TOPIC: Diamond in the Ruff '57 Javelin, Frankenstein

...better news... I actually drove by this barn find several times, thinking that it's outside of a marina, so it's probably there for hi-priced parts or resto... I was helping out my dad's neighbor, towing his 21' Wellcraft to the marina for repairs. While there, I figured, what the heck, nothing ventured, you know...Well, the guy said it was seized up, but for sale. That was talking my language, cause I've got a '57 Javelin that runs, but some dtpstick painted it all black and most of the chrome is missing, this one has all the chrome, (rough but it's there). The guy kinda hem-hawd,but asked if $40. was too much. I was never so glad to 2 twenties in my pocket... I forgot all about my bad back and loaded it in the back of my truck. When I got to my garage, I noticed that it was stuck in forward, and that's why the rope wouldn't pull, yup I turned the flywheel by hand...

...not surprisingly, from looking at all the 'Red' parts, the model# on the tag is a RDE-18, which should be a '56 30hp

Awesome deal, I would have gave $40 just for the cowl!

Awesome deal, I would have gave $40 just for the cowl!

matty83 wrote:

Awesome deal, I would have gave $40 just for the cowl!

At first I thought that's what he meant...

I finally got around to checking out the 'Frankenstein' motor. I was amazed to find brand new coils, points & condensers installed, while the plug wires & fuel lines are dry rotted original. I was further amazed when the rusty starter rolled over very strong, and it had spark! A bit intrigued, I wondered if it would start. I cleaned the points & plugs, changed all the fuel lines, freed up the seized throttle shaft, connected a gas tank. Well it took some cranking, but it finally fired up! I got it to run for a couple minutes in the barrel, but it won't pump water. Both lower end gear lube plugs were missing, I theorized that they could have possibly been scavenged from the old motor sitting around for so many years, so I pulled a pair from a bad electramatic L/U, and filled it up before I started it. It is still a long way from gracing the transom of a classic woody, it needs the throttle linkage revamped, from being tweaked with the throttle shaft seized up, and of course new plug wires, along with a lot of TLC...But not bad for a 'seized up' motor...

55bigtwin,

I have a STRONG suspicion that you don't have a "Frankenstein motor" but instead, an "otherwise stock" 1956 RDE-18, that someone simply put a 1957 Javelin cowl upon. - 1956 Johnson cowls are NOT expensive, if ORIGINALITY is important to you.
(That's what I'd do, if it was mine AND then I'd start looking for an incomplete 1957 Johnson "parts motor" to assemble/re-construct as a '57 Golden Javelin.)

just my OPINION, satx

Pretty motors - both the 56 and the 57. Would you believe that I rescued this Javelin from a local guy that was in the process of parting it out for Ebay. What a complete idiot. He had totally broken it down, but I got to him before a single part was sold. I traded more than $1,500 worth of antique radios and victrolas to him for it. The engine appears to have less than 50 hours on it - The photo of the powerhead is how it was pulled off - just mint.

Wow, that's awesome. Yeah I wonder what people are thinking sometimes. I will look for a '56 cowl. Meanwhile, I already have a '57 Javelin that runs, but most of the chrome is missing, and some idiot painted the whole motor black!