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mk30h
11-18-2002, 08:30 PM
Does any one know the history of the OMC 3-cylinder looper first released in 1968? This was the first motor that OMC built that I as a die-hard Merc kid thought was a great engine. Rumor that I heard was that it was the baby of Charlie Strang who left Mercury a few years earlier after Brunswick took control.
The engine sure had a Merc flavor to it from, the lower unit to it's sleek design. Far different from the other OMC's at the time which looked like they had been designed in behind the Iron Curtain. But that first 55 was a real head turner, especially with the short shaft.

I remember seeing a poster at the local mercury dealer explaining a lawsuit that Mercury had against OMC over 55. I think it had a triumph looking into a Mirror with a Merc 650 reflected.

It said. "Mirror, Mirror on the wall whose the fairest outboard of all"
The Mirror replied
"Johnrude, Johnrude starring at me looks like a mighty Merc to me".

So what's the real story?

mk30h
11-18-2002, 08:53 PM
Evinrude info from 68

Mark75H
11-18-2002, 10:33 PM
It does have that "new" look to it and I think you are right about it being Strang's baby. The only thing that it might have had in common with a Merc would be something in the lower unit, couldn't be the thru prop exhuast, that was originally an OMC thing way back. Merc's 3 cylinder 65 didn't come out until '72, well after the Triumph. Anyone have that poster hangin' around?

Ray Neudecker
11-18-2002, 10:39 PM
Of all places, it is my understanding that the motor was actually the brain child of the old Scott Attwater Co and was bought from them in one of the many transactions involving their products.

mk30h
11-18-2002, 10:53 PM
It's really amazing the motor still has modern lines 34 years after it was introduced. Nice engine, I was alway's envious of my friends whose family boat had this engine, even compared to the merc 50's and 650 4 banger. How did the Merc 650 3 cyl direct charge compare performance wise. I know the OMC had a bigger prop hub diameter and really had get up and go compared to the Merc. But maybe the Mercs were propped wrong, but I thought they were anemic in comparison. Don't know why Bombardier didn't keep building the 3 cly. Thought they were the best engines OMC ever made and Bomb missed an opportunity there. Best selling engine in north ont for years.

Never heard the McCollough story but they did exit the business around that time. That would be an interesting turn.

Ps Sam The merc 650 in the Mirror - Mirror poster was the 4 banger. Then again it mighthave been the 500

Mark75H
11-18-2002, 10:58 PM
I have 7 Scott McCulloch triples and one OMC triple. The OMC triple bears no resemblence to them at all. (Other than being 3 cylinders.) They are pretty much 50's technology. In my research into outboard racing history I found and interviewed some of the Scott McCulloch engineers, there was practically no update work done there after the improvement to 75.2 hp in 1962. There are some rumors of 4 cylinder 84ci prototypes, but no actual technical improvements that could yeild anything resembling the OMC triple.

The McCulloch is a 63.2ci deflector piston type motor, regular diecast design. The Triumph is a 49ci loop charged design made by tricky lost foam casting technique.

There are also rumors that some Scott McCulloch designs went to Chrysler. The only truth to that is the fact that the racing development guys (Kies, Oxley and Snead) went to Chrysler when McCulloch decided to stop making outboards and Chrysler wanted to start racing. A few things were incorporated in the Chrysler racing lower unit that were proven in the McCulloch unit, but nothing in the powerhead except thin rings.

Mark75H
11-18-2002, 11:01 PM
Anyone know the reasons McCulloch decided to quit making outboards? There were 3 . . .

mk30h
11-18-2002, 11:04 PM
possible answer to three reasons

Chrysler(westbend), OMC, Merc?

or lawyers, lawyers, lawyers

LakeRacer99
11-19-2002, 10:17 AM
These are neat little motors that turned this Merc gut on to these. I have a few early and late 70's 3cyl OMC and they remind me more of my V6 Merc than my inline Mercs.
Does anyone know how they squeezed 20more horses out of the thing later on? I have looked in the product brochures from early 80'(75hp) back to 1973 (65hp) and they have always been the same cid, bore and stroke.
Would that leave porting and carbs or compression? Love the short shaft.

omc-v4
11-19-2002, 04:17 PM
ok 55 to 60 the 60 had another intake port added. the 65 had tuned exhaust the 70 has flat top pistons and differnt head the 75 is same as 70 except for 45 degree ramp at top of ex port. the hi po head did not come on them. for racers that use good gas.

LakeRacer99
11-19-2002, 04:29 PM
"70 has flat top pistons"

Don't they all have the flat tops, I am pretty sure one of my 65s does. Please clarify for me.
Thanks.

Mark75H
11-19-2002, 08:27 PM
#1 McCulloch was out done by OMC and Merc's higher hp motors. Once McCulloch wasn't right up there hp-wise with OMC and Merc, sales started falling. The highest hp McCulloch was the 75.2. Buyers go to the showroom where they can drool on the latest mega motor, even if they are only planning on buying a rowboat motor.

#2 The tooling was spent, used up, worn out; whatever you want to call it. More motors, even the old design clunkers could not be produced without a significant investment in new tools.

#3 Bob McCullouch had another investment that was paying huge dividends and did not require the massive reinvestment and management that the outboard business would have required of him. A real estate devlopment at the old US Army Air Corps R&R Site 6 in Arizona desert. Why work when you can just cruise? Better yet, why stick your neck out when you already own a sure thing?

Who knows what this location is called now?

Backfire
11-19-2002, 10:27 PM
Gotta be Lake Havasu City, home of the "London Bridge".
Backfire ;)

Mark75H
11-19-2002, 10:40 PM
Correct. The race there was to attract attention to the development. This was not lost on the folks at Salton City. The real estate developers were the main sponsors at both locations.

omc-v4
11-20-2002, 07:46 AM
70 & 75 have flat top pistons. You can put flat top pistons in any of them. Both have there on head.

Flat Out
11-20-2002, 09:50 AM
One of my favorite motors. I have a few of these:

1969 Johnson 55 hp short shaft
1973 Johnson 65 hp long shaft
1975 Evinrude 75 hp Hustler short shaft

It really is too bad these motors have been droped. Just about everyone at one time or another owned one of these motors.

My experiences with these have been:

They run best "pinned"
They will run forever DO NOT FORGET THE OIL
Not bad on fuel
They will need a head gasket every 10 years or so.
A coil and power pack now and then
Will run like a watch when properly tunned

I do know where there is a new 2001 70 in the box HMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Powercat
11-20-2002, 07:29 PM
Sam: I can remember us going to a race at someplace called "Site 6" Don't remember the details but the name struck a cord. Also some other location on the Colorado at Bullhead City. They had something called a "Wild Burro Bar-B-Que" and a boat race to go with it..
Remember that one as the first time my dad thougth I was old enough to go for a
ride in one of the race boats. Good times
spent with family and freinds.
Danny Leger

Originally posted by Mark75H
Correct. The race there was to attract attention to the development. This was not lost on the folks at Salton City. The real estate developers were the main sponsors at both locations. :)

Bill Gohr
11-21-2002, 01:11 PM
The 68 55hp was the first with domed pistons and a real unique head design that was used till 73. In 70 they came out with the 60hp which had the 3rd intake port. In 72 they came out with the 65hp which had a whole new exhaust area and ignition. All these were still electric shift. (don't know how it resembled a Merc) 73 was the same as 72 but had hydro mechanical G/C. 74 was a 70hp with new porting, flat top pistons and head which looks just like a 2.5. 75 they added the 75hp which was the same as a 70 with higher exhaust ports. This all stayed the pretty much the same except gearcases and trim till 86 when they went to 56 cu.in.

Someone posted that their 3 cyl looked more like their Merc V-6. Hmmm, could that be because the OMC looper came first? Let me think, loop charged engine, flat top pistons, muffin style cylinder head. Na forget I said anything.

Hydrovector
11-21-2002, 11:02 PM
The best engine omc made is right. I've had mine for 27 years.
If I didn't make so many parts for Mercury at work, there would be an Omc on the back of my Euro.

Bill Gohr
11-22-2002, 11:10 AM
one of my favs, 76 75hp Evvy

LakeRacer99
05-22-2009, 10:59 AM
Back to the Top...A great thread and a great engine.
I wish Beaver (omc v-4) was still around, he loved the motors too.

seahorse
05-22-2009, 12:23 PM
Those were a good ol' motor. About that time, OMC won it's long-running infringement lawsuit against Merc for the thru-hub exhaust system. The new 55's had a decal on the back by the idle relief port that said " Thru-hub exhaust - OMC Patent number xxxxxxxx " or something to that effect. It was done to tweak the noses of the Merc crowd.

oldskier
05-22-2009, 12:52 PM
I have a soft spot for the 3 cyl Johnson. I had a 60hp that I ran every summer for 15 years, all it ever did was pick up a slalom skier, run wide open, drop one, pick up another. Tough motor.

Mark75H
05-22-2009, 04:21 PM
Those were a good ol' motor. About that time, OMC won it's long-running infringement lawsuit against Merc for the thru-hub exhaust system. The new 55's had a decal on the back by the idle relief port that said " Thru-hub exhaust - OMC Patent number xxxxxxxx " or something to that effect. It was done to tweak the noses of the Merc crowd.

The patent was long since expired before Merc started doing it, but it was an excellent tweek.

php
05-22-2009, 06:25 PM
Sam, what was the first yr, OMC had thur hub ex. an first yr. merc had it. I have 5 3cyl. OMC's most Stingers an would not let any of them go. This is the only OMC motor Merc could not compete with. They ruled SE an FE in APBA.

Mark75H
05-22-2009, 07:07 PM
I think the first thru hub OMC was 1928; that is where the patent would have been. Even 20 years of patent protection would have expired in 1948. Both companies claimed different patents on their 1960's prop flairs ... Merc props just had a bell, OMC's had the reverse NACA style flow ring.

Merc's first thru prop was 1960, OMC brought it back on the triple in '68

At first the 49 ci OMC looper triple was an absolute class killer over the smaller 1940's descended 44 ci Merc 50hp deflector. Before it came out Merc had had the E classes to itself from the beginning of OPC. I really think the 55 hp designation of the Triumph was a gross under rating to put it close to the Merc in the public's eyes.

The Merc 650XS cheater motor was competitive with stock 75's, later Mod50 OMC's beat it easily. It see-sawed back and forth. People seem to remember how in ended rather than the whole story.

mk30h
05-24-2009, 11:25 PM
Sam,
The first Merc with Jet prop - "thro hub exhaust" was released in 1957, the Mark 10. Also the first with the gear shift in the twist grip throttle.
I am sure I saw an picture of a KH7 type engine with a jet prop in old mercury literature - jumping.

sosmerc
05-25-2009, 12:39 AM
No question that the 3 cylinder JohnRude was the best engine they ever built...and perhaps the best outboard ever built.
I had a 16ft. Lowe John Boat that I put a 1968 3 cyl 55hp short shaft on...what a blast...I had a transom jack, ran the engine with a tiller, but used the 3 button electric shift control to run the throttle. It ran awesome...I had hydraulic trim tabs and ran a 21 pitch Black OMC SST prop. The boat would stay on plane at about 1200 rpm and you could run in less than a foot of water. It ran about 45 mph top end....sipped gas and was rock solid dependable. (the transom finally cracked out under the stress...I think the hull was rated for max 25-30hp)
Too bad OMC put VRO on those engines......they were great up to then! (and all this coming from a die-hard Merc man)

Mark75H
05-25-2009, 06:42 AM
Sam,
The first Merc with Jet prop - "thro hub exhaust" was released in 1957, the Mark 10. Also the first with the gear shift in the twist grip throttle.
I am sure I saw an picture of a KH7 type engine with a jet prop in old mercury literature - jumping.

You are right, I was thinking of the bigger top of the line motors.

mk30h
05-25-2009, 08:44 AM
It's too bad that OMC didn't build on the Triumph success by building an inline 4 looper or V4 looper back in the late 60's. They had the jump on Merc and would have really built up a strong lead in sales of a superior engine.
I agree the 3 cly was the best motor they ever built beautiful lines too, especially with the short shaft.

Allstar
05-25-2009, 09:15 AM
I have a soft spot for the 3 cyl Johnson. I had a 60hp that I ran every summer for 15 years, all it ever did was pick up a slalom skier, run wide open, drop one, pick up another. Tough motor.

I ran a 1976 15' Avenger with a 70hp one summer. Was a great ski boat four people two six gallon tanks of fuel, ski all day. That was a great motor.

Allstar
05-25-2009, 09:21 AM
Sam, what was the first yr, OMC had thur hub ex. an first yr. merc had it. I have 5 3cyl. OMC's most Stingers an would not let any of them go. This is the only OMC motor Merc could not compete with. They ruled SE an FE in APBA.

I always wanted to move up to a SE tunnel boat. What a great package Seebold tunnel and 75 Stinger.

Fast Fred
05-25-2009, 09:29 AM
how that 650 cross flow comes up when talkin about a looper with a head gasket, i'll never know.
<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i43.tinypic.com/1zd6ulu.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

Mark75H
05-25-2009, 10:02 AM
how that 650 cross flow comes up when talkin about a looper with a head gasket, i'll never know.

'cause someone said the looper ruled E racing, which isn't so

(even though it is clearly the superior motor)

php
05-25-2009, 05:31 PM
Hard to read but I say this rules. show me what the 650xs did in stock, I can't remember if they were approved for SE FE. When they first came out an older guy name Red Mcntier from Columbia SC who always ran a 44 Merc. bought one an ran it in NOA an outlaw races. When the 700 came out a lot of people said he had one with a 650 cowl. At one race a guy ask Red was it a 650 or 700, Red looked at him an just said can't you read. I always though this was funny.

kermit
07-02-2009, 02:39 AM
We have a 75 Evinrude from 1978 on a 16" Banda. Runs a Cleaver 22 at 6500 rpm without hesitations. I look for a OMC 23 inch cleaver to test with. Only mods are nosecone and the engine is bored out to get higher compression.
My son run it in Classic Offshore here in Sweden.
Back in the days these engines ruled the E-class.

dale robertson
07-02-2009, 08:07 AM
'cause someone said the looper ruled E racing, which isn't soWhere didn't rule FE and SE ?

peterse90
07-02-2009, 09:55 PM
Where didn't rule FE and SE ?

Outside of the USA.
Canada, Europe and Australia.
In Canada the Merc 650XS's and the OMC's went head to head for many many years.

ALLSTAR wrote; I always wanted to move up to a SE tunnel boat. What a great package Seebold tunnel and 75 Stinger.

There were quite a few Seebold Se boats with Evinrudes; there were about 16 to 18 made for 'The Race of Champions' and I wish I knew how many were made for the Jeff Brown promo.

PABlouin
07-20-2009, 01:09 AM
What is surprizing to me is how long it took for outboard engine builders to get on board with so called "loop scavenging" considering it was pre WWII technology. DKW had it in the 30's. Invented by a fellow named Schnurle as I recall.

Mark75H
07-20-2009, 07:28 AM
It was used in outboards made in Europe for decades before it came to the US. The main reason it became popular in the US had nothing to do with it's application, but rather its manufacture.

New casting techniques made it cost effective in the high volumes done by US makers. Crossflow motors had been radically less expensive to manufacture before that time.

PABlouin
07-20-2009, 09:14 AM
Good reason

Li'l Toy
07-20-2009, 11:07 PM
I ran FE in the early 80's, spent quite a few years in that era around and in OPC racing in South Florida. I don't ever remember a Merc being competitive in SE or FE, at least once the 75s were established. I do think that they went head to head in Mod 50, though we rarely saw that class, but those were often either factory drivers or "factory" drivers and who knew what was really in those engines.

Sometime after OMC came out with the 49 ci motor, they changed the D class from uner 40 ci to under 44 or 45, whatever it took to give a place for all of those 4 cylnder Merc 50s not to become obsolete. Of course, the down side is two more classes to split up the number of people who raced.

To me the interesting comparison was FE/SE with SG/FG--the latter with the 85 4 cyl Mercury. Those two classes, with the added length and weight for the G class, ran very close to each other. The best G drivers would eventually outrun the best E drivers, but they were very close. But, once again, you had the same group of drivers with about the same boats running four classes instead of two, and fewer boats per class.

ironlake2
08-10-2009, 10:23 AM
And to think charlie stang left merc to do this great motor. just think what could have happened if charlie would have stayed with merc and could have gotton along with carl and left jack hannigan and brunswick out of the picture.

ironlake2
08-10-2009, 10:29 AM
I can remember when merc ran a v6 on 3 cylinders agains these omc;s and cleaned house. in fact it was on tv i saw it happen. did merc get to keep using the 3 cylinder v6?

Mark75H
08-10-2009, 10:32 AM
I don't think there was ever anyone who "got along" with Carl better than Charlie (other than Rose;))

Brunswick & Hannigan pushing deeper into Merc was inevitable, I don't think Charlie could have done anything about it.

The temptation to become Ralph Evinrude's successor at OMC was probably too much for Charlie to resist ... that probably started about the time Brunswick acquired Merc

FUJIMO
06-17-2019, 01:30 PM
I think the first thru hub OMC was 1928; that is where the patent would have been. Even 20 years of patent protection would have expired in 1948. Both companies claimed different patents on their 1960's prop flairs ... Merc props just had a bell, OMC's had the reverse NACA style flow ring.

Merc's first thru prop was 1960, OMC brought it back on the triple in '68

At first the 49 ci OMC looper triple was an absolute class killer over the smaller 1940's descended 44 ci Merc 50hp deflector. Before it came out Merc had had the E classes to itself from the beginning of OPC. I really think the 55 hp designation of the Triumph was a gross under rating to put it close to the Merc in the public's eyes.

The Merc 650XS cheater motor was competitive with stock 75's, later Mod50 OMC's beat it easily. It see-sawed back and forth. People seem to remember how in ended rather than the whole story.
...bringing a good thread forward...

peterse90
06-17-2019, 10:36 PM
The Merc 650XS was never intended to go against a MOD 50. The 650XS had a stock F-N-R gearcase.
The Merc 650X that later became the 700X was the MOD 50 engine with a small Speedmaster gear case and totally different tower housing.

I absolutely loved my "cheater motor" 650XS that was a totally legal FE/SE motor everywhere but APBA.
In Canada we had great OMC - Merc head to head FE/SE competition for many years because of the 650XS.

442071

powerabout
06-18-2019, 04:33 AM
funny how the f1 race was xflow omc v Merc looper and F3 FE etc was the other way around

FUJIMO
06-22-2019, 05:22 PM
https://image.isu.pub/110109092645-0c8a2e6e027c4eafb1344b4641d89b1a/jpg/page_1.jpg

FUJIMO
06-22-2019, 05:24 PM
https://image.isu.pub/110109092538-50cfcb85946c4587a3d182b0cd3eec21/jpg/page_1.jpg

FUJIMO
06-22-2019, 05:28 PM
http://jamayer.org/boat/boat8.jpg

FUJIMO
06-22-2019, 05:29 PM
http://jamayer.org/boat/boat7.jpg

Rotary John
06-24-2019, 07:39 AM
The original 3 cylinder OMC engine were not lost foam. That didn't happen till the very late '70's or early '80's. The loop transfer ports were formed into the cast iron liner and then high pressure die cast into the block.

powerabout
06-24-2019, 08:01 AM
The original 3 cylinder OMC engine were not lost foam. That didn't happen till the very late '70's or early '80's. The loop transfer ports were formed into the cast iron liner and then high pressure die cast into the block.
Lost foam wasnt used on the triple till the 56ci 86 ish

lars strom
06-24-2019, 09:28 AM
The Merc 650XS cheater motor was competitive with stock 75's, later Mod50 OMC's beat it easily. It see-sawed back and forth. People seem to remember how in ended rather than the whole story.

Well..I remember when the Merc 650XS came out 1975 and it did not keep up with the stock OMC 75 if the OMC was rigged and run correct.
Here is the story from Finland and the debut of the 650XS in the UIM SE class. I raced the UIM SE class many years and was never behind the Merc 650XS at the finish line.

The Scandinavian UIM SE Championship 1975 took place in Forsaa, Finland.

Around 25 boats were in place at this beautiful Lake, and Mercury had just released the new 650 XS UIM SE race engine and lots of people was hoping the new Merc could give the OMC drivers a run for the money.

Driver Bo Nilson (6) was backed up by AGB, the Swedish distributor for Johnson and I by Huzells, the Swedish distributor for Evinrude. (1)
The strongest Finn was Mercury’s Bimbo Aminoff and a few more drivers from Denmark
and Norway with the new Merc.
The rest was using OMC 3 Cyl. 75 Hp. Four heat and three counts as normally and a clock start.
I did not know how strong the new Merc was, but I was very well prepared and after
the first heat the good news was that the new Merc was no match (sorry
Mercury) and the fight was as usually between Bo (6) and me (1) and some other OMC
drivers.
In the second heat Bimbo Aminoff took the lead but after a few laps I past him and so did Bo but I made a mistake in one turn and Bo past me
for the win.
Well, I do not remember exactly but it came down to the last
heat and the winner of that heat was the overall winner of the race and I was
the lucky one again with only to tens of a second over Bo Nilsson, and I was now
the Scandinavian Champion for the third consecutive year.
Well not yet, because third was Mercury’s Bimbo Aminoff and he filed a protest.
Bo and I did not have any spray paint on our gear cases.
You where allowed to sharpen the skeg, and sand on the gear case if you still was within the template.

We pass that test easy, but the Chief technical inspector said that you must spray paint the gear case, and ours was just polished aluminum
so he disqualified Bo and me.
Bimbo Aminoff was now declared the winner and Bo Nilsson went nuts.
I know how angry he can get, and it turned ugly. After a major argument we left for Sweden and straight to Roland Rosenholtz, the Swedish Power Boat Federations chairman to tell him the
story, but he was already informed.
Mr. Rosenholtz made a few phone calls to Finland and UIM.
"There was nothing in the UIM rule book saying the gearcase must be painted/or not painted"
After a few days I received the Trophy and the price money
from Finland and I was officially the Scandinavian Champion 1975.
Thank you Roland Rosenholtz

http://svera.se/blogg/racing-historier/disqualified/

https://www.screamandfly.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=442651&d=1561386426

https://www.screamandfly.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=442650&d=1561386418

powerabout
06-24-2019, 06:37 PM
so who was the UIM inspector?

lars strom
06-24-2019, 08:05 PM
so who was the UIM inspector?

Don't remember, probably a local guy from Finland.

lars strom
06-24-2019, 08:21 PM
I spray painted the gearcase back in Swedenand lapped the Merc 650XS the next race.
Remember Paul Kalb from OMC racing in Belgium called me and said..
Lars..paint the f*cking gearcase before next race..:)..the problem was the paint alway came loose and it looked ugly.

2us70
06-30-2019, 03:07 PM
We could beat the original 55hp OMCs with a 500 most of the time. They had a much bigger lower unit, they were heavier and they were electric start so they had to carry a battery. These factors kept the manual start 50s competitive. Once they upped the horse power and changed to a better lower unit that was it.

Mark Poole ModVP
06-30-2019, 05:09 PM
Strang probably wanted to build more loop engines back then. The bean counters probably said retooling the entire line costs too much.

FUJIMO
07-30-2019, 12:51 PM
https://image.isu.pub/110109001346-bb711050949f4708ace9bebe5c08eb00/jpg/page_1.jpg

dale robertson
07-30-2019, 05:32 PM
http://jamayer.org/boat/boat7.jpg

The dog nuts are missing.

powerabout
07-30-2019, 07:30 PM
true

ChrisCarsonMarine
07-31-2019, 07:32 AM
Proper term is "monkey balls"

dale robertson
07-31-2019, 08:37 AM
Proper term is "monkey balls"
Looks like I was wrong on both accounts. The Monkey Balls (dog nuts) don't show up in the parts book till the 1970 60h.p.

powerabout
07-31-2019, 09:29 AM
so in 68 you rev it up and turn the key off and get a bit of a shock?

dale robertson
07-31-2019, 10:35 AM
so in 68 you rev it up and turn the key off and get a bit of a shock? I thought they all had the shift diodes (dog nuts) so they wouldn't shift into forward as the motor spooled down. I was surprised I couldn't find them in the parts look up for the 55 h.p. . I don't remember trying to rev one up and then turning the key off , but I do remember them going into forward at idle when the shift diodes (dog nuts) were bad and you turned the ignition off. Maybe that was normal with the 55 h.p. The shift pin was spring loaded to push the clutch dog into the forward gear as a fail safe , so you needed oil pressure for neutral and reverse. When the oil pressure got lower than the spring pressure you end up in forward gear.

2us70
07-31-2019, 10:48 AM
How long did OMC use the electric shift lower units? I was wondering if they were still in use in 1973?

dale robertson
07-31-2019, 02:32 PM
How long did OMC use the electric shift lower units? I was wondering if they were still in use in 1973?
1972 was the last year. They kept the oil pump but used a shift rod to control it.

2us70
07-31-2019, 05:43 PM
At some point they went to a lower unit that looked to be about the size of the Mercury 650 and 500 units. Do you know when that was?

Mark75H
07-31-2019, 07:59 PM
At some point they went to a lower unit that looked to be about the size of the Mercury 650 and 500 units. Do you know when that was?

'73 and '74 I think. That's when my book lists the Johnson Stinger II triple. Wasn't the Evinrude case called the Nitro?

powerabout
08-01-2019, 08:37 AM
'73 and '74 I think. That's when my book lists the Johnson Stinger II triple. Wasn't the Evinrude case called the Nitro?
yes was on all the 15" 70hp engines.
Same guts with new case is the sst60 lower

lars strom
08-01-2019, 09:25 AM
The smaller (later called Nitro) gear case came out 1974 in a limited production 70 HP 15 inch race model.
The standard 70 HP 15 inch 1974 model still used the larger gear case.
1975 was really the first year for the smaller gear case on the 15 inch 75HP.

2us70
08-01-2019, 11:00 AM
I remember that the larger unit was working pretty well on the E Production boats. I was running a 650 against them and having trouble keeping up in 72 and 73. I ran the same motor on a SE boat several times in 73 and did quite well against them. 74 went back to a 500 in SD. Same props old SE boat.

FUJIMO
08-02-2019, 05:25 PM
https://www.screamandfly.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=319624&d=1431381123

Chips overboard
08-11-2019, 07:58 AM
I just bought this yesterday from a guy that does house clean outs. The owner of the house is 91 years old and told the workers that the Outboard had been in the cellar for 48 years and that he bought it in 1970 ,used it one season in fresh water and then sold the boat to a friend and kept the motor . When I recieved the motor from the guy that does the house clean outs there were no controls and he wanted 900.00 for it. It came with two metal fuel tanks ,the stand in the photo,and 12 cans of 1970 50:1 cans of oil .I offered him 300.00 and he accepted the offer. see photos

446477446478446481Also it is mint under the cover and it's a short shaft 15" Not a single scratch! unreal!

Chips overboard
09-22-2019, 06:04 PM
I remember the monkey nuts being in the control in the 1968 55 hp Johnrudes when I was working on them, so it's possible you were looking in the wrong place in the parts books, fyi

WaterZebra
09-23-2019, 10:16 AM
I just bought this yesterday from a guy that does house clean outs. The owner of the house is 91 years old and told the workers that the Outboard had been in the cellar for 48 years and that he bought it in 1970 ,used it one season in fresh water and then sold the boat to a friend and kept the motor . When I recieved the motor from the guy that does the house clean outs there were no controls and he wanted 900.00 for it. It came with two metal fuel tanks ,the stand in the photo,and 12 cans of 1970 50:1 cans of oil .I offered him 300.00 and he accepted the offer. see photos

446477446478446481Also it is mint under the cover and it's a short shaft 15" Not a single scratch! unreal!
It this was an original Triumph 55 Short Shaft I wouldn't be surprised if BRP offered to buy it from you. If you decide to post it for sale on eBay sometime I would expect a bidding war from collectors. Again, what a find! The OEM gas tanks and 50:1 cans are worth a lot too!

Chips overboard
09-23-2019, 12:35 PM
Who is BRP ????

FUJIMO
09-23-2019, 01:06 PM
Bombardier Recreational Products. A Canadian company who manufactures business jets, train cars, buses, 3-wheel motorcycles, mining, etc., around the world. Mostly, but not limited to, transportation related manufacturing. They bought the little that was left of OMC (Johnson/Evinrude), mostly just the names & some buildings, when they went out of business & comepletely bankrupt. The bank that owned them put the remnants out for auction, which failed, so a second auction was presented & BRP purchased the assets. No relationship at all really, but are attempting to create a new history for themselves in the marketplace, using OMC's history.

Chips overboard
09-23-2019, 01:18 PM
Oh ? I see Thank you for your response Fuji . I recently bought a 1972 9.5 hp johnson with no hrs on it in nice condition. My camera crapped out on me or I'd post it. I have been servicing outboards in the same location for 37 years and never had these condition motors come through the door till this year, huh, go figure. Chip