Speedmaster meets SUPER Speedmaster

[Mark75H]

As early as 1963 it was obvious you couldn't finish a long endurance race with the same gears and bearings you started with in a Speedmaster with a 100 hp Merc, especially if you souped up it up in the unlimited classes. Kiekhaefer was also looking for a racing lower unit to put under the Mercuiser sterndrives. One of the problems was getting a lot of torque transmitted to the propshaft while keeping the frontal profile small.

Going back to the 1930's there were already patents on lower unit/drive designs using multiple drive shafts and mulitple gears one behind the other driving a single prop shaft. The problem was in assembly or design, some way to make sure each gear pair carried equal or nearly equal load. It sounds easy, but it's not. If the pairs are not equally carrying the torque load, the more heavily loaded pair wears first and then the second pair wears....each wears out carrying the full load instead of sharing it.

They came up with something that worked. Instead of trying to get the lash set up perfectly on both pairs they had them set up close and thinned down the driveshafts enough that the shafts flexed. The leading/more loaded gear pair still had more of the load, but it no longer had so much that it wore beyond usefullness before a significant amount of load was being born by the other pair. My imagination says this would cause the gears to "wear in" and eventually run even closer to 50/50 on the load.

The patent application diagram for the flexi driveshaft narrow profile lower unit actually shows it as a sterndrive.

Here is Merc's announcement of the improved Speedmaster called the "SUPER SPEEDMASTER" from April 1965.

-Note that this unit still has DR capability-

http://www.drolsum.net/temp/small_shaft_01.jpg

[Mark75H]

An early Merc SSM patent...not the first but one with an easier to read diagram.

24 & 25 point to the thinned down shafts

20 & 21 point to the gears that drive the back driveshaft

If this was an outboard and the driveshaft is turning clockwise as seen from the top is this a left hand rotation unit or right hand?

[Mark75H]

What's different about this one? Why did they do that?

[Raceman]

Obviously the second one has seperate gears on the propshaft for R rotation, as opposed to the common gear between the pinions on the first picture which produced L rotation. (assuming clockwise rotation of the driveshaft looking down from the top)

[Mark75H]

Raceman is correct! Again! How does he do that?

Since a Super Speedmaster has two gears driving the propshaft, both of them have to move to the other side of their driveshaft to reverse the propshaft rotation. With clockwise input both propshaft gears in the center will drive the propshaft counter clockwise, both propshaft gears outside the driveshafts will drive the propshaft clockwise.

It's too bad Merc's printers didn't get the contrast set very well on the SSM parts list......what you see on your screen is an accurate scan of an original page from Merc's Section "F" where all the accessories are listed.

[Mark75H]

the numbers:

lo - rez here is kindness to our dialup friends

[Mark75H]

The prop shaft page:

[Mark75H]

The parts in the box on the right are the left hand rotation propshaft, the double sided propshaft gear and the spacers to hold the gear in the correct position between the driveshafts.

Just outside the box to the left are the right hand rotation parts.

[Mark75H]

SSM with water pump and top bearings removed.

Looking down the main driveshaft, here are the top gears and the top of the back driveshaft. The hole to the left of the main driveshaft is the water inlet to the water pump.

These gears are 20 & 21 on the patent diagrams and 22 & 29 on the parts list.

[crazy horse]

Sam , Thanks for posting the sheets on the super speedmaster. I was really disappointed when I got a Merc parts cd and the info on the ssm's was not on it. Seams to me that it wouldn't have been that big of deal to include it on the cd.

[Mark75H]

Here's a closer look at the driveshaft coming into the lower unit and the upper spur gears driving the rear shaft on the right

http://forums.screamandfly.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=357&pictureid=5460

The water pump housing which doubles as a bearing carrier has been removed in this picture. The hole to the far left is the water passage coming up from the water inlet in the bullet.

Each of these shafts is stabilized by a tapered roller bearing (like a car wheel bearing) held in place by the bottom of the water pump housing ... extremely sturdy.

Thanks to Arne for this pic

[Spreadeagle]

I was also disapointed my CD did not have these parts listed.

toooo coool

gary

[Mark75H]

No problem, Gary....it's your birthday present from me (haha)

It is left off the CD because it is an accessory like a tach, speedometer, fuel gage or gas tank; not part of a regular production motor.

Did anyone notice the lowest pitch listed on the announcement sheet? With 1:1 gears what would that slowest boat speed be at a safe 5,500 rpm motor speed (wouldn't bog the motor down much more than that safely) with 10% slip? Looks like these were made for fast boats.


Charlie Strang left Mercury just before the Super SM was released, I'm pretty certain he knew what was in them without looking up the patents. Anyone know how he designed the OMC racing lower units to avoid infringing on the Merc patents but still balancing the torque to each gear pair?

[Backfire]

I give up!
Backfire :confused:

[Mark75H]

OK, Backfire here it is:

Charlie balanced the torque by setting up the OMC lower units as lefthand rotation with the same type double sided gear between the two driveshaft gears, but instead of locking the position of the propshaft gear he left it floating back and forth on splines on the propshaft. The position of the gear always self located at a position that allowed exactly 50% of the torque to be transmitted by each driveshaft.

Giant versions of the same unit were used on the rotary engined racers.

[Mark75H]

As promised on the "Name this LU" thread....the Parker tower

[crazy horse]

Sam, Is this a parker tower?

[Mark75H]

yes


Thanks for the pictures!

[Mark75H]

Here's a link to the 1932 patent on multiple outboard driveshafts:US Patent #1903350 (http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT1903350&id=RpRaAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1931&dq=patent:1903350&num=100&as_drrb_ap=q&as_minm_ap=1&as_miny_ap=2007&as_maxm_ap=1&as_maxy_ap=2007&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=2007&as_maxm_is=1&as_maxy_is=2007)

If you have trouble reading the image, download the .tiff reader linked on the patent office page, it works pretty well.

[Old fiberglass]

Sam,

How much different it the Merc SSM lower unit than a OMC X-115/GT-115 lower unit ??? Looking at the picture you posted of the SSM lower unit top looking down it "appears" to be similar to the OMC. I realize the designer/engineer switch from Merc to OMC and help them design the OMC lower unit. The drive shafts in the OMC version aren't tapered as the Mercs appear to be. OMC even made the drive shafts out of carbon steel vs. there usual stainless steel.

I have one GT-115 lower unit that is apart and wish I could find someone knowledgeable to reassmble it. Also, have a long shaft version that seems to be rare.

[Mark75H]

The X-115 unit gearshift units were completely different from the Merc units, almost no similarities at all other than the fact they both go on an outboard and have a prop at the back.

Merc held a patent on the tapered driveshafts from 64 to 81, so it would have been an infringement if OMC used it, Merc would have sued.

I don't know of any X-115 experts, there were so few of them compared to SSM's that no "expert" ever really surfaced. I would be surprized if Steckbauer has never worked on one, but he may decline due to the lack of parts for them. Bearings and seals are no problem, but shafts and gears will put you on the beach.

[Old fiberglass]

Sam,

Thanks for the reply and info. I'll keep trying.

[T2x]

Old.......

I have a good friend in Phoenix who is both a crack outboard race mechanic....and a machinist.........

I'll try and put you in touch with him..I'll have to go through his ex'....... He has become something of a recluse, but this just might tickle his fancy.

T2x

[Old fiberglass]

T2x,

You the man !!! I certainly would appreciate it.

[T2x]

Is it just me.....or does Jim Parker's drag hydro above look like it was made out of cardboard? I remember that picture from years gone by....... It was either in The Propeller or Hot Boat.

T2x

[Raceman]

The big differences between the X115 gearcase and Merc's Speedmasters is the profile, in addition to the full gearshift feature of the X115/GT115. The OMC cases look like a downsized production type unit except for the fact that the exhaust exits above the cavitiation plate. OMC did in fact make a direct drive gearcase for these that was small, similar to Merc's SSM's, but I don't believe that one was ever factory installed on a X115/GT115 and they were probably intended for the Stranger/Stinger (V4 type Stinger) rather than the two 115's.

I have a very original X115 with the original gearcase, and a friend here has a GT115 that has the race case retrofitted. I can post pictures of mine, but Gary MacManus has one also and his pictures are already on the website here somewhere.

As far as the Parker mid with the cut SSM gearcase (the backs are cut off to make them match the housing) I've got one of those also with a Merc 1000 powerhead and complete cowl like the one in the advertising picture above. It's a neat engine also, and I'll try to get a decent picture of it posted this week.

[Mark75H]

Raceman is right again, the 1:1 OMC units didn't come out right away on the X-115. I think they were available by the time the 99ci X-115's were being sold and were an option on them. R.C. Hawie sent me the details on the release date sometime ago.

[Old fiberglass]

Raceman,

I would like to see both the Merc 100 and the X-115. I have a long shaft X-115 that has a bad pistion. I think the lower unit you were refering to was a 1:1 nick named the "club foot", no ??

P.S. - I must say I am impressed with your array of muscle cars and race boat stuff. My hat is off to you..........

[Raceman]

Put your hat back on old glass, most of my stuff is just old junk needin' a good resto.

Anyhow, I'll try to get the pictures posted this week. The X115 I have is longshaft also, but I'm under the impression that the driveshaft has an extension on it that's easily removed. I know the extension in the mid section on all the older OMC stuff unbolts. I actually bought a pair of em several years ago and ended up selling one. It was short. The dealer who had these two had rigged an old V bottom in the late 60's with three of these engines, two lefts and a right. I got both the lefts and he'd sold the right to some guy to run on a small bassboat a year or two earlier. It's probably still around in the area that these two came from.

[tunnelboat17]

:cool: In 1980 I had a 15 Stream+80-225 with an inline Fleetmaster I got from East Coast Marine which ran good, but I had seen a Speedmaster on a 1500 short on a competition 15 Stream for sale. I couldn't stop thinkin how fast my 15+225 Merc could go if I could get that thing on my 20 inch leg? I had a custom driveshaft extention made ( had to be 4+15/16ths inch).It only had 4 studs that lined up= Risky?? I was determined so it was a calculated risk. OK took it for a ride at the height of old l-unit+ it hopped at 89 mph no matter what the trim-that sucked! What now?? Since prop was 9+3/4by 17 pitch we figured too high! Lowered motor 3 inchs + Bada Bing!!!! 102-104 at 7400+1to1 gears and 17 pitch!!! Not a bit of torque in the wheel and handled like a dream. Never wanted to take that Speedmaster off but, it would show a trace of micro specs of metal in the oil when I changed it every 2 hrs running time so I guess the Inline SSM is not suited for the hp of a V6. When I got it the oil was alittle old and a bit cloudy but not burned+ no sign of metal in it!!! So evidence suggested if I kept using it-- Bang!! Hated to take it off=Oh Well!! Just sharing some info from my Encyclopedia of useless information!!!!!:eek:

[Old fiberglass]

Raceman,

My X-115 doesn't have an extension on the driveshaft, it's a one piece long driveshaft. The housing does have standard OMC 5" extension though.

[ most of my stuff is just old junk needin' a good resto ]

I think your being humble. Hummm, a concourse 1969 L-88 Corvette, 1967 427/435HP Corvette, another 1967 Vette waiting a resto, bought a brand new 1990~1991 ZR-1, a Merc twin stacker boat to die for, several unique outboards and a ton of other stuff you haven't mentioned. Yup, just a bunch of old junk.......... you can dump any of your old junk off at my place anytime.

Yeah, I'm just giving you a hard time. I enjoyed your story about finding the 427/435HP in a Vega and your buddies GTO.

[Mark75H]

The clubfoot came still later, I think it was standard on the next generation of motors: the Strangler GP and Stinger GP (but it might have been available a little sooner as an accessory).

The std gear ratio on the clubfoot was 14:23 and racers prefered it over the 1:1 units in most cases. They said it was less prone to cavitiating thru the turns. The clubfoot sort of looks like a shift X-115 unit redone to take SuperSpeedmaster props.


Speedmasters are not made for everyday use. I would not run one more than an hour or so without changing the oil, even during the course of a day. Seeing tiny flakes of metal worn off the gears (in the oil) is completely normal, even with 100hp. The original dirty oil was probably hiding its metal.

[Old fiberglass]

Sam,

Thanks again for the good info. The lower unit picture you posted was the one I was thinking of. I have heard old racers saying they didn't care for the 1:1 version as you indicated.

These are pictures of the gear shift X-115 & GT-115 lower units. One is obviously a long shaft and the other is a short. Notice the long driveshaft has a taperd shaft 5"~ 6" above the adaptor housing. The only way to change from a long to a short shaft is to pull the lower unit apart, which is mission impossible.

[Old fiberglass]

Another shot.......

[Old fiberglass]

You can see the rear exhaust in the shot.

[Old fiberglass]

The slot on the upper leading edge of the lower unit was for a jack strap. I have yet to see one, I think they all stayed with the boat when the engine was removed.

[Raceman]

"The slot on the upper leading edge of the lower unit was for a jack strap. I have yet to see one, I think they all stayed with the boat when the engine was removed."

I've got 2 of em. I'm pretty sure they're not as complete as the breakdown shows, but I know I've at least got the saddles with the male threads and the staps. I don't recall my gearcases having that slot in the front either. I'll have to check and be sure.

As far a shortening the driveshaft, theres a guy here that did the shaft in one of my #8 Speedmasters without disassembly. He charged me 200. and said it was a bitch, but he'd probably do one of those for that and he'd obviously have a lot more room to work with.

If OMC did all the longshaft ones that way I'll be facing the same dilema because I sold the short and kept the long, thinking it was just a simple unbolt and re assemble job, based on some of the other old V4 gearcases I've seen off.

[Mark75H]

Old 'glass.....do you have the rest of the parts list?


Can we see it?

Please?


Pretty please?


With sugar on top?

[lilabner]

When I worked for Holman Moody Marine we borrowed a couple supers from Aronow and I took them apart to photograph and measure....I think the pics went to Volvo but nothing ever came of it...fun days..

[Old fiberglass]

Sam,

I'll try to scan in the owners manual/parts catalog this weekend. Just be gentle with me when I ask a stupid question or two. Here is a picture of the cover I already had.

P.S. Dumb question #1 - What is the difference stock 1150~1250 inline Merc vs. the BP version. In other words what makes a BP a BP ?? I'm told BP stands for blue printed, no ??

Raceman,

Buddy, pal, friend of friend ........................ you wouldn't want to part with one of your thrust jacks would you ??

[Old fiberglass]

I had already scanned in this spec page for someone else. Notice the 1:1 available as an accessory footnote.

[Mark75H]

Correct, in this case, BP stands for blue printed. On V-6's it stands for Bridge Port.

The powerheads were blue printed prototypes of the next year's models.

The Merc 1000 BP & 1250 BP had full gear shift racing lower uints, in response to the OMC 115 racers. Keikhaefer fought fire with fire.

There is a thread on the special BP lower unit: http://forums.screamandfly.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24648&highlight=super+speedmaster

[Raceman]

Old glass, the thrust jacks are really a little more complete than I remembered. Neither has the plate that appears to go on the inside of the transom (#4 on the breakdown), but looks like the rest is pretty much there. One also has a piece related to the straps missing. It's number 7 on the breakdown above. It would be easy to duplicate. That one also has the little studs that retain that particular piece rung off. Also, the piece of leather that glues in for the motor to ride against is gone on it. I might consider parting with it since it needs a little work and I'm lazy.

I'm sure you're aware that the BP's also had a different mid section in addition to the gearcase difference Sam described.

[Raceman]

A picture............. not a real good 'un, but a picture none the less. I'm gonna get my Super BP up on a stand from it's present position on it's side in a pallet rack and shoot some pics of it also in the next week or so.

[Powercat]

Ok so the 1961 Sportmaster was FGS and the BP's were FGS, but all Speedmasters are forward only unless you had a DR motor, correct? Were there any other Mercury FGS racing units?

[Mark75H]

No, sorry for the confusion, the '61 Sportmaster, like the Speedmaster, was a Dockbuster.


'61 was an odd year for Merc. They test marketed the FGS along side the Dockbuster ... regular fishing '61's were both FGS and Dockbuster ... and both had thru prop exhaust

The '68-'70 BP is the only FGS Merc racing lower unit.

[Powercat]

Real raceboats don't need no stinken reverse !!!:D
......
Thanks, Sam

[Old fiberglass]

Thanks for the info Sam. Speaking of Sportmaster lower units I'll post a few pics of the one I have. Got any good ideas on where to find the shaft extension and props ?? I want to run it on a DR 800.


Raceman - I'm certainly interested in the thrust jack. How do you want to proceed ?? Or do I need to suck up a little more ??

[Old fiberglass]

Rear view

[Old fiberglass]

Top view.

[Mark75H]

You could have the extension made for $100 or so, but you are probably stuck on props. If the one you have doesn't work, you are probably in the $400 custom prop world.

A Sportmaster prop did surface and sell on eBay last year to some lucky dog (or maybe goofus who still can't figure out what it fits; hope its not headed for the dumpster!).

Don't forget.......the Sportmaster only correctly fits on the 1961 mid which is different from the others. It is longer at the back than other Dockbuster mids, but shorter at the front than the FGS mids. There may be room at the front of the housing to drill another hole and use a FGS mid, but they are slightly different shape if you are looking for 100% Concours restoration.

Do you have the water inlet or is it lost? It wasn't a flush inlet like the earlier Dockbusters, it looks like a little fin, much like other brands used at the time.

[Old fiberglass]

It didn't have the water pickup when I bought it, but I had a extra one anyway. I believe the DR 800 I have is a 1961. It appears like the water pickup on the DR is the same as the Sportmaster. I've been hoping to stumble on some correct props, but so far no luck.

Thanks for the info........

[Mark75H]

A DR 800 should be right. Sounds like you are well on your way. :)

[Raceman]

I've got DR stuff from all years I believe. I wasn't aware there was a difference in the 61 housing. Now you're gonna make me do some measurin'.

Ole' Glass, suckin' up is always good, especially in massive amounts. I don't know if you remember the scene from Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts was in the second clothing store after the first one blew her off and the way the manager treated Richard Gere. I'd actually prefer a gorgeous young virgin in trade, but there are so few around past the legal age now, that might be rarer than the thrust jack, so maybe I could just settle for a 75H mid or somethin' else easy. I'll give it some thought.

[Powercat]

Raceman:
Go easy on my pal Rick (oldfiberglass), he is a Powercat owner and digs this old "junk" as much as any of us.
:D :D :D
Danny

[Old fiberglass]

Raceman,

I had the Pretty Woman scene in my head when I mentioned sucking up, but couldn't remember the of name it. To me it was funny to watch people doing it for real after seeing the movie. I guess everyone has had to do it at one point in their life.

I just gave my last 18 year old virgin away. Darn, I hate when that happens and just when you need one. Well keep me in mind......

[Old fiberglass]

Sam,

I have something I don't understand, actually it's alot of things but we won't go there.

Does the through prop exhaust work very well on a dockbuster ?? The Sportmaster lower unit is a prop exhaust. In 1961 Mercury sold dockbusters with prop exhaust as well. The 1961's had the old dockbuster mid section. I realize it was a last year deal and Mercury probably didn't want to spend money redesigning the mid section for the soon to be retired dockbuster, may it rest in R.I.P. It just seems like an odd setup to me.

Did these motors work ok and/or run better than the non prop exhaust ??

[Mark75H]

I know of no perfromance difference between thru prop and solid hub Dockbusters.

Merc did make a one year mid for the 61, it is longer than the solid hub mid by about an inch at the back, it is the only mid that the Sportmaster and first year (with water inlet in the housing instead of the nosecone) Speedmasters fit correctly, cosmeticly. If you bolt up the Sportmaster to a 57-60 DR housing you will use the front hole of the 2 at the back and the mid will end right about at the back hole.....leaving that flat area behind the back bolt hole exposed

Go measure and get back to me. Make sure you are looking at a Speedmaster with the water inlet in the housing. Those made for the FGS 100's (1962) and on - have the water inlet grate in the nosecone and are longer at the front to match the FGS housing where the shift shaft goes down in front of the driveshaft (but same at the back as the 61 DR).

Here is what you are not thinking of: Carl thought the Dockbusters were going to keep on past '61. He bet that they would out sell the FGS and both were offered. FGS out sold DR by 2:1 and DR was dropped. It wasn't planned to be a one year thing, but it turned out that way.

[Old fiberglass]

Mark75H,

Your pretty darn close, I'm coming up with 1.5" difference. The 1961 Dockbuster being the longer one as you indicated.

The 800 DR had a slightly different water pickup than I was remembering. It seems to be a cross between the Dockbuster and the "early" style 1962 Mercury 100HP. I'm pretty sure I have another one with the same main body shape and bolt pattern, but different water pickup hood.

I'm a little unclear as to what your talking about when you mentioned a speedmaster in you previous message.

[Old fiberglass]

Prop exhaust DR

[Old fiberglass]

Prop exhaust DR with mid section

[Old fiberglass]

800 DR

[Mark75H]

Actually I was asking Raceman to do the measuring and filling us in, since he was the one who brought up measuring.

Thanks a lot for double checking for us and getting the dirty detail exactly right!

I mentioned the 1961 Speedmaster because it fits the same mid as the Sportmaster. The 1962-64 100 hp Speedmaster is a little different.

The Sportmaster and 1961 Speedmaster don't really fit the 1962 FGS mid, because the 62 FGS mid is even longer front to back than the 61 DR.

The 62 FGS gets the extra length ahead of the driveshaft because the FGS housing has room for the shift rod ahead of the driveshaft.

The Sportmaster may have enough meat in front to drill and put in the front stud to match the 62 mid, but it wouldn't be as authentic in my opinion as a 61 DR mid; because, unless I'm wrong, the 62 is the first one that is flat across the back, instead of rounded.

The 1962-64 Speedmaster is longer front to back (ahead of the driveshaft) (than the 61 Speedmaster) and the 62-64 Speedmaster exactly matches the 62 and later FGS mids. There was no 1962 or later Sportmaster.

Going backwards in history if you try to put a Speedmaster or Sportmaster on a 57-60 solid hub prop mid the LU is going to hang out the back that 1.5" you measured for us.

I give special credit to DaveS and Dick Davis for going thru a lot of pieces to learn this and fill me in on the details.

[Old fiberglass]

Thanks again for the good info. I've concluded your a walking, talking Mercury info encyclopedia and I appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge.

I guess I'm going to be in the market for 2 100HP super speedmasters, ouch....... !!! Have any idea how many they made ??

[Mark75H]

The Speedmasters made from 62 to 64 were not "Supers". Supers start in 1965. Information relevant to that is at the top of this thread.


If I were you, I'd try to get 1965 and later Supers, they are much stronger than non Supers and more likely to find internal parts and props, even if I had a pair of 100 hp motors.

Production numbers........I can guess but thats all.

1961's.........around 300
62-64's probably......500-750 maybe
65 & later...............2,000 maybe

BP's probably 100-200
MC-1's probably 100 (these are the toughest and most durable, but least appropriate [cosmeticly] on a Wing).

[ggarland]

Sam and Old Fiberglass:

Just where, in the name of all that is holy,and UNholy, do you get all this great stuff!!! I can't believe it! Is there some secret vault at lake X that you two bastards have broken into or what is the story here? We have ways of making you talk, by god !!!!!

George :eek:

[Dave S]

I think Sam is a rooting snooping hound for old merc info.;)

[Mark75H]

Somedays all I have to do is snoop around in Dave's shop:D

[Dave S]

The black hole of old and not so old mercs.:p Did you buy the sportmaster gears?

[Old fiberglass]

Speaking of snooping around Merc shops. Here is a couple pics of one I stumbled on a while back.

[Old fiberglass]

Another view.

[ggarland]

Oh now you are talking MY language, SSM's!!! I never worked on any of the outboard quickies when I was in the trade, but I wish I had a nickel of each one of these I overhauled, they are a lot of fun to play with. You need a kings ransom to pay for the special tools however, and I never would have had the chance had I not worked for a gentleman who bankrolled it for me. His personal boat was a Talon cat with Kinsler injected Bowties and number six speedmasters, and I remember they cost a bloody fortune to buy. VERY strong however, and I don't remember them ever having any kind of failure, even with his hamfisted driving style. Blew up lots of engines, but the drives just kept right on going, with nary a whimper. You can't ask for more than that!!

By the way, who owns the shop where the pics were taken?

George

[TRADER]

This is a pic of ELVIS, my 800 (R.H.) Speedmaster. It is mounted on a FGS mid section. Under the cowl, it still has the DR hardware intact and functional (reversing). The third unit down the rack is also a 800 with a FGS. The mid's are identical...trader...

[TRADER]

Here is a front/side view showing the unit mated to the FGS mid...trader...

[TRADER]

Here is another side view, showing toward the rear...trader...

[TRADER]

And one last one showing from the top-rear....trader...

[Mark75H]

Yeah, I think thats the 1962 & later mid section. It has the trim band that covers the powerhead studs and the more square back that became standard.

It sure looks short, doesn't it?

[Mark75H]

We have a great opportunity at this time ... Arne has several SSM's apart and can take great pics of the internals to show details. All we have to do is ask for specific views.

I have asked him to make us an X-Ray view of the layout of the shafts and gears and a separate view of the bearing support of the shafts.

We are open to other suggestions - what else would you guys like to see inside a SSM?

[Droll]

http://drolsum.net/speedmaster/images/ssm_021.jpg

http://drolsum.net/speedmaster/images/ssm_009.jpg

http://drolsum.net/speedmaster/images/ssm_008.jpg

http://drolsum.net/speedmaster/images/ssm_012.jpg

http://drolsum.net/speedmaster/images/ssm_015.jpg

http://drolsum.net/speedmaster/images/ssm_018.jpg


No usable SSM case was damaged in this photoshoote, some parts are going to be used in a fully functional SSM later thou.

Lower drive shaft bearings are just brass sleeves here, in the real life they are special needle bearings .

Arne Kjetil

[Raceman]

WOW. That's SPECTACULAR for anyone interested in the mechanix of a Super Speedmaster. For anybody that doesn't know, that's a R rotation unit, meaning the powerhead input is R and the propshaft is R. The old SSM that was left rotation used 1 gear on the propshaft and the two pinions ran on both sides of it.

Thank you for posting it. I think it is significant enough to put at the top of the page here for future reference, especially given the fact that the modern day VI Speedmaster is very similar internally but with the larger propshaft, and of course shimmed for a L rotation powerhead which turns the prop L also.

[Mark75H]

Thanks Arne. Those pictures are worth more than the proverbial thousand words, I do not think we could have asked for more or better. Arne even took care to show us the upper vent screw face and passage into the case. Remarkable work!

Earlier in this thread I posted that the original 1965 version was usable with the Direct Reversing motors and that at one point inline 6 SSM's were used under left hand rotation inline 6 powerheads with left hand props. This flat plate for this particular water pump base will only work in one direction, for the other rotation it would have to be flipped over.


http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh194/mark75h/stuff/ssm_018edit.jpg

For use with the 80 hp Direct Reverse motor in OPC "R" class, the plate would have this arraignment of holes in it to allow water flow from both sides of the pump pocket to both check valves.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh194/mark75h/Dockbuster/SSMDRwaterpumpgasket.jpg

[53w]

How many pinions are in the mc-1 speedmaster? 2 or 3? I have one, but not going to crack it open just to look. I was told it had 3 when I got it.
Any one have a parts list or exploded view of one?
Are they same as a ssm-1 or share parts?
My MC-1 has 1" 15 spline and came off of a I/O. I am looking for the part number for the propshaft with spline that fits ssm props.
I can't find small enough props to use the 1"-15 shaft on a outboard, I need a ssm spline shaft.
53w

[Mark75H]

The MC-1 and 2 Super Speedmasters have 2 pinions, not 3

There must be some internal differences or it would not have been useful as an endurance improvement over the regular SSM for the Twister. My guess would be that everything is just bigger. You may eventually find that part number, but I would be truly surprised if it helped you find an outboard shaft for it.

For everyone else here's the link to Merc's next more complicated SSM:

http://www.screamandfly.com/showthread.php?t=24648

[53w]

If someone has the CORRECT tools and SKILLS!! I will send my mc-1 to them to take apart, measure, and take pics to post and correctly reassemble it!!
pm me if interested
53w

[Droll]

The old SSM that was left rotation used 1 gear on the propshaft and the two pinions ran on both sides of it.

http://home.online.no/~arnekd/super/lefty_2-retry.jpg
A photoshoped version as I don't got any LH SSMs :)

http://home.online.no/~arnekd/super/ssm_lefthand_gear.jpg
The gear itself ....( pic found online.. )


Arne Kjetil