I just traded a 1967 Johnson 60 hp for a 1957 Lonestar Commander with an awesome running Wizard wf-4 on it.Could anyone please tell me the year and where I might find a handle grip and the correct decals for the motor? the ones they have at ny... don't match mine and I would really like to have the correct ones.

Dale,
If this is your first Wizard...Welcome to the fold!
The WF4 is a bit of an odd duck and for some strange reason, hard to find info on.

Yours is either a 1949 or 1950 motor. See this chart with your serial # in hand.


Grips can be purchased here:
http://johnsonseahorse.tripod.com/id4.html
I suspect it will be the #136 mercury grip.

I Googled around, but can't find pictures anywhere of a wf4. All I know is that it's based on the mercury KD-4. Wizards by 1950 are usually made from Mercury "spare parts" of previous years with different cowlings. I believe only the pre-1947 models are neck and neck in technology and looks with their Mercury cousins.
Could you please post some pictures of Your Motor?...especially around the decals.

Some general engine parts can be found here:
http://www.eastcoastmarineservice.com/kd4.html
Hope this helps,
-Bryan

Thank you very much for all of the wonderful information! this is my first Wizard only recently even heard of them.The following is a link to my photos, please reply . http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff238/bad_habits1_photos/

My grip appears to be the #14 Mercury grip, and My motor appears to be a 1950...very odd indeed since 1950 is when they switched tio the 136 grip.

Does anyone have a photo of what this engine is actually supposed to look like?

Yikes!
I haven't seen those decals before. Nice find though! The cowling is the same as my 1951 WG4.
I think, I'd just shine it up a little, have some fun, and run it "as is". You won't be worrying so much about scratches or sun fading your decals then.
Yours had the older grip. I'd say like the #14 in the Fox Grip catalog.

Have your starter pull-handle plug, your choke, and High speed knobs been anodized? I thought they were all aluminum colored originally. Anodizing didn't come about until around the first Star Wars movie. Remember R2D2 and his Blue and white High tech shell?

Also, That's the first green prop I've seen on one of these. I wonder if that's the original paint? If so, I think this motor hasn't seen much wear or at least much bottom sand/gravel.
Cheers,
-Bryan

the knobs are annodized red, and the guy who traded it to me said his dad only had it out twice that he remembered,and as tight as it is and as good as the compression is I don't feel that it has seen to much use and abuse. As far as leaving it as is and running it,you don't feel that I should restore it? Did you take a look at my Lark?

It's a matter of preference. You may prefer a new looking motor. Clean up the motor you have and see what you've got. I was going to do a restore on my 1946 KD3 but I decided not to after washing it in kerosene and removing the grime.




My Brother Is a Model-T ford nut. He has more fun and gets more attention in his 1928 un-restored Jalopy than with the several he's restored to original. Also some judges would rate a decent unrestored motor higher than a repainted one.

Here's a link to a parts list of the K model mercurys. Yours would be KD-4.
http://pub9.bravenet.com/photocenter/album.php?usernum=737212788&album=49067#bn-photocenter-1-1-737212788/49067/1/

Ok...I'm kinda getting freaked out here.
The motor that dad had as we were growing up was a 35hp. 1958? evinrude Lark like yours.




The motor on my boat out in the yard is a 40hp.1967 Johnson which looks pretty much like the 60hp one you traded.



By the way...Our Lark has been long since sold, but My dad still has the extension to make it a long shaft motor. I saw it over the weekend. The drive-shaft may take some searching to locate though.

Is that a Starcraft boat the Lark is on in the pic?
-Bryan

Thank you again for another gtreat link,

And yes that's a Starcraft,I was going to give it to my mom and her fella and restore the Lonestarbut it's such a good boat I couldn't part with it.Sounds like we were destined to one day cross paths, doesn't it?

Just to add my two cents to the WF4 restoration, I am all for cosmetic restorations, but the Wizards can be a challenge. You can get the paint through Peter McDowell, who I believe is the only one who sells the exact match, but it is pricey due to crossing the US-CA border. I have yet to see a really good match for it using off-the-shelf auto paint, although Ron L.'s Wizards looks really nice. But if you want to make the investment, I would first make sure that you have yourself a good runner -- i.e check the compression, and if good, do the basic maintenance to see if you have one that will perform for you.

If so, then the restoration might be worth the money. The Mercury restorations can be pricier than the OMC's, particularly since the magneto components are about double that of the OMC universal magneto, like on that beautiful Lark. I don't say any of this to dissuade you from doing the restoration, but I blew a lot of money on a Wizard once because I didn't do the basic checks upfront.

Just food for thought!
JP

Well, already have half of the battle won, it runs like new. Starts on the first pull after it warms up,idles way down to good trolling speed, and after only slight adjustment runs like a striped...well you know, on the top end. No complaints at all for a sixty year old motor, and thank you for the praise on the Lark.

That's great! Then I would move full-steam ahead on the restoration. As far as decals, try contacting Dave Shabestari (email: shabestari@sbcglobal.net). He does vinyl decals and may be able to put something together for you, unless you prefer waterslide. Since he has a vinyl cutting decal maker (vice a printing process), he has to do each color as its own separate set. He does really good work and has great prices.

Good luck!
JP

Thanks for the advice/info.My son is an awesome artist. gonna have him hand paint the 2 on the sides with enamel, probably pay your source for the one on the front.

Best wishes in your paint and decal restoration!
Let us know if you are able to get the decals as it will increase the knowledge base here.

I learned alot myself already and there are some great guys with lots of experience on this forum.

Seeing that Lark brings back a rush of memories of my dad and brother trying to crank ours and keep it going. I guess that was before they knew what an inline fuel filter was for.

My 1962 14' Starkcraft is one sweetie-pie of a boat. Mine's in need of a new wooden floor.
I highly recommend them to others. Not as stylish as a Feathercraft, but they're more servicable and still pretty cheap. I think they'll become a classic one day.
-Bryan

I love my Starcraft , couldn't even part with it for A vintage Lonestar! Rode out 5 foot whitecaps trying to get to the home side of the Mississippi when a rogue windstorm that the local weather man forgot to forecast kicked up. I had myself, my wife, my 19 year old daughter, and every thing it takes to hunt down those pesky catfish in it and only a '75 Evinrude 9.9 hanging off of the back...but thats another story. As far as decals go, i've checked every resource avaiable on the web and I think about the only way I'm going to get them is if some old timer says he has some out in the shed. In Muscatine that just may happen! Look us up online. In all honesty, I'm going to hand paint the side with enamel and laquer over them. Where the Lark is concerned, got lucky there too, it hung in a garage for years(you can read the story at iboats on the non repair thread "1957 Larks")but I hooked up a single line to the fuel side and hand pumped the fuel to it with the bulb and it started on about the third pull.I know, I must be one of the luckiest S.O.B's on the planet. My turn for a change. And lastly , you guys have been awesome. A wealth of knowledge I would have had to do months of research with out. Kudoz and an extra slice of raisin pie to each and every one of you!;)

A starts on first pull only slightly used 1950 outboard likely still has the original rubber
impeller in water pump...may simply
disintegrate without notice...a priority item
to check and most likely replace asap.
While you are at it replace grease in gear case
as it likely has long since passed its best by date.
The spline socket at bottom of crankshaft should get a
gob of grease to reduce wear and corrosion too.
The prop shaft also should be greased once or
twice a season to avoid corroding prop shaft and
associated parts into one nasty mess.
Wear and corrosion of crankshaft splines,driveshaft
splines, prop shaft and associated parts often
serious problem on early Kiekhaefer made Mercury and
Wizards that have seen normal usage...lack of
preventative maintenance.
Louis

The impeller is on the prop shaft behind a brass cover.
the brass cover is visible behind the rubber prop clutch when you remove the propeller.

The gear case of these should be filled with Lubriplate 105 motor assembly grease available at Napa. Louis is right about these Mercury lower units needing lots of TLC.

Do I have to take off the lower unit to perform these procedures? If so, can you either talk me through it or upload the diagram? I'm uploading photos of it all polished up then I'll be needing opinions on weather to restore it cosmetically or just leave it as is. I don't sell them for profit, I fix them up and keep them if I really like them or trade them for something different if I don't This is my first Keikhaufer so I'm still on the fence. The fact that it starts so easy and runs so good has really made a big impression and the fact that there are so many of you so willing to help out and impart your knowledge really sways me. Thank you all again.

http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff238/bad_habits1_photos/1950%20Wizard%20wf-4/
before and after cleanup pictures.

It cleaned up really nice! You may get it looking better by waxing it, but it may interfere if you decide to paint it later.
In the main Website under "Lower unit Pictures" is a good photo spread of these lower units and the impeller housing.
http://www.wizardoutboardforum.com/LowPics.html
There are two screws to change the gear oil/grease. The upper is a steel machine screw on the side towards the front. The lower, is a brass plug on the lower right side of the impeller housing. The brass one is often stuck hard. Not worth the trouble of drilling and tapping to remove if it's stuck.

Two screws hold the impeller housing to the lower unit. Probably a good idea to remove these and clean out the old grease and gook. Since my lower plug was fused solid I put the Lubriplate 105 in before closing the gear case up.

Check your seal on the prop shaft while there. The seal for the driveshaft in the upper part of the lower unit is made of formed leather? mine had disintegrated when I went to check it. Might be ok in yours though.

O.K. so I pulled the housing,and (dramatic pause)... everything looks like new. I pulled the impeller all of the way out and checked it for cracks and pliability and it's in great condition, The lower unit grease looks and smells just as it should so I reassembled it. I think I have myself a bonifide gem. Seems to me to be a honey of a little motor. Someone that obviously knew what they were doing has went the extra mile and treated this one right. So, now what? should I use it as a daily operator or as a show piece? Oh yeah, I did the cosmetic work on it also, be uploading pics soon.

To each his own ... but I am all for running them and wouldn't give it a second thought. I've got my favorites for regular use, but each of my motors get at least one outing a year. I think you'll get more satisfaction from it on the water than in the family room. It was built to be run ... so have fun with it!!

Looking forward to the pictures!

JP

ttp://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff238/bad_habits1_photos/1950%20Wizard%20wf-4/ New look.

Wow ... looks fantastic!!! No go run that thing!

JP

I think you meant to post the picture link like this.
http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff238/bad_habits1_photos/1950%20Wizard%20wf-4/



Looks really good! What name brand paint and color green did you end up using?

I think you should run it but take really good care of it. The parts for these things are getting harder and harder to find and yours is a nice one.

Did I post the link wrong? I didn't accidentally send you the links to the wifes naughty pics did I?Anyway, the paint is Dupli-Color Import auto spray Hampsted Green Metallic. It's almost a perfect match to the color my motor was just a bit darker,I figure that before the sun and age faded it it was probably darker too.

No Naughty pics...just antique outboard porn.
The link wasn't complete and would not open without tweaking. When posting, click on the orange "BB code" icon and it will show you what codes to use to make your pictures pop up automatically or a link "Click-able".



Very nice color for something out of a can.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=298301
This is for you ,Bryan.

Just acquired 2 new motors, so probibly going to actually start selling or trading some soon. Earlier tonight I did some horse trading for a 1969 Chrysler electric start and and a 1957 or 1958 Johnson 18 hp Seahorse, both need nothing but a good cosmetic overhaul.As you've probably figured out the Johnsons are my forte, I don't know squat about the Chryslers. Does anyone know if they are a sound motor? It's ugly as sin, has a big bubble on the top to make room for the electric start and you actually have to have a key to start it.But anyway, I know where there is a really nice 1950 Wizard...

Yes, the Chryslers are a good motor. Chrysler purchased the outboard division of West Bend, who had been making outboards for Sears under the Elgin name as well as selling those branded as West Bends. Chrysler stayed with the very successful design characteristics used by West Bend, and many parts on Chryslers are interchangeable with their West Bend forefathers. Chrysler marketed their motors to Montgomery Wards as Sea Kings (probably the last good Sea Kings), and you will see at lot of them branded that way. I have a 1959 West Bend-made Elgin, and although it is as ugly as sin, it is a great runner.

You can actually convert the Wico magneto over to the OMC universal; you just need to install the laminate off of an old Wico coil onto an OMC coil. Like you said, ugly motors, but great runners. One of the few Achilles' heel of the design is the plastic starter pinion gear. They wear down meshing with the teeth on the flywheel.

JP

I was wrong on a couple of different notes. It's a 1970, not a 1969. The bubble on the top isn't to make room for the starter, it's a light! I really think it's a pretty cool motor. There's a '68 that could most likely be gotten for a song on iboats forum, a guy answered my thread on there and said that his '58 Johnson 18 hp is his baby, but he has a '68 Chrysler that he won't even run because he say he don't trust it, says for being 2 hp bigger it doesn't come close to pushing his boat as fast as the 18, he says they are junk.

Well, comparing any motor to a late 50's Johnson is almost unfair. I have a 1956 Johnson 10 that is by far my favorite. Nothing runs as smoothly or idles down as well as one of those. The West Bend Elgin is louder and not a smooth an idler (although pretty darn good), but the power (its a 12HP) is fantastic. Once it warms up, it idles down quite well, too. I wouldn't spend tons of money on one, but they aren't too shabby a motor if well maintained. Just my opinion.

I just traded the Chrysler for a 1973 Evinrude 50 hp powerplant That I need about as much as I need another hole in my head, but a friend in need...were the early '70 's 50 pretty good motors? And you are right, comparing anything to the old Johnnyrudes is unfair. When i was a kid we commercial fished (basket traps) for catfish and I was the boat operator . The old river rat that taught my stepdad to fish , and me the river, would only use '55 to '58 30 to 35 hp O.M.C. motors because of the low end lugging. he convinced me that they were the only motor on the market that would hold you against the current at idle on the up river side of a major wingdam with swift current without dying at idle speeds in gear.One of those life lessons well learned, i've never strayed away from them and they'll probably have to pry my cold dead fingers off of the tiller handle of one when I pass to the here after. As long as I can keep finding them I'll keep buying them.

oh, by the way, in reference to not spending a lot of money on one. I traded a Sony Playstation 2 that was found on the curb during clean-up days for mine.Cheap enough, eh?

Sweet... I do that on Craigslist sometimes.
I've been told that a boat is a "hole in the water you pour money into".

So far to date i've got less than $1000.00 invested and I have 2 great boat motor trailer combinations. a 1950 Wizard 6hp, 1957 Lark 35hp and 1 for parts, 1958 18hp Seahorse,1970 20hp Chrysler electric start,and a 1975 9.9. .Plus I have a 1963 Buccaneer 5hp, 1959 18hp Seahorse, and a 1973 50hp Evinrude on the way. A very sound investment in my opinion, one with awesome returns. You gotta love Craigslist.

Hey everyone I purchased a wf-4 motor from a gentleman runs great....I am looking too sell and have pictures.....what is it worth and where would I sell this

Thanks

Nate