TOPIC: LU swap

quick question: will the lower unit from a 1965 evinrude 60 hp (model 60553A) swap directly onto my 1958 johnson fat fifty (model V4SL-10)? bolt pattern's the same, i just wondered if there were other unforseen problems awaiting me. since the 1965 is a SS and the 58 is a LS, i plan to reuse the driveshaft and whatever other components i need from the '58.

i got the replacement skeg and went to order seals only to find that, in order to get everything i needed, it was going to be upwards of $200 and i may be into the 1965 LU for less than half of that, if it'll work.

thanks
chris

Wasn't the 65 Rude an Electro-Shift?

nope. manual shift. it LOOKS like it'll all swap well, but i know how that can go...

If driveshaft lengths are the same, splines match up and shift linkage lines up, it should work. Water tubes can be bent this way or that to accomodate if needed... I seem to recall a friend of mine doing this conversion and he picked up a fair bit of speed - was able to use some better props, too!

Chinewalker wrote:

If driveshaft lengths are the same

this is one of the items that cause my question... i have no other driveshaft length to compare it to. the 60hp motor is SS, and the 50 is LS. does anyone have a LS driveshaft off of a 65 sitting around they could measure for me?

so i grabbed the SS diveshaft and figured i would do a side-by-side comparison and see if the only difference was 5" in length. well, they're 6 3/8" different in length, and i found these differences (the one on the left is from the 50):



the splines on both ends appear to be the same. the keyways are the same size, but in different locations. there's also the steel bushing that rides inside of bearings that don't exist on the 50. looks like i can't use the 50 driveshaft on the 60 LU. i'll have to find a driveshaft from a LS 60 if there's any chance of this swap working, unless y'all see something that i'm not.

I may have a LS 60/75 hp driveshaft. Will look when I get a chance...

Chinewalker -

thanks for looking!

let me know what you find out. i'm currently in pursuit of a 1963 75hp entire LU assembly. it looks like the 60hp LU i have (i got it in pieces) may not be as complete as i originally thought, and i may need more parts to make it work, if i still end up going that route.

-Chris