TOPIC: 1960 EVINRUDE LARK 40

Hi
Can anyone recommend a good "vintage" outboard mechanic in central Maryland? I have a 1960 Lark II that needs a good "going-over".
Many Thanks!

Those are real easy motors to work on. The carb is a simple one to take apart and clean. Don't remember if the flywheel has a window so you can get in to set the point or not. It is easy to pull the flywheel so you can set the point .20 and plugs .30. Should be nothing to do as far as timing goes. Shouldn't take more than and hour to do it all.
Mike aka pathfinderz1

Hey..Thanks Mike. I'm going to look for a manual for it-she's really clean for a 50 year old machine. The guy who had it said it ran strong but it hasn't been fired-up in 2 or 3 years.

Barry

If it has been sitting that long you might want to change the impeller. Thats a littel harder but not that much. Better safe than sorry .
Mike aka pathfinder
PS
I have about 6 of those big twins and are good motors.

I've had my 1960 Evinrude Lark 40. hp. on my boat since 1963, and it's been an excellent, reliable motor. I've never had the cylinder head off, and it's needed only the usual servicing , such as a water pump every dozen years or so, hoses, one fuel pump, and the usual ignition and carburetor tuneups. It used to have a flywheel with an oval hole in it for servicing the ignition points. As I recall, there was a small sheet metal cover that screwed on over the hole. My flywheel developed a small crack at the oval hole, as many such flywheels apparently did, and I replaced the flywheel with one without the hole. I once heard an outboard mechanic call my motor a " 60 shaker" , referring to a slight imbalance problem found in some or all 40 hp. engines of that year. I never noticed any vibration problem with the old or new flywheel, but it's possible that replacement flywheels are balanced slightly differently to try to correct the alleged balance issue. If that's the case, however, it would mean that 1960 flywheels are not interchangable with other years, so I'm not sure about this issue.
The only occasion that my 40 hp. Lark did not get me back home in 47 years of use was when the phillips head screw on the side, and at the bottom of the lower unit gearcase came out, ( shift fork pivot screw) and the shift fork inside the lower unit scrambled the gears. I now check that little screw for tightness once a season. Also, I like the facts that these motors still had adjustable low and high speed jets in the carburetor, and the gearcase was still manual shift, and not electric.

Thanks Marlin! As a kid, my Dad had the same engine on a boat-he had it for many years and it was pretty much problem free. I recently came across a '57 Herters Flying Fish that needs alot of "love". A few weeks later, the Lark crossed my path and I couldn't resist!

I'm gonna focus on the boat first and then take care of the power but I've check compression and it's reading around 90 PSI in both cyls and looks like it belonged to a "little old lady from Pasadena." It's definately been VERY well cared for and I only hope I get the same service out of this one as you have out of yours!

If I get a chance, I'll post a few pics-she really is a clean piece!

Thanks Again!

Barry