stripping/painting an outboard motor

I have an outboard motor that when I bought the boat, the previous owners decided to paint the whole motor (exterior) Kentucky BLUE

I have stripped the blue paint from the hood of the motor which was all fiberglass. Now I'd like to strip the paint off the rest of the motor which is metal. They did a decent job at getting all the nooks and crannies to be blue as well.

What is the safest/easiest/BEST way to remove all this blue, and be able to paint it so that it looks like the original motor did back in 1966?

Hey....might that motor be the 66' Fastwin? lol

I have posted the steps I used when I re-painted my motor last year. I am not sure if there is an easy way to strip all of the paint off. When I worked on my motor I thought it was fairly easy, it just took some time. Basically, I cleaned the motor really well to get all the grease off. I took apart everything I felt comfortable removing (I am not very mechanically inclined). I soaked the bolts, nuts, and screws in paint remover to clean the old paint and grease off. The main motor components I sanded down by hand with automotive sand paper from the hardware store. In some places I wasn't able to get all of the paint off. Next, I cleaned everything one more time before I taped off areas I didn't want the paint to get into (water intake, grease fittings,...etc). I then used a self-etching primer for a base coat. After two or three light coats any hint of the old color was gone. I think it should be enough for your Kentucky Blue. Then I finished with a few coats of the automotive grade paint I selected and sealed everything with a few coats of clear coat. Before I put the nuts, bolts, and screws back on I coated them in a lubricant given to me by a mechanic friend to make sure they would come out again if I ever needed to remove them again. I hope this helps...you can check out my build to see pictures if they would help you out at all.

If you are going to use stripper, first tape off any cracks or openings that you don't want it to get into. Apply the stripper, let it work, and scrape with a bondo spreader, putty knife, or razor blade. Be careful not to scratch if you use the razor. A good tip is to lay a plastic trash bag on top of the stripper. It holds the vapors in and makes it work quicker. Wash off any stripper residue with water. Water neutralizes the stripper. If it isn't washed off, it could lift the new paint. Then, pull your tape off and sand the rest of the paint that's in the cracks and around the edges. Sand the rest of the metal surfaces, prime, and paint.

great info!!

so the sand paper will not ruin the finish of the metal of the actual motor?

Not at all. You need to scuff the surface so the paint sticks better. Use something like a 320 to 400 grit and it will be fine.

atuck593 said:

Hey....might that motor be the 66' Fastwin? lol

I have posted the steps I used when I re-painted my motor last year. I am not sure if there is an easy way to strip all of the paint off. When I worked on my motor I thought it was fairly easy, it just took some time. Basically, I cleaned the motor really well to get all the grease off. I took apart everything I felt comfortable removing (I am not very mechanically inclined). I soaked the bolts, nuts, and screws in paint remover to clean the old paint and grease off. The main motor components I sanded down by hand with automotive sand paper from the hardware store. In some places I wasn't able to get all of the paint off. Next, I cleaned everything one more time before I taped off areas I didn't want the paint to get into (water intake, grease fittings,...etc). I then used a self-etching primer for a base coat. After two or three light coats any hint of the old color was gone. I think it should be enough for your Kentucky Blue. Then I finished with a few coats of the automotive grade paint I selected and sealed everything with a few coats of clear coat. Before I put the nuts, bolts, and screws back on I coated them in a lubricant given to me by a mechanic friend to make sure they would come out again if I ever needed to remove them again. I hope this helps...you can check out my build to see pictures if they would help you out at all.

Click to expand...

is there any way that you can post the link to that thread?

one more thing, when it comes to stripping/painting........

I don't intend to keep this boat for years and years to come. I'd like to upgrade somewhere down the road. With that, is there a better/best way to go about painting this motor? I'd like to do it well enough for it to last but also don't want to put a ton of money in to it. (knowign that i wont keep it for a long time).

If the current paint is adhered properly and not flaking, just sand it and paint over it.

hmmmm, I will have to inspect it very carefully but I think there is zero flaking on the motor. It's just dirty and BLUE :x

So after I clean it, I can rough it up with sand paper, primer it, then paint it and clear coat it.....right?

The link to that thread should be in the signature below. "My Summer School Project" its on page four of my build.

Yes it should be okay. It will save you some time and should hold up fine as long as it's scuffed well.