Painting an outboard

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Jeremyray25

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Hello Guys.

I've got an 80's model 15hp Mariner that runs great, but doesn't look very good. I'm thinking about spray painting the entire motor flat black. For those that have spray painted their outboard, can you share any tips you used or learned along the way. I want it to look good, without any runs. I have always heard, the preparation is the most important part of painting. What sort of prep work is required. Do you leave stickers on and paint directly over them or do you remove them prior to painting? I assume you remove the stickers. If this is the case, any tips on removing the stickers? Any advice on specific spray paint types/brands to use?

Thanks.
 
I'm not a professional painter and this is the only outboard I've ever painted, but I'll tell you what I ended up doing and using. I had to disassemble my motor in order to convert it to tiller steer so I painted most of mine as individual pieces while I had it apart. First I used degreaser and a steam cleaner to clean all the pieces. New decals cost more than I wanted to spend at the time )and I wanted the factory look so I masked off all the old decals. If you're using new decals or none, you should probably strip the old ones before or during the cleaning process. Next I used sandpaper to feather the edges of all the paint chips. Then I used a med grit paper and scuffed the entire surface to help the new primer/paint stick. After that, I put on rubber gloves for any future handling of the parts to keep skin oils off. Next wipe down all the areas to be painted with acetone. Spray any bare metal areas with a self etching primer. Then it's just a mater of shooting the paint. I used Imron paint (mainly because it was free) but it also had other feathers that I was after such as a high gloss finish and very durable. I didn't need to apply a clear coat to protect it or to make it shine.

Here's my before / after.



 
I used that citrus stuff to remove the old paint. This needed to be done because the po used white, house latex paint and i really did not like it at all.
So, after getting all the crap off, cleaned it, shot it with SE primer and then painted with rusto.

if you are going to shoot the entire motor (meaning you don't care about decals) you would be best served by removing all of the decals. I know the citrus stuff will take them off.
a heat gun would also be a way to help remove them.

 
thanks for the replies, much appreciated. Please keep them coming.

SumDumGuy - can you be more specific on the citrus stuff? what brand/type? Also on the rusto? Just standard rusto spray paint??

JMichael - nice looking paint job.
 
The citrus stuff I used I got at Walmart (you can get it almost anywhere):
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Citristrip-Stripping-Gel-1qt/17209362

It's hard to believe that this stuff works but it really rips the paint off (I used it on my boat, too). Plus, it is s'posed to be less toxic and it also smells good.


As far as the Rustoleum, yes, regular rattle can stuff.

If you want to be a true restorationist (is that a word?) then the rusto colors will likely not match. However, if you're looking for a functional, cheap paint then rustoleum works great.
 

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