Picture of hydraulic steering ram hooked to tie bar on 1980's 2.4 Mercury

[maineidyl]

I am still playing with hooking up my Seastar ram to my 1980 Mercury 200 2.4. The hole for the tie bar is under the cowling which will require me to cut the cowling significantly to clear. My tie bar has two threaded holes on the front that look like you could mount an extension on to it which would eliminate any modification to the cowling. Could I get a few pics of what people have done to mount the hydraulics to a early 80's Merc.

Thanks in advance
Tom

[maineidyl]

I might be using the wrong terminology. The steering head may be the correct term, the tie bar kit HO5038A is what I was referencing.

[SUNKIST]

early 2.5 200s mid 1990s with cut cowlings. yes.... i had to cut the cowlings as shown for this set up. these are promax 300 3liter wingplates adapted with latham style power head wing plate mounts.

319881

this probably wont help you...and of course a major pain in the **s. i used a large industrial band saw to cut the bottom of the cowlings off.

[maineidyl]

319891319892Here is what I have. I just dont know if I should put an extension on or if this in the norm.

[FUJIMO]

There's two threaded holes in the Merc tiller arms in those years. A stainless extension plate was bolted to those two factory points. The tiebars in those days were then bolted to the forward ends of the stainless extention plates. There was usually two holes at the forward ends of these plates, to attach the tiebar(s) and the steering link arm from the steering cylinder or steering cable. Your choice of holes. The forwardmost hole point gave you more steering leverage & less stroke, the rear hole gave you less steering leverage & more stroke. In 1980, there was no Latham steering yet, and the only hydraulic steering cylinder available was the HyNautic tilt-tube cylinder utilizing the H-50 helm, and of course, there was rotary or rack/pinion cable. That was it. HyNautic had'nt even come out with the front mount, equal balanced K-10 cylinder yet. My, how times have changed.

[FUJIMO]

o.k...Those look to be 1980 cowlings & 1980 clamp brackets...But those are definately not 1980 tiller arms. They have been replaced with the newer version tillers. Mercury made/makes a bolt-on tiller arm extention that everyone used in the later eighties/ninetys, for your purposes. Aftermarket versions used to be available too. They still might be, don't know. you just need to go through your local marine parts distributors catalogs.

[maineidyl]

So I can't mount it like I have. I need the front extensions?

[FUJIMO]

So I can't mount it like I have. I need the front extensions?
Correct. Whether they bolt to the tillers arms, or, the cylinder themselves. Don't know if this is what will work for you, but...TeleFlex #H06003 SeaStar Hydraulic Steering Tie Bar Kit 8661.

[maineidyl]

319900How about this?

[maineidyl]

It looks more secure the way it is now mounted to the steering arm. Unless the piece in the picture is beefier than it looks. Woukd hate to have it break at 70 mph. I am replacing a single ram Hynautic with the three line air system from back in the day.

[FUJIMO]

319900How about this?
That is the standard Mercury tiller arm extension that bolts to your type of tiller arm, that came in the box of every new Merc V-6 of the late 80's thru the 90's. They are powder-coated steel & I have never seen one fail, ever. Various marine steering venders made their versions of the same design over the years, out of billet aluminum, etc.

[maineidyl]

I'm replacing the Hynautic with a Seastar system.

[maineidyl]

Just found one on ebay. Suprised Seastar would not mention or show it on their installation manual.