1978 Mercury 1500 xs

Up for auction is a complete, original, matching numbers 1978 Mercury Outboard 1500 XS motor. Serial number is 4868885. This is the short shaft, low water pick up, louvered cowl, power ported pistons, 155 hp @ 6300 RPM motor built by Mercury Marine in only 1977 and 1978. This motor came off of a four passenger 16’ Baja pleasure boat and ran when it was removed in mid-August. The block has never been separated and has a minimum of 120 psi on each cylinder. Motor is in original paint and decals. All wiring has been updated with correct colors per Merc schematic. PROS - This is a chance to own a very rare and neat matching numbers Merc engine with all of the specialty parts that make up a 1500 XS. I am not sure of the quantity built, but I know it was a very low number and to find one of these engines complete, after 35 years that has not been disassembled, painted and beat to death is hard to do. The wiring has been updated, which is very normal for a 35 year old inline six, as the wiring insulator on most of these old engines becomes very brittle and crumbles upon touch after 25+ years. All of the hard to find parts, such as the louvered cowling, low water pickup lower unit, short shaft mid, etc. are all there and in great shape. Most of the standard parts like plugs, impellers, etc., are still available new from your local mercury outboard dealer. CONS – I will try to be very honest about the condition of the motor so please read carefully as I state all the minor blemishes and issues on the motor. The front of the top cowling has the tab broken off. The good news is there is nothing special about the top cowling for a 150 xs and it can be replaced by other stock inline six cowlings. The original decals on the louvered cowl are good on the starboard side, but a little faded on the port side. There are good reproductions available. The front motor clamps have some small dings, but again these are replaceable by standard engines or could be repaired and repainted. There are some dings above the bullet on the lower unit but they appear to be cosmetic only. Lower unit shifts fine and the skag is in very good shape. It looks to me like the skag paint may have been touched up at one time. But other than that, the motor is in original factory phantom black. There may be other small cosmetic issues, but these are the ones I would want to know about. I have included photos of the items in question. PLEASE NOTE: As recent as August, I have seen the motor run, shift and idle. However, due to the nature of the business I cannot guarantee that it will run for you, after it’s been shipped in a box, transported by a truck, etc. It’s still a 35 year old specialty outboard motor, but I am 99% confident it would start and run for you next week. I have not checked the water pump impeller but the motor had a solid stream when it was last run, but I would recommend you check it before running it long term, just to be safe. BOTTOM LINE: There is no reserve and motor will sell after the initial bid of $500. Please do not make offers prior to the close of the auction as I will let the auction run its course and let the market set its value. SHIPPING: I welcome local pick up and will make myself available anytime. I would also be willing to deliver the motor within a reasonable distance, but the buyer would be responsible for the fuel cost and would need to pay in advance. I am also willing to ship the motor anywhere! I can build a safe, durable wooden crate and get it delivered to a local shipping company. NOTE – Buyer will pay for ALL crate material costs and shipping costs, prior to the motor being shipped. It is not my intention to profit from shipping, but I will not lose money on shipping and only offer this as a convenience. I will simply charge you whatever it costs me to ship the motor. Motor is located in Noblesville, Indiana, 46060, USA and weighs 285lbs (less than 500lbs with crate) so please use this to estimate your shipping costs. Please do not ask for shipping quotes in advance, because I will not quote those costs. Please use the weight and location to estimate the shipping costs yourself. Once the sale ends, the buyer must pay in full within three business days. Then depending on choice of shipping, I will find out the exact cost and buyer will need to pay that in full, before I actually build the crate and ship. WARRANTY: Motor comes with no warranty and is sold as is! Please review my eBay feedback and bid with confidence. Thank you for looking and please let me know if you have any questions and I will try to respond as quickly and honestly as I can.On Sep-17-13 at 06:19:46 PDT, seller added the following information: I have been asked a couple of times about the color of the decals and if they were really supposed to be red and not blue. So I thought I would add another picture from the 1978 Mercury Outboard brouchure on page 13, that shows the motor and how it appeared in the brochure. It also includes Mercury's small, official sales pitch for the motor. I took the picture from my phone, so I apologize about the quaility, but I wanted to get that in my add asap. Thanks!On Sep-17-13 at 13:06:20 PDT, seller added the following information: A friend of mine recommended that I add a photo of the "J" block stamp to my ad. The "J" stamping on the block indicates 155 hp. Again, this is from my phone, but it looks pretty good. You can see the engine serial number 4868885 and the letter "J" stamped sideways. I added the yellow arrow to help. Thanks for the good questions.