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History of the speedmaster drive?
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Ratickle
Founding Member / Super Moderator
It sure looks like one.
old377guy
Charter Member
I thinks so from what I can tell from your photo.
Dude! Sweet!
Charter Member
Has the Evinrude logo on the Stbd bow too.
Ratickle
Founding Member / Super Moderator
Good eye....I didn't catch that.
MILD THUNDER
New member
You guys aren’t old enoughWell maybe Injun is
TR2 is a TRS upper with a supersize lower, yes 19 or 20” prop.
http://www.mercruiserparts.com/selectSerailRange.asp?doc_nbr=II-TR+++1973-1976
The III is another drive with a supersize lower, same basic upper as the #3SSM. I don't seem to have it on the site however. Had a finned rear cover with a fill plug in it if I remember correctly.
And way back in the day (early mid 60's) I think there was a SSM lower for the original II drive - not related at all to the TRS. I will say I was just a puppy then and might be thinking of something else.
I believe this is the drive in question, "clubfoot" bolts to ssm III gimbal
http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifieds/ssm3_clubfoot_390hp_drives-o26985-en.html
Steve 1
Contributor
I am in a gray area on the # 6 I thought Fred had something to do with it, the last big drives Carl did were numbered I think like 600 or 800 and the drive steered by the lower half swiveling the Gimbals only allowed trim In and Out , there were Sealing problems and Mr. K pulled the plug on it.
MOBILEMERCMAN
Founding Member / Competitor
Steve the sixes were Keikeffers. They first showed up around '88 . They were said to take 1000 ft/lbs torque. I don't recall the name but, gorilla rings a bell. Some time shortly there after Mercury incorporated the Keik line into quicksilver accessories and began to offer the #6.
MOBILEMERCMAN
Founding Member / Competitor
Frank, The Bravo was offered first in '88. It existed before that. I recall seeing it at merc school before its release.. Yes it was a copy of Volvo's cone clutch.. Merc waited for the patent to expire.
A friend of mine owned a '75 or 6 Magnum.. He claimed it had the first TRS on it.
THose OMC trim that moved the whole motor.. What A POS. I was in high school and could recognize it as trouble.. OMC engineers have never failed to amaze me. Every time I would try to understand why the did it the way they did I would say to myself , "that sure is a stupid way to do it." I decided long ago I wold never work on one again. I still refuse.
I will throw all my tools in in river before I so much as change a battery in an OMC product.
Any way it is amazing how things have advanced in the last decade. It was not that long ago when 100 MPH pleasure boats were few and far between.
Steve 1
Contributor
Fred and Gary were in the car with us in the # 4 days and I asked about a stronger drive (we had a big tripple planned then) they both laughed and said soon; the Six was what they were working on then.
old377guy
Charter Member
I remember seeing the trim motors on the front engine mounts, big rubber sheet on the transom and "ball joints" on the drive and just shaking my head over and over again........
Bringing thread back from dead
This wasn't the only sterndrive from that era. Johnson made them in the US, too. I'm sure Kiekhaefer knew about these earlier sterndrives and others ... and considered them all commercial and mechanical failures ... that's why he was not interested making a sterndrive ... until the Volvo proved to be both a commercial and mechanical success.
Here is a link to my Speedmaster threads on www.screamandfly.com:
History of the Merc Speedmaster racing lower unit
This wasn't the only sterndrive from that era. Johnson made them in the US, too. I'm sure Kiekhaefer knew about these earlier sterndrives and others ... and considered them all commercial and mechanical failures ... that's why he was not interested making a sterndrive ... until the Volvo proved to be both a commercial and mechanical success.
Here is a link to my Speedmaster threads on www.screamandfly.com:
History of the Merc Speedmaster racing lower unit
OneBadInjun
New member
Thanks for the link Mark. Also, lets not forget the Eaton outdrive. What a jewel, lol :sifone:
Powerabout
New member
Speaking of MCM 1 speedmaster, didnt Jackie Wilsons Cosworth outboard tunnel have a 1 drive in it?
( or should I say on it?)
( or should I say on it?)
htrdlncn
New member
My first boat was a hand me down from my Dad,
a 24x7 Pirahna had a 200hp/292" (truck block) chevy straight six with a quadrajet with factory thru hull
exhaust and a #2 drive. It was all factory stock .It was a 1969 model way before the TRS, the steering wheel ,drive and all the controls said kiekhaefer , the drive manual the came with the boat called it a Kiekhaefer #2 drive, the motor said Mercury.
The drive was sealed with no water inlet nor exhaust provision and a cleaver prop.
Used external water pickup and external exhaust.
Ran a best of 52mph which was impressive given the lack of hp, great boat for a 17 year old like I was at the time. I paid my Dad $1000 which at the time (1979)
seemed like an entire fortune to me..
That was one deep mean sounding exhaust for a straight six!
a 24x7 Pirahna had a 200hp/292" (truck block) chevy straight six with a quadrajet with factory thru hull
exhaust and a #2 drive. It was all factory stock .It was a 1969 model way before the TRS, the steering wheel ,drive and all the controls said kiekhaefer , the drive manual the came with the boat called it a Kiekhaefer #2 drive, the motor said Mercury.
The drive was sealed with no water inlet nor exhaust provision and a cleaver prop.
Used external water pickup and external exhaust.
Ran a best of 52mph which was impressive given the lack of hp, great boat for a 17 year old like I was at the time. I paid my Dad $1000 which at the time (1979)
seemed like an entire fortune to me..
That was one deep mean sounding exhaust for a straight six!
Ron P
Charter Member / Competitor
Here's the whole story about the drive timeline and all. I was fortunate enough to have a one on one interview with Fred Kiekhaefer a couple of years ago and asked some probing questions...about the outdrive.
I feel that this article was my finest moment as a writer for the deceased Extreme Boats Magazine. I hope you enjoy it.
PS - This article was APPROVED by Mercury Racing prior to it being published. It's 100% accurate.
I feel that this article was my finest moment as a writer for the deceased Extreme Boats Magazine. I hope you enjoy it.
PS - This article was APPROVED by Mercury Racing prior to it being published. It's 100% accurate.
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old377guy
Charter Member
That is a cool piece of marine history; I didn't realize that the Kiekaefer logos were still on Mercury stuff until '69.
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