Desert troller
New member
Guys or Gals too,
I have a 1958 FD-12 I got from an older man (80ish) for $50 2 weeks ago in excellent cosmetic condition, no dents in cowling, paint fading somewhat but was taken care of for a long time. He had a "mechanic" do some work and it never ran again. I found the carb float in upside down, the plugs gapped about .075, the points gapped at wide open and the coils completely split open and in pieces. Compression is strong, you have to put some effort and weight into it to pull start but it did run for a few seconds so I know I have a great motor to bring back to life.
Here's where I ran into a wall, I am converting it to electric start and can not find any pictures on the web of how the setup looks when done. I have found the bracket but it appears to be missing a part on the front that the air silencer and cowling mount onto to. Is there an additional bracket that bolts to the starter bracket with a mounting hole for the airbox and a stub sticking out towards the front for the rubber bushing to go on that holds the cowling in place?
Another item, does anyone know what parts can be purchased nowadays to convert it to electronic ignition? The Atom pieces are no longer around and I'm not sure about some of the other ones out there as they don't really sound like they are compatible with this engine. What I am wanting to do is use a DTDP switch to switch between points and electronic ignition to get the best of both worlds for starting and trolling and efficiency.
Lastly, the old fellow told me that the weep holes in the lower unit on each side about halfway between the upper and lower fill ports were welded over to prevent something or other, I didn't catch what he meant. He said back in the day that's what they used to do with them. Anyone heard of that?
Any and all help is appreciated, especially any pictures of the starter motor bracket setup!
Thanks
I have a 1958 FD-12 I got from an older man (80ish) for $50 2 weeks ago in excellent cosmetic condition, no dents in cowling, paint fading somewhat but was taken care of for a long time. He had a "mechanic" do some work and it never ran again. I found the carb float in upside down, the plugs gapped about .075, the points gapped at wide open and the coils completely split open and in pieces. Compression is strong, you have to put some effort and weight into it to pull start but it did run for a few seconds so I know I have a great motor to bring back to life.
Here's where I ran into a wall, I am converting it to electric start and can not find any pictures on the web of how the setup looks when done. I have found the bracket but it appears to be missing a part on the front that the air silencer and cowling mount onto to. Is there an additional bracket that bolts to the starter bracket with a mounting hole for the airbox and a stub sticking out towards the front for the rubber bushing to go on that holds the cowling in place?
Another item, does anyone know what parts can be purchased nowadays to convert it to electronic ignition? The Atom pieces are no longer around and I'm not sure about some of the other ones out there as they don't really sound like they are compatible with this engine. What I am wanting to do is use a DTDP switch to switch between points and electronic ignition to get the best of both worlds for starting and trolling and efficiency.
Lastly, the old fellow told me that the weep holes in the lower unit on each side about halfway between the upper and lower fill ports were welded over to prevent something or other, I didn't catch what he meant. He said back in the day that's what they used to do with them. Anyone heard of that?
Any and all help is appreciated, especially any pictures of the starter motor bracket setup!
Thanks

