12-13-2002 at 05:42 PM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Argentine township, Mi.
    Posts
    2,045
    Thanks (Given)
    20
    Thanks (Received)
    6
    Likes (Given)
    76
    Likes (Received)
    31
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)
    I thought that might of been somebodies after thought. That's interesting that would save them some power not trying to drag those large gears though oil.
    DaveW

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Posts
    9,502
    Thanks (Given)
    23
    Thanks (Received)
    269
    Likes (Given)
    191
    Likes (Received)
    1975
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    OH NO

    OH NO! I forgot if I put the shim in the back of the case. I guess that will be OK if I don't tell ol' Carl. Really, I don't think the oil pump on this masterpiece was a afterthought.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Annapolis, MD ragboat capital of the world
    Posts
    11,463
    Thanks (Given)
    591
    Thanks (Received)
    164
    Likes (Given)
    2428
    Likes (Received)
    445
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)

    Reactivated thread, what I left out

    Or more accurately, where I left off and didn't finish.

    Looking at the mid sections ..... here is a 1968 BP mid. The sides of the mid housing are smooth and the lower fasteners are studs anchored in the mid section facing down to go into the transmission box


    The nuts will go on the bottom.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails bp1968housing.jpg  
    Last edited by Mark75H; 09-26-2003 at 12:17 PM.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Annapolis, MD ragboat capital of the world
    Posts
    11,463
    Thanks (Given)
    591
    Thanks (Received)
    164
    Likes (Given)
    2428
    Likes (Received)
    445
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)
    Here is a '69 and later Super BP mid.

    (sorry it is upside down )


    Notice each side has 2 big scallops.........

    The studs are now in the transmission housing and facing up.

    The nuts are on the top.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails bp super mid.jpg  
    Last edited by Mark75H; 09-26-2003 at 12:19 PM.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Annapolis, MD ragboat capital of the world
    Posts
    11,463
    Thanks (Given)
    591
    Thanks (Received)
    164
    Likes (Given)
    2428
    Likes (Received)
    445
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)
    Here is a '69 and later Super BP transmission and lower unit.......studs facing up ready to go up thru the holes in the Super BP mid
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails super back.jpg  

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Annapolis, MD ragboat capital of the world
    Posts
    11,463
    Thanks (Given)
    591
    Thanks (Received)
    164
    Likes (Given)
    2428
    Likes (Received)
    445
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)
    The same type mid section, but with an adapter to let you use a regular non-shift Super Speedmaster under the SuperBP mid


    This evolved into the Twister 2 mid section with a few changes
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails bpsuperspeedmaster.jpg  

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Annapolis, MD ragboat capital of the world
    Posts
    11,463
    Thanks (Given)
    591
    Thanks (Received)
    164
    Likes (Given)
    2428
    Likes (Received)
    445
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)
    From some 1969 Merc sales literature:
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails bp\'69hires2.jpg  

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Frank Mole Transport