heavily corroded outboard

[Barnacle Pete]

HI-<br /><br />I was given a small outboard motor- a Nissan 8 hp 2 stroke. It is a 1998. It runs great, but has been in the salt water continuously since new and has a lot of corrosion on the lower unit as well as barnacles and missing paint. What is the best way or ways to remove the corrosion and get it ready to repaint? How should I repaint it? thank you all for any help you can give me. This motor will be going on a little boat of mine but wont be living in the water any more.

 

[DJ]

Re: heavily corroded outboard

Barny,<br /><br />Painting.<br /><br />1. Make sure surface is clean.<br /><br />2. Wash with 50/50 solution of vinegar and water.<br /><br />3. Prime with zinc chromate primer.<br /><br />4. Apply finish coats.

 

[Barnacle Pete]

Re: heavily corroded outboard

Thatr was fast-thanks....is there a good way to get it clean? And the corrosion off? I currently have the lower unit soaking in fresh water, should I add some thing to the water?

 

[moderator1]

Re: heavily corroded outboard

Moved to General Outboard.

 

[DJ]

Re: heavily corroded outboard

Barny,<br /><br />Soaking it will do you little, if any, good. Also, you need to be careful what you soak it in.<br /><br />At this point, I think I would take the sandpaper to it.

 

[jim dozier]

Re: heavily corroded outboard

Barnacles require mechanical abrasion. Ditto with pitted aluminum.

 

[DJ]

Re: heavily corroded outboard

I think jind is saying this. <br /><br /> <br />mechanical abrasion = sanding

 

[Barnacle Pete]

Re: heavily corroded outboard

...there appears to be no way to physically get to some of the spots....any ideas on getting it clean? what kind of sandpaper would you sand with?

 

[DJ]

Re: heavily corroded outboard

You are not going to get to every spot. Just use picks, probing tools or whatever you have to.<br /><br />I would start with a 120 grit paper. I would prefer wet sanding. It is more effective and tends to not scuff as much.<br /><br />You can finish with a 180-200 before painting.

 

[Navigator]

Re: heavily corroded outboard

Barny,<br />A Dremel tool on a low speed will help get those hard to reach spots. with the wide assortment of sanding tips available, you can pretty much get the whole thing clean.<br /><br />Nav

 

[bernieb]

Re: heavily corroded outboard

You may consider a high pressure water sprayer.A friend of mine cleans clam bags with a special tip that does a super job.

 

[jim dozier]

Re: heavily corroded outboard

Acually DJ I was trying to be more general than just sanding. Mechanical abrasion would include scrapers, wire brush, chisels, picks, sanding discs, and last but not least wet sandpaper. Maybe even sandblasting if you have access. My point was that they are not going to wash off, and anything that eats barnacles (calcium carbonate) will eat aluminum also (not good).<br />Knock the worst of it off with a scraper, then work down to wet sanding with wet sandpaper (silicon carbide grit from auto parts store).