1961 Johnson 40 hp, bringing back to life

[wjhuskey]

I have a 1961 Johnson 40 hp seahorse that I'm wanting to bring back to life. I'm going to tell you what I know about the motor and I want to see if you guys have an idea of about how much it will cost me to get it back to life. I know that the lower unit will need new seals. The last time we tried starting it was about 12 years ago and it turned over nicely but wouldn't fire. Dad thinks the motor still had good compression when it was parked 25 years ago but he said it gave him trouble every trip to the lake so he finally quit using it. I know its hard to say, depending on what it will need exactly and depending on what the mechanic charges per hour, parts etc...but whats the minimum that you think I will have to spend to get it back on the water???

 

[racerone]

It will be hard to find a shop that will work on it.----Not hard to do the work yourself if you are willing to take steps to learn about this motor.-----Simple small steps is all it takes.---Start by removing the inspection plate on flywheel to look at the ignition coils. They are likely cracked and need replacement.

 

[wjhuskey]

I'm a rowcrop farmer and often have to do mechanic work (tractors, etc) so I might look into it myself. I'm not real good with boat motors but I will definitely remove the inspection plate and give it a look. Thank you for giving me a place to start racerone.