WATERWITCH TANK REPAIR ATTEMPT

...So I began to repair the tank. I am not done yet so this is an attempt to fix it. 

The first thing I did was to clean the tank with electrolysis. I learned this method from watching youtube videos. It works far better than I thought it would so it is my default method until a better way presents itself. (If there is one.) Normally you would want to repeat the process until the tank is spotless on the inside but I am going to have to leak test it after I am finished and this could be a great way to do that.

I explain this simple process in the videos:

To fix the dents I have drilled holes into the inside of the tank where they will not be visible after assembly. This gives me access to the inside so the dents can be tapped out. Later I can plug the holes and seal them with aluminum braze. I devised this method myself because I do not have a welder. Normally you would want to cut a section of the tank out to get access to the inside. After the repair you weld it back together. The holes make it hard to find the exact dent you are looking for because you can't see inside.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture before I began, but if you watch the video of the leaky poppet valve in the last post you will see this particular dent before I touched it. Here is a series of pics illustrating how I have tapped the dents and sanded them smooth. You need tap then then sand repeatedly: Tap sand tap sand etc. Sanding helps the low spots stand out so you know where to tap next.

I still have to fix several other issues so the tank will be a lot of work. I will post pictures when 

I am done no matter how good or bad it looks.

WATERWITCH UPDATE AND MERCURY MARK 55

Just wanted to do a catch up post. I have been switching schedules at work a lot so I haven't been able to post in a while.

I changed out the spark wire on the coil and the Waterwitch is still sputtering. I noticed the carburetor is blowing out air/fuel mixture. 

Because these issues are so relentless I got impatient and began to clean up the parts. You can tell its going to be purty. I am using 40, 80, 160, 240, 320 and 800 grit sand papers, then buffing with white compound. I seem to be getting a better finish than previous motors.

I also found myself an old mercury mark 55. This one is in sad condition and not worth restoring but it will be great for parts.

NICE LITTLE JOHNSON FIND AND WATERWITCH UPDATE

I HAD A LITTLE EXTRA MONEY AND CHANCED UPON THIS LITTLE GOODIE. IT IS FROM 1973 YET STILL CLEAN UNDER THE HOOD. 

ONE COIL IS BLOWN, THE PROP IS CRACKED AND A SPARK PLUG HOLE IS STRIPPED OUT. I PICK THESE MOTORS UP WHEN I SEE THEM SO I CAN KEEP A PARTS INVENTORY THAT IS BOTH USEFUL AND PRODUCES SOME SHOP CASH FLOWING IN. IT ALLOWS ME TO BUY PARTS AND TOOLS FOR MY PROJECTS. 

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I HAVE POSTED BUT MAINLY BECAUSE OF MY LACK OF PROGRESS SOLVING THE ISSUE WITH THE WATERWITCH'S MISFIRING. I NEARLY DISASSEMBLED THE ENTIRE MOTOR LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS. I FOUND A BAD CRANKCASE GASKET SO I CUT IN ALL NEW ONES. AS I WAS REMOVING IT FOR REPAIR IT PULLED THE DRIVE SHAFT UP. AFTER WARDS I COULD NOT GET IT TO GO BACK DOWN BECAUSE OF THE WATER PUMP CAM SO I HAD TO PULL AND DISASSEMBLE THE LOWER UNIT ALSO. BUT FINALLY, RIGHT BEFORE SETTING IT ON FIRE, I FOUND THE PROBLEM;

THE SPARK WIRE ON THE WATERWITCH APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN CRUDELY CONNECTED TO THE COIL IN MANUFACTURING. THE COIL HAS A SMALL METAL LOOP WHERE THE SPARK WIRE IS TWISTED ONTO AND POSSIBLY SOLDERED. MY CONNECTION HAD SOLDER BUT IT FAILED TO FUSE THE WIRE TO THE LOOP. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE CONNECTION BECAME DIRTY AND/OR LOOSE OVER THE YEARS AND POOR SPARK WAS THE RESULT. HERE IS A VIDEO OF ME GETTING IT TO IDLE:

AS YOU CAN SEE IT STILL WILL NOT THROTTLE UP VERY WELL. I HAVE ORDERED SOME NEW RED SPARK WIRE SO I CAN REPLACE THE OLD ONE AND SOLDER IT ON PROPERLY. AFTER THE REPAIR IS DONE I WILL FIRE IT BACK UP AND TINKER WITH IT MORE. IT MIGHT RUN FINE WHEN THE AIR FUEL MIX IS DIALED IN AND THE SPARK ISSUE CAN BE ELIMINATED.

THE WATERWITCH RESTORATION IS UNDERWAY

I had time to work on the Waterwitch again today. The first thing I'm doing is fixing it so it is a runner. The compression is 55lbs but I don't know what it should be. I haven't been able to find info online yet but I'm still looking. I did find a users manual and parts list on ebay and so I put up a bid but as for the technical data, I'm not finding it.
The spark appears to be strong. All I have to do is go out to my garage, turn the lights off and pull the cord. The spark is bright and you can hear it snap. ....Strange thing is that it doesn't run right and I have seen motors with dirty point behave the same way.
The motor starts up but misfires a lot and generally runs rough. The spark advance didn't do anything at first, but when I move it to the fast position and lean up the mixture it kicks right up. Unfortunately, when you drop it down to slow it won't idle unless you open the mixture needle back up. I was taking a video when I first discovered this:

I used 24:1 fuel/oil ratio but because I don't know the technical data I don't want to run it for long. I will take another video when I get the correct mixture.
It seemed to pump water fine. In my experience these motors that predate the rubber impeller always pump water just fine. I can't help but wonder why they all use impellers these days but I would imagine there is a good reason.
For now I'm going to research a little more so I can figure out what's wrong.

MY OUTBOARD COLLECTION AS OF THIS FALL

My little make shift shop had been getting cluttered recently so I took this weekend to give it a good cleaning. In order to do the job I pulled out all of my motors. Here is a pic of all of them lined up.

The rowboat motor I am restoring is on the far right. I have finished the tank but it didn't turn out nearly as good as I wanted it. I am trying to fix and prep the flywheel for nickel plating. 

Second from the left is the Waterwich I finally broke ground on today. It has 55 lbs of compression and good spark so I am going to try to get it running really good before I do the cosmetics. 

Of course the Ruddertwin is there second from the right. I was indeed able to free up the powerhead so I am certainly going to attempt a restoration.

Here is a different angle with a close up of the rowboat motor.

And here is a video I took showing each one a little closer.

THE NEW MEMBER OF MY FLEET; AN ELTO RUDDERTWIN

So, I picked up an awesome motor today! It's a Ruddertwin! I have wanted one of these for a long time. I saw it listed in my area and ran out and bought it for 150 bucks. Sadly the powerhead is currently frozen. 

I took this video earlier today but have since pulled the carburetor and exhaust manifold. It looks like there is rust inside both the cylinders and the crank case. It appears to be light though and might come free with some PB blaster. I have never had success freeing up a rusted powerhead but then again I have never seen one so lightly rusted. I think it is worth trying to fix but I'm not going to be holding my breath either.

This cylinder does not appear to have rust
from the cameras perspective,
but there is minor rust visible to the naked eye

This one has thicker rust but still barely visible to the camera.

 This pic shows the crank shaft as best as possible right now.
It looks really bad from this angle but the connecting rod bearings look fine.

So far it's not looking good as a restorable but time will tell. I am going to be trying to free up this motor sooner than later though so I know weather or not it's worth hanging on to.

EVINRUDE RBM FLYWHEEL PRE-RESTORATION

The flywheel is a bit of a problem. As you can, see the handle was once threaded into the flywheel's surface. Years of use have destroyed the threaded hole. The handle you see here on the left is a reproduction.

I am not sure how to fix this issue at the moment. I suspect it is going to need welding and/or machining. And worse still, my plan is to have it plated with nickel or chrome so the repair must work with the plating. I would rather not pay professionals but I might have to.

It might be possible to use some helicoil inserts though. I think I will look into that first and see what the pros and cons are. If that doesn't work then I will call a shop.