Name this lower unit

[Dave S]

G. Scudder would step up into FRR when I was racing in Connecticut and beat me. He knew how to make a left turn. Damn, that hurt but some one has to be last. It was fun anyway.

[Ron Hill]

I never met the man. I did race 36 cubic inch several times. At the 1968 Winternationals I ran my BRAND NEW C/D DeSilva in 36 with a 2 X 8 for a transom raiser. I used aluminum angles to hold it on. I ran 4th and won $100. But I loaned it to Max McPeek and John Puestow to run FRR. The DeSilva Brothers were rally mad at me becasue they thought were were making fun of FRR. I lapped them in 4 laps. But they got 4th overall by finishing two heats.


I've got to finish my FRR stories one of these days. Ernie Dawe and I were the first EVER to race FRR in what was considered "Piggy Back" . We ran a 44 Cubic Incher on gas on my "D" Stock Runabout. I came up with the idea...and Dawe said he'd ride.. I rode once, but never did it again..

[2us70]

I think that the speedmaster was legal in both
Family and Sport classes only on Direct Reverse Motors. This was because of the gear shift rule.
One of the fun things about this forum is trying to figure out w
ho everybody really is.

There were a few Allisons running in FH with sportmaster and I think Speedmaster units back in the late 60s. Herm Hageman may have been 1 of them.

[Ron Hill]

That is true about the names. About the time I figure a name out I forget....That's why I just call myself "Ron Hill"....at least I can remember my name!!!

[2us70]

I Bet I know olegator if I can just remember just who was running what back then.

[mk30h]

Did the 35 hp WestBend used in 36 class have a racing lower unit or was it a pleasure unit racing prop? If I recall the standard lower unit on those engines was a lot more stream lined than the OMC blunt nosed beasts of the time. Was the merc 350 too slow or too few cubes or both?

[Mark75H]

36 runabout was a gearshift lower unit class

If I recall correctly the Mercs came into 36 much later and they tried to convince them to roll 36 over to use the 35ss/402x Merc, but it didn't fly.

I don't know the details on why the first Merc 350 twins weren't raced in 36 runabout, probably too slow. There was a detailed discussion of that somewhere not too long ago.

[mk30h]

Thanks Sam
The history of outboard rivlary is fascinating.
I's just not the same these days.

[Ron Hill]

Sam:

Sometimes I wonder if I was in the middle of everything or if I caused everything.....When everyone was running Johnson and Evinrudes, Danny Schwarzenbach was to 36 what Al Stoker was to MOD VP. In an attempt to beat Danny, I ordered some props from Joe Mascari or Cary Propellers.... They ran well....but we got them just about the time the West Bend came in.

Yes, the West Bend had a small "Nose Cone" and once they started selling I ordered some new Cary props from Phil Rolla..the Cary props that came for the West Bend were called Records....
At the 1970 Stock Nationals at Beloit....there were only 10 -- 36 boats at the Nationals...when DSR, then next smallest, had 25....

James Kamorowski had a Merc 350...and everyone who had run one said they were slower than the West Bend.... But James came to Beloit and blew the doors off the West Bends...one problem he did not go to inspection. I never felt it was fair because the California Guys, Rod Zapf and Dan Schwarzenbach both had "Front Running" smooth water set ups and following another boat caused them to "Blow Out" which caused them to run third and fourth...after runnig in second...We dealt in 1/16 of an inch for engine height to keep from "Blowing Out"....I think John Finn ended up winning but two California guys were real unhappy with the Mercury from Wisconsin....

Side Bar: Rod is an Ex Navy Pilot and now retired TWA Captain. His oldest son, who raced Kneeldowns with my son, is NOW a TOP GUN for the US NAVY. Rod is also an Ex 5 Liter APBA National Champion...and I'm proud to admit that he introduced me to my bride of 33 years.....Rod haunts Debuc, Iowa in the summers.... He reads this but isn't computer "Smart" enough to post....

This is a list from the 1970 Beloit Program..... Same Stan Fitts who head up the APBA Historical Society...

[Ron Hill]

I mentioned that my 1968 DeSilva runabout ran in 36 class at the Winternationals... Here is a shot of that boat in February 1968 when I was running for a five mile competion record in DSR. I was running no fin on the bottom..a bold move in'68. I broke the record but someone knocked a bouy down, later, and screwed up the course for records... Mohagony and yellow...

[Ron Hill]

Here is an old picture of me at the 1968 Winternationals at Golden Shores, Arizona. 364 entries. Alky and Stocks. $125 cash per heat for first, $100 for second... paid five places. The Golden Valley Land Company paid in CASH plus they gave two lots away. Clark maloof of Quincy, Mass won one and I won the other.... The company was cash rich.. Discounts were given on lots... Lots were selling for $4,500...Then, our government decided that land should not be sold without water....Well, desert land doesn't have much water....

We had three Winternationals...About five years later APBA adopted the Winter nationals as an official race.... Our race....was the WINTERNATIONALS....

[blackjack_jp151]

I believe those early single-pinion speedmasters were made for use on the Merc 700DR and Merc 800DR (direct reversing). Rules required that boats be capable of both forward and reverse. But that doesn't look like a DR water pump.

[Mark75H]

Some of this thread isn't as readable as it could be, I guess. The Speedmaster in the original picture is a 1960 70hp Speedmaster left hand rotation ... the water inlet is close to the skeg, the front mounting stud is close to the driveshaft and the shear pin size is 1/4 inch. If it had been an 80 hp Speedmaster, the shear pin hole would have been 5/16.

In 1961 Merc made both DR motors and FGS motors, but the first year Speedmasters only bolt up correctly to the DR mid (the FGS mid's front stud hole is farther forward).

The normal DR water pump doesn't have the extended nose found on the Speedmaster water pump, so Jack is right ... it doesn't look exactly like a DR water pump. The extended nose is where the water enters the water pump. If there had been a picture that showed the Speedmaster water pump better, he would see that the main difference is that on a Speedmaster the water enters the pump directly from the lower unit housing via that extended nose section to the bottom of the water pump rather than via a copper tube coming into the top of the water pump behind the check valves - but that both have check valves.

The 1962 style Speedmasters bolt up to the FGS mids but still have the DR type Speedmaster water pump.

In 1961 there was an upgrade to the driveshaft bearing on the 80 hp version not done to 70 hp versions. In the long run this means that the 1/4 inch shear pin Speedmasters are the weakest of all and a poor choice for anything but an older lower hp inline 6, like a 60 or 70 hp. The driveshaft bearing upgrade was carried over to the FGS/100 hp style Speedmaster. If I've counted right this means 8 different part numbers for the single pinion Speedmasters. 70 hp left, 70 hp right, 80 hp left original, 80 hp right original, 80 hp left upgrade, 80 hp right upgrade and 1962 FGS/100 hp left and 62 FGS/100 hp right. There were only 5 different housings because the early 80's shared with their 70 hp rotation sisters and the 100 hp's were the same housing for left and right. Many thanks to DaveS for pointing out the many different variations.

[Dave S]

Thanks Sam I was just trying to help ya with what I think I knew. I just want to help and pass on the history. Other wise it will be lost.

[StocknMod]

Question, is that not a McCullough/Chrysler quickie? It does look like the old merc super, but something looks oddly like the old Mc/chry quickie I once had, for like 75hp to 115hp.