Re: Just painted my engine cowling (1975 Johnson 70HP)....
First, get some aluminum tape and tape the edges of the original decal, this will prevent you from scratching the decal while sanding, cover the decal so you won't get any over spray on it. You will also use this tape to frame the stripes for the orange and gold striping when sanding the stripes. I used some 180 grit sand paper and block sanded all of the white. Then I used some scratch filler / spot putty to fill any imperfections in the cowling. I sanded down the filler, used compressed air to blow off the dust and wiped down the white with acetone to remove the grease and remaining dust (use some tack cloth or lint free cloth). I applied two coats of primer (Krylon) and sanded the primer down with 240 grit paper. Clean again as previously noted. I applied 3 coats of white Krylon first. Next, I framed the orange stripes, lightly sanded with 240 grit, cleaned with acetone, and sprayed Krylon "real orange". I framed for the gold striped, prepped as previously noted and used some gold accent paint and applied with an artists brush. The black in the decal had some scratches. I used a black paint pen and carefully filled in the imperfections. Don't use the acetone on the black portion of the decal, it will dissolve the black! Use some diluted iso alcohol to remove the grease. I don't know if these decals are still available, better safe than sorry! I have yet to "clear" the entire cowling to protect the new paint and original decal, I will post some pics after completion. Materials are cheap, colors are approximate and your labor is free, it just takes some time. The finished product is nice to look at! Timeless and nostalgic! Hope this gives everyone some inspiration!
Jet Wrench
