1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

[budsbud662]

Im looking at buying a 1978 50HP Johnson for my duckboat, but i prefer to have a tiller.

Can i buy a tiller handle/throttle and cable? or will this be beyond a bolt-on process?

If can buy a handle and throttle can the shifter from a tiller model be added so i dont have to use the remote shifter? im sure i can rig the ignition switch Myself..

thanks for any help. pictures and links are apprcieated.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

first model # of the motor you are looking at, they did not make a 55 Johnson in 1978.


you will have to find the used parts to make the conversion, yes, believe it can be done. check here for the parts you need.
http://shop2.evinrude.com/ext/index.aspx?s1=bf6ad09c53cead335fcfd8a6471c0f7f

 

[HybridMX6]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

I know it can be done, I had a 1978 35hp that was electric start, remote steer and controls, that I had converted to tiller with manual controls. The keyswitch I just shortened the wiring and made a little 6"x6" box for it and mounted it on the side of my boat. Worked great.
Like Tashasdaddy said, look up the parts you need on that site, and cross-reference what other years and hp's had the same parts. Then start bumming around ebay or something until you find what you need. I know I came across tiller handles for my 35hp all the time on there for $30-$40, but as far as I know you will also need the bracket to mount it to. I spent $350 on my 35hp doing the swap, mostly in labor swapping the non-tiller mount with the tiller mount.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

a lot of time it is cheaper and less hassle, to sell what you have and buy what you want. but 50hp and up tillers are extremely hard to find. you may find 40 hp parts that fit, as a lot of them were built on the same base as the 50.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

The change over is easy, a tiller handle from most any J/E outboards will fit, they bolt to the same tab the current steering is mounted on, that's why most will bolt right on. The throttle cable can be a little trickier only because they can be a little harder to get, I had to slightly modify where cable end connects to the linkage only because there were no cables listed for my application. The shift cable may be easier because they mount the same on most motors.

I picked up a complete used tiller with cables online for $100.00, had I known at the time they all fit I could have found one locally for less money. I have a 1998 90HP Evinrude and used the tiller from a 40 HP Evinrude, it would have been a very fast and easy bolt on switch if it wasn?t for the for the slight modification to get the throttle cable to fit and that was easy, just took a little figuring at first.

 

[HybridMX6]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

ondarvr, I am pretty sure his is going to use the old gear style tiller mechanism for the throttle, not a cable like yours (and mine actually, 2000 55hp). My '78 35 was like that. It had gears instead of a cable. My shifter was on the side of the motor, and the control cable for it just had a little bracket on the outside of the motor that it attached to. I'm not sure about his, but it sounds the same.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

I had a 1975 50HP and a 1976 55hp, they were both the current style, in fact I took the remote controls from my 1998 90HP when I switched it to a tiller and used them on both of those motors and they're currently on a 200HP.

 

[HybridMX6]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

Hmm, guess it was just different between the hp range then.

 

[budsbud662]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TILLER-STEERING-HANDLE-OMC-EVINRUDE-JOHNSON-OUTBOARD_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2em20Q2el1116QQitemZ350090459100QQptZBoatQ5fPartsQ5fAccessoriesQ5fGear

says its good from 1980 + ...............................

However if the motor is remote right now it must have cable driven throttle cable right?????? perhaps thats what they are talking about 1980+ (tillers) and older remote to tiller converions would be compatible.

is it as easy as bolting on the tiller handle and rigging the throttle cable?

what about the gear shifting linkage? or would it be a better idea to use a remote.

I interested in spending no more then 150$ on this conversion..

 

[HybridMX6]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

My tiller handle on the 35hp I had looked like this
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/John...007QQitemZ170283322373QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
Does your 55hp have a mount on the bracket for a tiller handle? You need to know that before anything. The 35hp I had did not have the mount location for the tiller handle since it was a factory remote outboard. I had to buy the handle piece with the mount on it, as well as a tiller handle.
If you look at this motor:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/35hp...yZ111123QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
The handle I'm referring to is the metal loop that goes from left to right on the motor, above the motor clamps and in front of/below the hood. Notice it doesn't have a mount for a tiller handle. I had to have someone swap that out for a unit that did have the mount.

 

[budsbud662]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

This is what the owner told me,

me>Does it look like there is a place to mount a tiller handle?
>IT looks like there might be. There is a mount where the steering rod connects too. ALSO there are 2 cutouts where the shift cables go in and, where the electrical cables go in.I could take off the stuff you want and dispose of the rest of it for you.

The model no. is 50ESL74M


looks like its really a 1974 not a 1978..

 

[ondarvr]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

I didn't look at all the other links to pics, but what you posted was not a complete unit, there is more needed. The part listed only goes to the hinge point in the tiller handle, the part that bolts to the motor is missing. Look at your motor, under the front look at where the current steering arm attaches, this is where the tiller bolts on, just two simple bolts. The one pictured doesn?t have the part that bolts to the motor, it should also include the new shift lever, it?s connected to what?s missing also.

Don't buy it without the rest of the parts!

If it's a 74 then it may not work, there were some changes made right around that time period and I don't have the info in front of me.

 

[budsbud662]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

If i cant really get it to go, i can probebly weld on a tiller handle and use the remotes for shifting and throttle?

wow, that would be a real rig job ehh hahaha..

anyways if i can get the motor for cheap it maybe worth the effort of the conversion..

 

[budsbud662]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Johnson-Evinrude-6-h-p-Tiller-Arm-Control-w-Bracket_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a570Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem330290365905QQitemZ330290365905QQptZBoatQ5fPartsQ5fAccessoriesQ5fGear



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OMC-Johnson-Evinrude-TILLER-STEERING-Handle-USED-3-cyl_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a570Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem110320131581QQitemZ110320131581QQptZBoatQ5fPartsQ5fAccessoriesQ5fGear



either of these ook up to the steer mech?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

The second one is what you need and it looks like it has all the parts and cables.

 

[budsbud662]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

are the cable ends (shift and steer) universal through all them years? or did the change the type of cable used?

 

[budsbud662]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

hehe this be easier?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1978 50HP Johnson REMOTE to TILLER conversion

the linkages have been change several times. but looks like #2 will fit. ask if there are any numbers stamped on the parts, and compare them at
http://shop2.evinrude.com/ext/index.aspx?s1=bf6ad09c53cead335fcfd8a6471c0f7f