69 johnson 55hp need info

[xtremefisher1]

hey guys i can purhcase a 55 hp jonnhy for 200 bucks but it needs and new power pack.. i dont mind spending the 200 on the motor and whatever it will cost for the power pack but was just wandering what the pros and cons are of this motor....

i will be getting all the controls and all the wiring for it also for 200 bucks..

any and all advice comments are welcome thanks

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

Its a ok motor in my book,biggest problem is finding affordable parts and internal wiring is usually deteriorated.

 

[xtremefisher1]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

i was told buy the guy i am night be buying from that i can switch it to a coil and condensor instead of the power pack , any ideas on this / has anyone ever heard of this before??

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

Oh boy. You'll probably spend about twice for that power pack than you did for the motor. They were decent motors mechanically, but a nightmare electronically. I don't believe they ever built a coil and points type ignition for that motor. The electronics for that motor are completely proprietary for that motor. They upped that motor to 70 hp a year later, but they changed stuff on it, that was more dependable.

If it was me, I would let someone else deal with it. Get a 40hp the same year, and you'll have way less headaches on your hands. If that thing is electric shift, then there's another good reason to stay away from it.

 

[xtremefisher1]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

hey zephyr i have that 40 hp 63 that i am currently working on .. i might have another one the exact same as my 40 hp now.. so i might run then together on the back of my boat .. not sure yet but maybe lol ..

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

Yea, I was just looking at parts on marineengine and you won't like it. The distribor cap assembly $300 OUCH....Yea, those 40's are hard to beat for reliability and you can do an entire ignition system replacement for under $75. LOL The 55's were good mechanically, but the ignition was a nightmare. I'm sure there will be someone who will chime in to say otherwise, but that's just me. I like to stay smaller on my motors, because breakdowns are much cheaper to fix.

 

[xtremefisher1]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

yah i hear yah on that one.. do u think that my 40 will push a 16 foot alumnium boat very well?

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

Oh without a doubt. That's the perfect size motor for a 16' aluminum boat. I have a 15 1/2' Lonestar aluminum boat and it has a '59 Johnson 35 on it. I'm on the search for a lower unit housing now, so I can get it running. The top end runs great and the ignition and carb are all rebuilt. It has 120 psi on both cylinders, so it's a good motor yet. I bought it from a neighbor of mine for $40 LOL

 

[xtremefisher1]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

wow thats a sweet deal you got there.. i got mine for 350 bassically cuz the boat i bought is all rotten and i dont have the time and money to fix it as it is fibreglass.. so i am buying a 16 ft aluminum with a 40 hop evinrude electric shift on it for 200 bucks .... nice little boat . i am thinking of fixing and selling one of the motors .. not sure if that electric shift works or not but it has alot of great parts on it i can use on mine lol ... i will have 2 spare satrters and a spare generator for my motor. also a spare carb that i will be rebuilding just incase..i already have a ton of spare parts but who knows maybe someone needs a part ..

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

Well, if one of your motors has a manual shift on it, I would keep it. You can repair a manual shift lower unit on those a lot cheaper than an electric shift. Fortunately, all three of the Larks I brought home are all manual and so is the old 35 Johnson. Funny thing is, I bought them thinking I was going to get a parts motor and they all end up being good runners. So, my parts search continues. LOL It's okay. I'll hit up a guy that's local to me. Do you happen to have a decent lower unit housing that my '59 Johny could use?

 

[xtremefisher1]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

would a 65 33 hp fit? i have one in my garage that came with the boat that i stripped everything off of... is it for your 35? if not i can find one here from the guy i am buying the boat off of... all the gears and tubes and shaft is still in the lower unit

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

Yea, unfortunately, the 33 still has the single line water tube set up like the '57 35 did. That one won't work on the Super Quiet type motors.

 

[xtremefisher1]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

i belive my 40 hp has the 2 water tubes in it.. as what it looks like from looking up the water intake.. but unsure at the moment havent change my impeller yet .. lol .. just another thing on the to do list..

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 69 johnson 55hp need info

Yea, the 40's are set up the same as the older Super Quiet 35's. They caried that design till about 1970. 1971, the Lark became the later designed 50hp and the SkiTwin and Norseman were bumped up to 40hp with the old single wall design, like your 33 has.