1958 Johnson 5.5 L/U gear advice

[steve mahlberg]

Hello. I recently started working on a 1958 5.5.
The lower unit was stuck upon purchase. Upon disassemble of the lower unit, I discovered that the clutch shock absorber p/n 376073 was the main culprit.
My question is regarding the cons of reusing the old gear set.
The pinion itself is fine, no rust.
However, the forward and reverse gears have a bit of rust on them. Haven't tried cleaning to see if there is any evidence of any pitting.
Obviously replacing is ideal and causes no future issues and there are plenty out there.
The old ones I have would work, as the teeth look and feel to be fine, but what are the potential long term issues if I reuse the old ones after cleaning them?
Thanks for any pointers.
Steve

 

[tphoyt]

Can you put up some pics?
Sounds like they would be fine but pics would be good to see.

 

[steve mahlberg]

Upon close up views, I noticed one of the teeth on the reverse gear looks pitted a bit or damaged. Should i scrap the reverse gear for a replacement?

 

[tphoyt]

Yea if you have the means of replacing them that would be best in the long haul.
My concern would be chipping of the eroded areas.
Just my opinion though.
Best

 

[steve mahlberg]

Thanks tphoyt for the replies.
There are a lot of the lower unit gears from multiple sources.
Spending a bit on a project is part of the (fun?) hobby
Steve

 

[oldboat1]

You need a donor motor. Garage sale, CL, etc. Use the gear sets, or the whole l.u.