Iron Fist

[jeffbare]

Has anyone read the book IRON FIST about Carl Kiekhaefer? I have read it 3-4 times, and still love it. What a time to be involved with Mercury. I might start it again tonight. I suggest it to anyone interested in Mercury, and outboard history.
Jeff

[Scream And Fly]

I haven't read it, but I would like to. Sounds like a great book.

[Raceman]

I've read it a couple of times, and I don't read much.......... usually just look at pictures.


My favorite stories was about Carl walkin' back in the plant and seeing a guy leanin' on a rail doing nothing by the loading dock. Carl asked him how long he'd had that job and how much he made. The guy gave him a time and number, and Carl told him that he wouldn't have people around him who stood around and got paid for not working. He told the guy he was fired and walked him down to the pay office and told somebody in there to pay the guy a week's salary. Only problem was, the guy didn't work for Merc, but was just a truck driver waiting to be unloaded. He passed the word around and several other non-employees got paid and fired by pullin' the same trick.

Iron fist is a must read for anybody that's really into Mercs.

[1BadAction]

good book, from what little I have read in it. I still need to buy a copy :o

http://img281.imageshack.us/img281/1474/094590304901lzzzzzzz7wy.jpg

[msethsmile]

The other great story besides the delivery man firing mentioned above is the "Great Sterndrive Conspiracy." EC thought the sterndrive was junk and stated so several times. The guy was a genius but may have missed that one. Speaking of Mercruisers (which made it all possible--surpassing OMC, the dreaded giant), take a look at Brunwick's web page and financials. The vast majority of their income is boat / motor related versus bowling and billiards. That has to be the greatest marine purchase of all time, a real bargain. My dad at the time had a tower of power 700 (70 hp) and it was considered a beast. We got many oohs and aahs at the beach.

[Ron V]

A raving maniac S.O.B. Kraut to be sure.....that's why he was successful. My dad has read it, I have not, but he relayed some of the best parts to me. I think Carl's character and personality shows through in the nature of the motors to this day. Even the 300 drags still have a hint of KE7 in them.

[David]

Charlie Strang gave my my copy of Ironfist, complete with his autograph.
A great read.

When is someone going to write a book about our stuff, or the ModVP era?

[jeffbare]

Just Think Of All The Cool S**t Ec And The Other Of The Time Got To Play With.

[jeffbare]

When I First Read Iron Fist, I Thought The Perfect Job Would Be To Work For Kiekhaefer Aeromarine.

[Triple J]

i work part time at a mercury dealership part time and it's been in the same family since 1948. they got the mercury franchise in 1950, so after reading the book i asked the the mother of my bosses, who was the founder of the store about stories of carl. boy i'm telling you all that's in there is true. the father was at one of those evinrude burning sales meetings, too. she also has a scrapbook with pictures of the store in the 1950's-60's and 70's too.

[Raceman]

I have a couple of friends who's Dad worked for Merc during the ECK years. He told some wild tales about Carl. He was a demanding man and obsessive to say the least.

I think one of the big differences between then and now was that the front office back then was packed with gearheads instead of bean counters. There ain't ever been a good company that a handful of hotshot college boy MBA's couldn't screw up................ just look at GM.

[jeffbare]

I love reading the stories of the guys that were around during those times. Especially the early Lake X stories.

[jeffbare]

Any other books that we should read? I have read Blu Thunder, about Don Aronow. I thought that was a good book, but was more about him, and not the boats.

[Triple J]

boy is raceman right on that comment about gm. i think they've been going down the tubes ever since they quit making the small block chevy. it's really too bad that the guys that drive that jap crap have made the largest corp in the world at one time such a shadow of it's former self. WE NEED MORE GUYS LIKE CARL K.

[1BadAction]

coming from the factory, A GM gen3 small block is better than an SBC in EVERY way. Period.

[Triple J]

then why can't anybody marinize one and have it make any power to even move a ski boat. look at indmar and mercruiser.

[Mark75H]

Another book by the same author is "The Legend of Mercury". Shorter and not quite as well written, but interesting just the same. There is also "The Legend of OMC"

You could also ask Santa to bring you Kevin Desmond's "Century of Outboard Racing". Not as much OPC stuff as there should be and a few technical errors, but even Santa isn't perfect :rolleyes:

[Triple J]

1 bad, i agree with the ratings,but look at where the torque curve starts to work. but you and i both know why they are still using the antique design. MONEY!!! thanks for the info on the other motors jay wagner

[David]

and of course, there is the Legend of Chris Craft

[Mark75H]

I haven't read the Legend of Chris Craft yet. Is there much about racing in it?

[Triple J]

it's a ok book, sure has alotta of useless knowledge in it though. if you like wooden boats and boat racing history, it's good for that.

[Merc-Cruiser]

All the new Chevy small-blocks are really just the next generation of small V-8's that GM has been building forever...They are all derivitives of the LS1/Vortech engine series that Mercruiser offers in ALL their engine sizes, both small AND big-block configurations. Guess what the small block V-8 engines, used in every pickup, etc., size out at? Well...The 4.8 Litre is 283 cubic inches. The 5.3 Litre is 327 cubic inches. And the 5.7 is 350 cubic inches...and so on...The GM engine technology changes are for the better though. The base horsepower of these engines is incredable & their potential, even with mild performance upgrades, is unbelievable. Much better horsepower/torque figures, all with greatly improved milage as well. Carbureted engines wash the cylinder walls with unburned fuel, greatly shortening an engines lifespan. All the new LS1 series engines don't do this & therefore have much longer lifespans. This is why GM casts them with cylinder walls that are not intended to be over-bored. They don't need to be. There are about 100 other reasons these new GM engines are sooooo much better...Don't get me started. ;) M/C

[David]

As a wooden boat fan, I liked the book on Chris Craft. It has one chapter on racing, not much really.

I have a bunch of books on wooden boats.

[msethsmile]

Don't forget EC's phobias (Not Fabio), informants and covert surveillance.

[Dregsz]

And the 5.7 is 350 cubic inches...and so on...The GM engine technology changes are for the better though. ;) M/C


Uhh, The LS1 is 5.7L, 346 CI, or was it 348 I can't remember anymore

[Merc-Cruiser]

Uhh, The LS1 is 5.7L, 346 CI, or was it 348 I can't remember anymoreYes, the original LS1 5.7, which is what GM called it, introduced in the 1997 Corvette and then the next year, in the F-Body's(Camaro's, Firebirds, etc...) are 346 cubic inch. M/C

[Stoker1]

okay, bought the book .... IRON FIST (good deal on amazon)

Just over halfway through it & at the point where Charlie Strange has a secret:eek: (volvo outdrive). Its an okay book so far.

This guy has outbursts over nothing. Treated his family like sh##, even his own wife & two kids & the people that made him who he was. But hey, he was the man behind the name. Though very insecure.

Hopefully it gets better.

[Bruster]

boy is raceman right on that comment about gm. i think they've been going down the tubes ever since they quit making the small block chevy. it's really too bad that the guys that drive that jap crap have made the largest corp in the world at one time such a shadow of it's former self. WE NEED MORE GUYS LIKE CARL K.

GM's problems don't have a thing to do with the making or not making of the SBC. It is about the bennifits that they can not afford to pay from the mis-managemanent of the GM pension fund, early retirements, insurance, and lavish pay. That started years ago, and now it's time to pay........ :eek:

[Mark75H]

edit ..... such a shadow of it's former self. WE NEED MORE GUYS LIKE CARL K.

What? You mean guys that sell out to bean counting megacorporations and let a race shop turn into a shadow of its former self faceless-Frankenstien-corporate-monolith? I thought we had plenty of that type guy already. Like the monster in the book, Merc serves no master and wanders this way and that every few years with no permanent direction. It is amazing how well the Frankenstien allegory fits with something different from that it was intended.

[Steve Reist]

coming from the factory, A GM gen3 small block is better than an SBC in EVERY way. Period.


With thru transom exhaust-you won't even hear the piston slap. Steve

[Steve Reist]

Please enlighten us as to what is the "correct oil" to solve this problem. You might
even post it on www.pistonslap.com Thanks, Steve

[Steve Reist]

I'm certainly glad the "General" expert has cleared this all up for us. Steve

[FMP]

ttt ,
Need to read this book

[Instigator]

Great read!

I love the picture of them hanging a V-4 OMC upside down over a fire at a dealer meeting :)

The old man hated OMC.

Another story about OMC catching one of the old mans spies at a Kilo attempt. They picked him up, fed him, gave him beer, gave him full access which is opposite to how the old man did it.
He was furious w/the guy when he got back to Carl :)

Also particularly liked when (in the '50's) marketing was trying to convince the old man that they'd sell more motors if they had shifftable gear cases, making docking easier.
Carl said "only sissies need them" ;)

Great book.
Only disappointment was them denying the famous story of Carl firing the Coke delivery guy for taking a break. Carl thinking he worked for him ;)