I picked up a '78 evinrude 115 that had caught fire after a fishing trip which resulted in a wreck that broke the motor free from the transom as the boat burned to the ground. The starboard cowling pan seems to have taken the hit from the pavement along with the prop. I gave $25 for the motor hoping to be able to use the lower unit on my 140 rebuild.
I began stripping all the burned bits and pieces from the power head this weekend. The carbs along with all electrical are shot. I pulled a the heads to see what the bore looks like and from what I can see there is hardly any wear. The cross hatching is still present.
From talking to the previous owner, the motor was fairly new with very little use when the wreck happened and has been sitting in the back of the garage for over 25 years. The cylinder walls were dry but felt like the gas/oil had dried and left behind a paraffin like layer, keeping it from rusting. I wiped down the cylinder walls with oil to keep them clean.
I am thinking of bolting the heads back on, using a spare starter I have and doing a compression check. If the compression checks good, I may use this power head on my rebuild instead of the used, but running '78 115 johnson, since it has such a clean and tight bore.
With the heads bolted on and the intake blanked off, would it be safe to put the entire power head in my blast cabinet to get the old paint/oxidation/burnt electrical remnants off? What type of primer and paint should I use to repaint? I will strip the block all the way down to inspect everything for melting/fire damage but would prefer not to split the case.


I began stripping all the burned bits and pieces from the power head this weekend. The carbs along with all electrical are shot. I pulled a the heads to see what the bore looks like and from what I can see there is hardly any wear. The cross hatching is still present.


From talking to the previous owner, the motor was fairly new with very little use when the wreck happened and has been sitting in the back of the garage for over 25 years. The cylinder walls were dry but felt like the gas/oil had dried and left behind a paraffin like layer, keeping it from rusting. I wiped down the cylinder walls with oil to keep them clean.
I am thinking of bolting the heads back on, using a spare starter I have and doing a compression check. If the compression checks good, I may use this power head on my rebuild instead of the used, but running '78 115 johnson, since it has such a clean and tight bore.
With the heads bolted on and the intake blanked off, would it be safe to put the entire power head in my blast cabinet to get the old paint/oxidation/burnt electrical remnants off? What type of primer and paint should I use to repaint? I will strip the block all the way down to inspect everything for melting/fire damage but would prefer not to split the case.