Hi vidaliaman – welcome back! Looks like you’ve found an Outboard Jet J-55B. This is the earlier brother to the OJ200s that several members have – many folks feel they are more reliable than the later unit! I looked through the OJ material and a couple of Abos Guides I have handy and nowhere can I find a note on the mix. However, as I recall, the 55 uses a Tecumseh/Power Products powerhead – at that time they almost all called for 16:1 (save really heavy duty ones like on the Dragonfly that need 10:1) using air-cooled 2-cycle oil. I’m sure 16:1 will be fine especially using modern oil. I’ll keep my eyes open and see if I can dig up confirmation, I also have a paper file on these motors I can dig up and look through.

The brochure for the 55 is posted over on my OddJob Motors site on the OJ-200 page, you may find it interesting if you haven’t already got it: http://www.oddjobmotors.com/images/outboard_jet_200/oj_j55b_brochure.pdf Unfortunatly I don’t see the gas/oil mix mentioned. There’s other miscellaneous OJ stuff there too, though most pertains to the 200.

I should mention that the Achilles heal for the OJ200 is the impeller up inside the induction chamber. While the whole motor is so heavily made it could deflect 50cal bullets, the impeller is made from the crappiest plastic imaginable. Of the 4 motors I have, there is only one with the impeller intact! Any debris, pebbles, sea weed (or whatever) that gets by that intake grill easily can damage it. (see photo below) Not sure what material it is made out of on your 55 but it is worth checking that it isn’t flayed like most of mine. I’m hoping the world of 3D printers gets to the point where I can scan and output a new one, certainly the material wouldn’t be any worse than what it was originally made with. So far my first attempt with the one at our local library came out like a blob, but as the technology improves, (and if I can get someone to help me who is knowledgeable about the CAD program associated – AKA son Hurricane Harry), there may be hope!

Good luck, these motors are the Rolls Royce of small jet outboards – a far cry from the Lancaster Guppy that sits next to mine on the rack!

Here’s a photo of the second best main-impeller I have, those blades stuck out about 2 1/2" from the hub initially. Sand, gravel or anything that is sucked into the impeller chamber can easily wear down the blades. So far I’ve been unable to find a replacement/substitution, all the Jet Ski ones I’ve seen are larger and of a different design that won’t fit in the housing.

Hi Jason – that’s the second best, I do have an intact one! I don’t think Art D. could cast something that thin and complex, but I guess it would be worth asking when I see him at Grubb’s.

I’ve spoken with a lot of our folks about this impeller and also the 11-tooth Elgin/West Bend bendix gear and not received a lot of encouragement. I guess if I had Jay Leno’s contacts and budget it would certainly be possible, but on my shoe-string finances it seems to be out of reach right now. I know when I researched it, the one quote I did get on the bendix gear was a minimum order of 200 at about $40 a pop. I don’t think I’ll live long enough to sell even 1/4 of them based on the demand! Hoping the 3-D scanner thing gets easier and better in the next year or two, that seems to be the best hope.

I think finding a cowl is going to be a real challenge…. I’d send a postcard with a WANTED ad into the Editor of the printed AOMCI newsletter so it goes out to the whole membership. You can try the Webvertize too but I doubt that will bring results, it’s a pretty esoteric part. And I guess you should set up an eBay search, you just never know…

Keep us posted – a very cool and unusual motor!