1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

[lyonne]

I actually don't have any questions. I've been lurking for quite a while and reading a lot. I just towed my grandfather's 1957 Lone Star continental from Oklahoma to my home in Charleston. Everything looks to be in pretty good shape. My minimum work list for the motor right now:

Compression Check (everything is free and it was always stored inside)
Lower Unit seals and gear oil
Impeller replacement
Carb rebuild
Fuel line replacement (maybe a new tank)
New points and condensors (I'll check the coils)
New plug wires
Set timing
New plugs and decarbing

I've got the Seloc manual and this forum has been a great resource. Hopefully I'll have her out on the water this summer!

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

welcome to iboats lyonne!! thats one nice looking rig you have!! your checklist is right on for bringing it back to its former glory. ( if it were me tho, id look into converting to fuel pump just for convenience sake. jmo)

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

The '58 Super Sea Horse comes with a fuel pump.

Nice motor, one of my all time favourites. I have one on my Peterborough Aquaflyer. She is quiet

Looks like you have all the cowl trim, and in good shape too. They are getting harder to get in good condition. Take care of it./

 

[coolguy147]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

I had that same motor. It was runnin' perrrty dang good, even when i sold it. Biggest problem was the forward gear started slipping. Shift it quickly and make sure to keep it below 1000 rpms when you shift.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

Something else to note on these, since they have the dual line water pump, you MUST keep the thermostat and valve in the motor, and ensure it functions. Otherwise, exhaust gas will fill the pump and render it useless. No matter what Bob the Builder down the street says, leave the thermostat and valve in.

Here is a shot of mine.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

planning photo by sgdteam | Photobucket

You can see my old motor there. It's a 1958 but it has a 1959 hood on it lol.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

Welcome lyonne. Beautiful combo you've got there. The old javelins are super cool looking.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

Welcome lyonne. Beautiful combo you've got there. The old javelins are super cool looking.

These are not Javelins KFA, they are Super Sea Horses. The Javelins were only made in '56 and '57, then in '58 the "cadillac" Johnson Big Twin was the Super Sea Horse, or Super Quiet as they are sometimes called due to the double wall gearcase.

Same idea though, a chromed out version of the standard 35hp.

 

[Willyclay]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

I had a 1959 Johnson 35, RDSL-21, but yours is much prettier! The link below will get you to a factory service manual. Good luck!

Boatinfo - 1922-1964 Johnson Service Manual

 

[lyonne]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

It does have the fuel pump -- first year they did. I'm glad I happened upon this model. From my research it is what I would have picked to restore. New enough to have a fuel pump and good parts availability and old enough that there isn't a trace of solid state components (this from an electrical engineer). Also, I like the cover on this year. The chrome oval "intake" and Johnson logo really epitomize 1950's in my mind.

 

[lyonne]

Lower Unit

Lower Unit

I pulled apart the lower unit. It still had lube, even if it was milky. No rust on the gears. Looks like I'll just do the seals and be done. I think the gears look okay. Any thing else I should look at while I'm in the lower unit?

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

How does the clutch dog look?

Be careful removing the prop shaft seal. The housing is delicate.

 

[lyonne]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

The prop shaft seal came out pretty easy using the holes on the other side of the housing and a punch. The clutch dog looks pretty good with minimal wear.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

Thats good.

Be sure to use the better side of the dog against the forward gear. I can see some wear on the one side from the pics. Use the better side for forward.

 

[lyonne]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

Thanks High Trim. It looked like both sides had a little bit of a rounded edge, but I set the best looking one to engage the forward gear.

Got the carburetor done yesterday as well. I was kind of annoyed that the rebuild kit only had four fiber washers for the high and low speed needle packing. I wend with two each and I guess I'll just watch for leaks. I checked the float valve and everything is cleaned and installed.

Carb just after removing


I just need to do the ignition and I should be ready for a test run.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

What the heck is that in the float bowl?! lol

The parts manual actually shows 4 packing washers on the high speed needle, and a couple on the low speed needle sandwiched between 2 of the plastic washers. The plastic washers keep the packing from getting destroyed. You put one right against the bushing, then a couple packing washers, then another plastic washer, then the packing nut.

I buy packing washers in bulk, so normally put about 3 per needle. You will likely be ok with the 2 though as long as the packing nut was able to tighten down on the needle.

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

What the heck is that in the float bowl?! lol

.....Looks like he bleeds as much as i do during teardown!! lol

 

[lyonne]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

I was able to tighten down the packing nut on the needles so I might be okay.

I pulled of the flywheel and looked at the coils. This is the one part I wanted to inspect before teardown and order if necessary. The cols don't look cracked, but I am confused by the two colors. The blue looks newer than the orange. Did somebody replace the blue coil previously? Should I try them or replace one or both? I'm tempted to try them as I don't see any cracks and I suppose I can measure the resistance.

 

[Shakedownscott]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

The blue coil is a newer design and the orange one is older. I would think the blue one should be good to go. If it was my engine I would replace the orange one, at least it would be cheap insurance. Sometimes the coil resistance can be good cold but when they get hot you get an open circuit on the secondary windings.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1958 Johnson Super Seahorse 35

They have both been replaced at one point, just different times. Hard to test them with a load on them unless you have the proper tester like a Mercotronic. Bare minimum, you should bury the needle on the primary, and get about 6500 on the secondary. The secondary is the usual trouble spot, as it is a long, thin wire. The primary is short and fat, and almost always good.

If you dont have a Mercotronic, and the condensors are original (paper top compared to black rubber) I would replace them. I find about 50/50 whether the originals are good or not, but better to replace. The insulators in them will eventually fail, and they are cheap.