Should I Buy - 1957 Johnson 35

It's $100, probably double that once it's shipped to me. The seller says that it's stuck in reverse but from what I'm reading that means either gears in need of grease or a motor in need of new gears. I could do it myself but I work too many hours in the oilfield and expect these hours to continue at least til the end of this year.
I've found a true outboard guy that has a shop at his house and usually has 30-40 boats on his property of all sizes from other customers. He tells me that 'sure' we can get it running but between the fuel efficiency that I'll get and the oil slicked wake that I'll leave behind that I should get something newer.
But I love old outboards, (I'm also looking at a pristine 1950 Martin 100 but I'm really unfamiliar with those) and my boat is a 1950 Lone Star 14.5' so I'd love to outfit her with a powerplant that is equally sexy... Advice? tips? Anyone wanna be my shoulder devil? :LOL2:
I know that he's probably right - he's been in business here practically all of my thirty years, and my wife certainly doesn't want to see another motor til I figure out what to do with my first boat. '81 Cajun Fish/Ski (needs transom repair) and the Merc 115 (the boatshop says it needs a powerhead - outboard guy hasnt seen it yet) In my defense I thought I got a good deal when I tested the motor at the guys house and he swore in front of my wife and kids that there were no leaks.
To anyone that has made it this far - I thank you and welcome your advice. I have another important question but I'll make that another post...

shameless bump...

these motors are pretty good. they are thirsty. good luck in your ventures.
dino

thanks Dino, so should I really expect 1 - 1.5 mpg?

I've never run anything bigger than a 25hp but I can't imagine it only gets 1-1.5 mpg. If you had the mixture set very rich and hold the throttle wide open 100% of the time with a really really heavy boat that won't get on plane I might expect some really low mpg but that just seems too low to me. But as I said, I've never owned a 35, so that's purely guessing. As for the oil in the water, sure it would be nice if we could all afford a nice 4 cycle. [rant] But until you've shown me that you separate and recycle your garbage, that you don't contribute to the # of plastic bottles on our road sides or in our landfills, or add to the other mounds of disposable items like diapers, lighters etc, you don't have any business preaching to me about my outboard. And I wonder how many of those that complain about oil in the water use 2 cycle engines on their weed eaters or blowers at home. [/rant]

oil slick????? please......its called proper fuel/oil mix! do that and there will be very lil if any slick behind ur boat. and as for mileage, are you planning on running WOT for 10-20 miles to get to ur spot? if not then its an non issue IMO.....they are pretty cool motors and if that's what you like go for it! you can find used gears for the lower for cheap if that's the problem, could just be a bad dog too.....but for 200 bucks its not a huge gamble....

Thanks for the support guys, I think it's gonna be much more enjoyable to run this motor than any other. Personally I want nothing to do with four strokes or fuel injection... it's a shame that the powers that be are forcing us to 'modernize'....

If you decide against it let me know where it's at!

did ya git it ??? hunh ? hunh ? hunh ?

did you get it ????????????

I think many folks here would fall all over each other for a
non-running '57 or '58 35hp like that !!!!!

FYi - in my sig pic that is a 1957 Johnson 35hp. Like you, I bought mine for $100 as well.
Went through the ignition, installed everything new including wires and plug boots. New Carb kit and new water pump complete. Complete re-seal on the gearcase.
I have an idea that yours is stuck in reverse because someone lined up the shift rod improperly and clamped it there.
That engine runs on 24:1 fuel/oil ratio and nothing less, no matter what Billy Bob or Bubba the mechanic tells you. Properly tuned there is very little smoke and no oil slick.
Will a newer 35 get better mileage? Probably, but the cool factor with the '57 makes up for it. The sound of an old 35 is pretty amazing as well. Low and authoritative.
Mileage? On that engine there is what is called an economizer, which is nothing more than a throttle rod that maximizes timing well before the throttle blade is allowed to fully open. That is up around the 3/4 throttle range. If running in that range economy is pretty good. You can feel when you are exiting the range by an added resistance to the throttle feel while going to WOT.
I would run my 16' K-model Alumacraft with two onboard at around 25-27mph in this economy range and run around 35 miles or better on 4-5 gallons of fuel. That included periods of WOT, idle and slower speeds as well. Boat would run around 32mph at WOT with one onboard.
Sold that engine and miss it now.....shouldn't have sold it but the guy that bought it re-finished the engine externally and it looks as good as it runs now.