Name this lower unit

**GENE LANHAM** · 06-28-2014, 04:29 PM

Originally Posted by wuhbbr

Sorry if I offended you. It's a joke !!
Which means I haven't a clue what Merc it fits.
Carl Keikiefer (sp) raced Hudson's at Daytona in the 50's and won.
My Dad had a Hudson and made a truck out of it.

Mr. Kiekhaefer's Hudsons resembled Chryslers???

**wuhbbr** · 06-28-2014, 05:50 PM

WOW!!! you're right!!!! Where did I get Hudson from??

Thanks, Ray

**Dave S** · 06-28-2014, 10:12 PM

HeeHee I think a 1951 stude is more likely......Sam was jerking the chain on this one...... most have never seen a early SM case.... and know of it's features......Sand cast..... V slot exhaust..... Rare than most Merc stuff........

**Mark75H** · 06-28-2014, 10:25 PM

I love Starliners

**JAFFA** · 06-29-2014, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by Mark75H

Here is a white 80hp left hand and a black 1962-64 as seen from the top.

Notice the black unit has the bolt pattern for both types of mid section and the white 80 hp unit is too short to have the correct front stud location for the 1962 and later mid sections. If you find a 62-64 unit and want to use it on a 61 DR mid you will use the back hole ... but you must also shave the inside of the mid or the edges of the water pump housing. The 60's came with shaved water pump housings that fit. The discolored areas near the studs closest to the water pump shows the shaved areas.

Also note that the black unit is not a Super Speedmaster, the area immediately behind the upper bearing and oil seal area is open to the exhaust area.....there is no back drive shaft.

Interesting about the shaved water pump on that early white housing, does that explain why all the water pumps on the later ssm's where like this, even though they didn't need the shave. If you got careless they broke.

**lilabner** · 06-29-2014, 08:39 PM

Down So Fla way, it depended who put on the race. The rules were changing every month. I ran both lower units on Raveau's and cats. I think in 61 when the full shift models came out, you had a choice. You could buy either model engine. We never had a problem swapping the Speedmasters among the different years or models until the one piece driveshafts came out. We still had lots of couplers laying around too. When the first 1000's came out, I think I was the first privateer to put Speedmasters on a bubble cat. Sheer pin props was all we had but we used aircraft bolts. Scary fast back then. MUCH faster than the 800's, plus the added bonus you didn't have to jump on the deck backwards to get it to plane. You just sat in the seat and let her eat. No trim then, just a plate that took 80 pumps to get down. The Raveau's ran and handled better with Speedmaster's. Here are a couple pictures of the same boat with different setups. Actually we had to put a new deck on it, and a bonus bubble cat windshield. Sweet. The stacks were the before boat repair, it still had the fins on the deck. Third one is the same boat a year or so later with a 1000DR Speedmaster in 800 cowlings. I was first outboard and about tenth overall when this was taken in the Gold Coast Marathon, about 25 miles up the intercoastal. Swivel pin broke, I pulled up to a dock and tied up. Turned out some friends were there in their camper. They offered me a soda and sandwich, I sat down and was eating it when Dave Craig finally came by in the Switzer Cat. Life was good.

**lilabner** · 06-29-2014, 08:42 PM

Roy Ridgell once told me he made a hedge around his house with broken lower units..I never did see it though. If it's still there you could probably count the Sportmasters.