TOPIC: 1963 Merc 500M

I'm looking at a nice 1963 Merc 500M (manual start, short shaft) My question is, if I get tired of pulling the starter rope, is it possible to convert a 500M to an electric start? I was thinking that the motor was just starter delete, and a starter would be able to be added, what do you guys think?

thanks, Andy B.

starter, flywheel solonoid and wiring harness. you are good to goeasy job all bolt on.

that's what I had been thinking.. thanks for confirming my suspisions... looks like starters are a little pricy... but ehh.. I'm sure I will be able to find some used ones somewheres... are the starters on the 4 cylinder mercs from this year the same as the ones on the 6 cylinders?

no the 4 cyl starters are different than the 6's and used starters for that model run about $50 used

Thanks MadProps! that's not bad at all then for a used starter.. figured the 6 Cylinder jobs would be a little heavier than the 4's... cheers!

There are also different 4 cyl starters, the bendix tooth count varies (as does the flywheel tooth count of course).

Why not buy an electric motor & either not use the electrics or take them off if you want to save weight? That way if you ever want to go electric you know the bits will fit, plus I would guess it is easier to find electric motors over there, not so here in the UK, most 500's were manual start due to the big price difference.

Might be easier to find a junker 500 with the parts you need, rather than trying to piece something together...

Hi, we have a couple of options you may have an interest in.

Thank you,
Joe
www.fergusonpoolemarine.com (e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)