Chrysler racing outboards

I've been meaning to start a thread to give the details on the Chrysler racing motors for a couple years but have never started it.

Before I get to the racing stuff I want to tell the background story of the motors.

It starts pretty far back ... 1938 to be exact. In 1936 Sears' contract with Muncie Motor Works to supply outboards expired and Sears was looking for another outboard supplier. In 1930 the Kissel car company had gone into bankruptcy and as Kissel was getting back on their feet they were looking for paying work. The Sears outboard contract turned out to be their lifesaver. The motors were sold by Sears under the Waterwitch brand. During WWII West Bend Industries who had been supplying household appliances to Sears was able to take over and purchase the Kissel plant and became Sears' supplier when things settled down after the war, but Sears changed the name of their outboard line to Elgin.

The next stage started in 1955 when West Bend began selling motors under their own brand name as well as supplying motors to Sears. This continued until 1959 when Sears switched to buying motors from Scott-Atwater. Loosing the Sears contract was a set back to West Bend's outboard sales. As things worsened thru the early 1960's recession, West Bend began looking for a buyer for the outboard division. By now their biggest motor was a 4 cylinder 85 cubic inch 80 hp motor called the Tiger Shark. A couple years earlier Chrysler had been negotiating to purchase Mercury but was outbid by Brunswick Corporation. In 1965 Chrysler purchased West Bend's outboard division and West Bend continued on making coffee brewers and irons sold under their name as well as Sears as they had for years.

In 1966 the former West Bend Tiger Shark was bored and stroked to 96 cubic inches and its breathing improved for a tall 105 hp @4750 rpm under the Chrysler name, comparing to OMC's 100 hp and Merc's 110 hp.

Now the stage is set for racing ...

In 1967 Chrysler released a racing version of the 105. The only change was a sleek Speedmaster looking lower unit.

The lower unit did not have dual gears and shafts like the Merc Super Speedmaster, but has grown to have a very good reputation for reliability. I attribute this reliability to 3 simple design features:
first, large toothed gears with reduced diameter for the tooth size
second, gear ratio other than 1:1 ... the same teeth do not meet with each revolution
third, a reduced diameter driveshaft.

The reduced diameter driveshaft helps smooth out the hammering pluses of the large bore 4 cylinder motor. The same thing is done today with 3 cylinder OMC racers in the 850cc Mod class especially with the Bass racing lower unit. It acts as a torsion bar or spring, so the piston pulses aren't hammered to the gear teeth so hard.

THANKS SAM! Look fwd to more

subscribed

Pictures!!

randy
i pretty sure sam and i discussed this very thing one time before


chrysler Outboard racing department with two 96ci 4 cylinder Chryslers on McCulloch 630 racing lower units, Gary Ferguson set a drag speed record that ...
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http://www.screamandfly.com/showthre...ing-lower-unit

http://www.screamandfly.com/attachme...5&d=1187075071

Too much help.

I'm going to delete the thread and start over

I wanted these to be in the thread before the racing stuff

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...TigerShark.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...igerShark2.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...igerShark3.jpg

sorry bout that sam go ahead

Great thread Sam,
The history of these engines have been neglected for too long. Many of the features of these beasts were a bit ahead of their time. I have always wondered about the 80hp, I only saw one in use back in the late sixties and it was on a 60's cabin cruiser. I did like the long clean look of the 105 when it came out- modern looking engine.
Too bad Sears didn't stick with WestBend a bit longer may have given them a bit of breathing space. Didn't they later sell re badged Chryslers? In Canada, the Eatons company sold OMC products under the Viking name, but switched to West Bend and later Chry in the mid sixties.

I went to Jasper this year with Larry Mumford and family,really did enjoy the racing after a long time away from the sport,but the best part of all was listening to him talk about the old days and boats from yesteryear, one of which was a Allison with a Chrysler Stacker. I think sometimes we forget the grass roots racing that got us where we are today.

Sam I hope you keep this one going.
Conrad

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Originally Posted by afr

http://www.screamandfly.com/showthre...ing-lower-unit

http://www.screamandfly.com/attachme...5&d=1187075071

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Love those chizlers!!!:D

subb'ed

Ok, im am new to the Chrysler thing. I have a 1972 checkmate MX16 with a 1972 Chrysler 130hp motor. I love it. It is clean, dependable, and easy to work on. I recently started doing research on these engines and found the "stacker" and now i'm hooked. So far, I know they didn't make a factory 130 stacker, but besides the pipes hanging out the side of the cowl, what else can I bolt to this 130 to squeeze more power out of it? I know the real stackers had a racing lower unit. Who has one, will it bolt to my engine? What mods can I do to the engine? Can I bolt a 105hp head to raise compression? Is this too much? Will it fit? I Hear merc guys talking about reeds. Do they make performance reed kits for chrysler? Who has a set of stacker pipes? So many questions, and i want to know everything!!! hahahah. Its like a new adventure for me. This all started because my buddy told me to throw the engine away and get a black max. I told him I was going to hop up the chrysler.....he laughed. Now its just the principal of the thing. I dont expect to win against his 107mph tunnel hull, but I would like to make this motor respected, just to rub it in. Plus, it looks like a fun thing to do, cause no one around here runs these old motors, and I like to be different. Any parts, help, tips, would be much appricated
Thanks Again
Jon