Which motor is worth fixing up?

Over the last few months I picked up two motors, one a 1958 Johnson FD12, the other a 1960 Evinrude Fastwin 18hp
The FD12 has great compression, the owner quit using it because the lower unit leaked oil after getting some fishing line behind the prop.
The Evinrude, was a low hour motor that the owner suddenly found had two frozen clamp screws and a few other issues.
They appear very similar, and I'd like to make one from the pair. My question is whether to build it as 58 Johnson or the 60 Evinrude?
I'm leaning toward the Evinrude, mostly because I liked the easier to open cover vs the awkward contraption clam shell style on the FD12. (I can just picture having to fiddle with that thing in the water and dropping it, never to see it again. The fiberglass shell of the Evinrude just lifts right off like a more modern motor. The 1960 Evinrude also uses a normal fuel tank.

I checked the compression on each motor, the FD12 has 88/89 psi on both cylinders, the Fastwin has 85/87 psi both using a Matco compression tester, using my Snap On tester both gave slightly higher results. Both motors got a shot of oil and about ten pulls before testing compression
Both lower units had clean oil but the FD12 had some oiliness around the prop shaft. Both have what appear to be new or minty perfect props.

Is any one of them more desirable for any particular reason, other than the fact that the 1960 Evinrude uses a normal fuel tank? (I can convert the FD12 too).

The power head seems easier to get at on the Evinrude, there's better access to lower parts of the power head because of the wider pan. The paint on the 1960 Evinrude is better, the Johnson is well faded.

Are the lower units the same? both are 5 bolt style so I'm pretty sure they will bolt up but am not sure about the shaft splines and driveshaft length?

I have a bag of impellers if needed and a box of J8C spark plugs, and a pair of later style plastic coils so I can make one of these run without spending any money its just a matter of which one.

I pulled the Evinrude apart first, the coils both look new, but the top cylinder's plug wire was pulled back from the coil. It appears to just get shoved onto the pin sticking out of the coil?
The 58 has one new plastic coil and one wax coil, the wax coil is dead.
I figured I'd reseal which ever lower unit I decide to use. The lower on the Evinrude looks cleaner, and passes the pressure test as is, but I've got a box marked LU parts, I found a new shift rod bushing/oring, a top seal, a prop seal, new o ring gasket, and pair of new drain plugs. I figured I'd tear down the lower unit off the Evinrude, strip and paint it to match the Johnson and respray the whole 58 motor with some new lettering on the cowl. If not, I can.
After a pulling apart the 58, I see to fix both, I need one coil, I've got a bag of condensers from Sierra that should be fine, and both engines have what looks to be new points,
The 58 will need the fuel pump added, and I have a new pump so I figured I could just ad the ports and set it up like the 1960 model?

I have the two new coils, so one motor will get both new coils, and maybe I'll put the best used pair on the other motor.

Does the compression sound normal for one of these? its a lot lower than I'm used to seeing on other, (newer) motors, but it feels pretty strong when pulling the rope.

The 1960 Evinrude looks like the easier fix but the 58 is a better match for the old boat I want to run it on.
I think the 58 has been repainted, the power head and pan underneath a burnt orange color while the outside is more purple metallic. I need to find the right color to match the original colors. Is there anything close off the shelf without paying $14 a can at the marina?

The lower is off the motor, I filled the wash tub up and just submerged the lower unit after I drained the oil out.
I made a 3/8" to 1/8" pipe thread adapter and rigged up a hose to my Mity Vac tester. I pumped it up to 10 psi, and spun the shafts with a drill, shifted it forward, neutral, and reverse and let it sit for about four hours, it never lost any pressure. The '58 lower blows bubbles from the prop seal and the case halves.

The gear lube in both was like glue, I had to warm both lower units up by setting them in warm water for an hour or so so they'd drain. What came out was like molasses and nearly completely clear.

I get the impression someone already did some work on this motor. Both points are spot clean, but the kill switch wire was shorted underneath. I'll be making up some new leads for that. Its got a metal button vs the original rubber kill button).

I have two boxes of Champion 825 (J4C) and four boxes of 841, (J8C), spark plugs. I picked them up at an auction a few years ago because both fit various other motors as well. I've also got two boxes of W8E NGK plugs.

The J4C plugs that re in it don't look bad, but they've been run.

Here's the stator plate off the 1960:



I pulled the plate because I figured I'd replace the upper and lower power head seals since I've got them here.

I don't see any markings on the points, at least none that area obvious. They look new. The new points I've got in the OMC box don't have any markings on them either. They came with the motors, along with 8 BRP Carb kits, four OMC coils, two rolls of spark plug wire and new boots, four condensers, two in OMC envelopes, two in BRP bags, and 6 new flywheel keys. It was all in a box with the motors.

I got the clamp screws free and both spin nicely now. It needs a new disc on the one screw, (missing).

I have the pressure tank but it leaks when pumped up, it'll need to be torn apart and rebuilt. I think I like using the new fuel pump and plate that came in the box, its an OEM part (0388684 on the Evinrude box) I have two of them. I also have bags of each oil seal, about 6 of each, all in OMC boxes and envelopes, plus about 11ft of the round rubber seal for the gear case halves. There's a bag of 25 drain plug seals and another bag of paper gaskets that I guess are an either/or option?

Are these lower units the same all the way up to the 25hp? I see the one bag of seals is marked '58-'78 18,20, 25hp.


I added to the pile tonight, someone had a 1959 18hp listed for free on CL, its stuck, but should be good for some more spare parts. It was only a few miles down the road. The power head on it is discolored and looked like it overheated and every last head bolt is broken off in the block. The rest of it looks okay, or should at least give me some spare odds and ends. Maybe I'll fix both the 58 and the 60.

There's also a 25hp listed as 'running' on CL, but its a long shaft. The guy is asking $100, but after talking to him, he may want to trade me for a lawn mower I have listed.
Is the lower unit the same on the '59 as on a 72 25hp? (I think the 25hp may also have electric start).

You can find some good information on those motors at Leeroy's Ramblings site
https://www.leeroysramblings.com/johnson_E-FD_15_18hp.html

I seem to recall a few changes in the drive shaft splines and in the pinion gear but all current available parts, if you can find them do supersede to the later version of the 5 bolt lower unit up until around 1967 or so in the 20hp.
However, I believe the 25hp lower gear case changed, the skeg shape changed, and some of the internal parts also changed. I've never tried to interchange the newer lower on an older motor, or vice versa but although it may be possible to make it work, it likely wouldn't be a proper match.

All of the 58-67 18hp and 20hp motors cross over to the newer 0382832 gear case housing so those should be interchangeable and match the original skeg. The 25hp, uses the same driveshaft, and up to at least 1975, uses the same 5 bolt lower unit, may work but the skeg on the 25hp is straighter and runs closer to the prop.
If it were mine, I'd either find a short 25hp lower unit or find the parts needed to make the one you have a short shaft unit. I believe in those years its as simple as finding a shorter driveshaft, which may be able to be taken from an earlier motor, and removing the 5" spacer, and longer shifter clamp, and water tube extension.

The 25hp lower is clearly beefier overall just in the width of the section below the av plate:

18-20hp gear case

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

25hp gear case:

I decided to tear the freebie '59 Evinrude down today.
The power head was stuck, but the rest of the thing looks pretty clean for being a local motor. I pulled the lower unit, took the mid and bracket apart, and pulled the power head and started t strip it down.
With the power head on the bench, I started working on the broken headbolts, and was able to get all but one of them out. One in the middle is stuck and won't budge, but I drilled it down about and inch.
The head still refuses to budge? I have ten empty bolt holes and no amount of tapping, prying, or twisting will dislodge the head from the block.
It don't even so much as budge, I even tried a porta power between the tabs on the head and the block. I've heated it with a torch, soaked it for hours in penetrating oil and it won't move.
I pulled the back o f the block off, and removed the crank, which looks fine, and I can see that both rods will move but the top rod won't go to top dead center. It sounds like there's something in the cylinder.

The four inner exhaust cover bolts are also stuck, but all the rest came out. Its soaking in heated marvel oil at 170 degrees now, I'll leave it in there for the rest of the day and see if anything wants to move then. Hopefully being in hot oil will let it soak in where it'll do some good. The heat tank was originally made for cleaning molds in a factory, I use it for stuff like this.

I'm having second thoughts as to whether the '59 is a 'parts' motor or something worth fixing. Its not as clean as the first two but its not bad and other than one broken rubber pan mount and what ever is holding the head on and dealing with the exhaust cover and some gaskets. I'll have to decide i suppose once the head is off but the piston and cylinder look good from what I can see so far.

I had a 5.5hp years ago that wouldn't let go of its head, all the bolts were out and the head came off in 5 pieces as if welded to the block. The bolts all came out normal, the rest of the motor came right apart but the head wouldn't budge. I ended up just parting it out. I never did figure out why or how it was so stuck but I pried, pounded, soaked, and even heated the thing up with a torch but it refused to let go. I ended up scoring the surface of the head with a saw and breaking it off an inch at a time. The gasket as glued solid to the bock and head somehow. I ended up sanding the gasket off the block with a piece of sandpaper glued to an aluminum block. The odd part was the motor looked great other than a few stuck bolts and a leaky crank seal. I had been running it not long before the tear down.
As I chipped off the head every little piece fought me every inch of the way. I saw no signs of any sealer or glue, it was just stuck. The head was stuck to the gasket, the gasket stuck to the block. I ended up sanding the remains of the gasket off with 80 grit sandpaper glued to a block of steel so as not to warp the surface. It took all day and then some. No amount of heat or force would budge it. Yet every bolt in that motor spun freely with no issues.

If the question here is really whether to choose between the 58 Johnson or the 60 Evinrude and there can only be one I'd have to say fix the 58 Johnson. The style alone would be the best reason. Performance wise they're likely identical.
I would also venture to guess there's fewer of the 1958 version than the 1960 models.

Those motor were built for many years and any part left over would also have value.