Thinking of buying a 1957 johnson 10hp

[Marc417]

Im thinking of buying a 1957 10hp Johnson to run my 14ft jon boat with. The motor runs good, starts right up, and looks real clean under the cowl. The man is asking $250. My questions are: is the motor in good running condition worth the $250 and if parts are still readily available. 1st time boat owner here. Thanks for any help and advice.

 

[Marc417]

Pic under the cowl

 

[hardwater fisherman]

I think most parts like ignition,water pump,seals and gaskets are still available at reasonable prices. It looks like it may have gotten hot at one time, the paint looks a little discolored on the head. And maybe a new head gasket?

 

[oldboat1]

camo paint job reduces value, IMO. Need pressure tank with it (two hose) unless converted to fuel pump. Have to be able to work on that motor yourself -- parts available without much difficulty. Corrosion around cyl head gasket worth questioning. Salt water use? overheated? A compression test would be a good idea if it was overheated (see what looks like discoloration).

have one, btw, and have had a couple others -- also 18s, which have some interchanging parts with the 10 (can be a factor if looking for parts).

 

[mla2ofus]

Probably quite similar to my '54 15HP 'Rude. Pull the flywheel and look at the insulation on the coils. If it's cracked, she'll intermittently quit on ya. Ask me how I know!! I have heard of some recoating the insulation w/ liquid electricians tape. Don't know if it really works or not. Any bolts or screws you remove w/o twisting off need a good dose of antiseize on reinstalling. Those are excellent motors, mine will start easy and idle smoothly all day while trolling on my 12' Livingston. If it's had good care it will last for many yrs. The coils, water pump and LU seals have all been replaced and I expect it will outlive me. If you don't want to launch the boat to fiddle w/ the motor, find an empty 120Lb grease/ oil barrel or a plastic trash can for water supply. If the water intake on your LU is like mine, no way will muffs work on it.
Mike

 

[64osby]

The original paint scheme on that motor is one of the best ever, too bad it is now camo.

Easy motor to work on and most parts are easy to get.

If it runs good and pumps water it would be a $200 motor at best due to the paint. Looks like the plug wires have been replaced. Hopefully they did the coil, points and condensers. Head gasket looks very weak. Check compression or be prepared to replace head gasket due to low compression.

I have several motors from the late 50's and they run great when fixed up properly.

 

[Marc417]

Thanks for the replies so far. It comes with the original (I think it's original anyway) 5 gal metal gas tank that has been restored and new gas lines. He states only lake and river use and says that it had not run hot to his knowledge. He seems to be a pretty straight up man. He painted it camo cause he put the motor on his duck boat and I don't mind the camo look at all (even though I know that will hurt the value for collectors)

 

[64osby]

Give it a water test and she how it runs. If you can run it in the water, tank test it and do a compression test.

 

[oldboat1]

a working tank with it is a real plus. $200 or so is in the ballpark for a good runner with tank -- if you can work on it. Many shops won't work on old motors, and even if they do, even minor work will be expensive. But these are easy to work on. Ask the owner when he last replaced the water pump impeller. Unless you can be sure it is new(ish), you will want to replace it as your first job. River use usually means some sand, which shortens the life of the rubber impellers. It's a good first motor.

 

[Chinewalker]

Only real weakness in those was the bearing in the ends of the connecting rods. It was a bronze babbit type bearing and they tended to oval over time, resulting in knocking. Turn the motor over slowly, by hand and note any knocking noises. You can also insert a dowel into the spark plug hole and note any piston play at top dead center.