Repainting outboard cowling

[Bassman42]

I have a 1997 evinrude 115. The paint has become very faded, I wet sanded it several times with 600 grit sandpaper, and put several coats of the metallic blue evinrude spray paint thatthe motor was used for, however, even in dry conditions, I can't seem to get the mirror like finish I want.. How can I achieve this ? What could I be doing wrong? It has gotten a bit more bright, and it has definitely smoothed out with the wetsanding, but nothing like before... Help!!!

 

[Watermann]

You could try using a buffer with some rouge type compound.

 

[goatnad]

What i did with my cowling was wet sand with 2000 grit until the orange peel was gone then wet sand lightly with 4000 grit to smooth it even more. I then used a wool polishing wheel with meguiars ultra cut compound 105 followed by meguiars ultra finishing polish 205.My finish came out perfect with a flat clear reflection.

 

[Scott Danforth]

cutting on a metalic paint will expose the aluminum flecks in the paint and give you zebra stripes. you will have to clear after that, and unfortunately you will see the difference in the finished product.

you wont get a good finish from a rattle can by itself.

painting metalic colors with a rattle can:

perfectly smooth primer surface
light even coats of color (3 coats minimum)
light even coats of clear (3-4 coats)
wetsand thru the top layer(s) of clear
buff-n-cut to desired shine

this is where I prefer to have my touch-up gun and get a perfect paint job without buff-n-cut

 

[Frey0357]

Bassman42,
I agree with Scott above, it is difficult to get a perfect finish with rattlecan paint, but it can look very nice! When I did mine the secret was the 3 coats of primer that was dry/wet sanded, then painted 2-3 coats of rattle can color followed up by 2 coats of clear coat, then a polishing agent after that. While not perfect, it looks very nice (my opinion here). At the boat launch last weekend a guy says, "man is that a brand new motor? It looks brand new...." I loved that comment!

here is a pic from my cowling restoration:

Frey

 

[gm280]

Okay, The previous comments are exactly correct. The entire process has to do with building up enough paint so that when you do sand and buff, you don't cut through the clear coat to the actual paint. If you do plan on using rattle cans, you still can achieve a glass-like finish. but it takes a lot of build up first. And each clear coat has to be dry before you can build up the follow-on coats (follow the directions provided on the can for re-coat times). Once you have applied enough paint to give you the quality color you want, then switch to clear coats and apply enough coat so you can literally wet sand off enough to completely remove any and all orange peel or imperfections. And that means wet sanding with at least 1000 or higher all the way to even 1500 or 2000 grit. At that time you will not have a glassy look to the finished results but more of a sheen. Then out comes the cutting and polishing compounds and you start cutting and polishing the finish with a LOW speed buffer/polisher. You can do that by hand, but again you have to make sure you don't cut through the clear coats.

If you care to see my '76 Johnson 40 HP engine refinish (including the cowling), click on the link below and have a look. Yea, I did that using a HVLP spray guns, but the exact same concepts apply. JMHO

 

[Bassman42]

Bassman42,
I agree with Scott above, it is difficult to get a perfect finish with rattlecan paint, but it can look very nice! When I did mine the secret was the 3 coats of primer that was dry/wet sanded, then painted 2-3 coats of rattle can color followed up by 2 coats of clear coat, then a polishing agent after that. While not perfect, it looks very nice (my opinion here). At the boat launch last weekend a guy says, "man is that a brand new motor? It looks brand new...." I loved that comment!

here is a pic from my cowling restoration:

Frey

What type of clear coat did you use? I tried this rust oleum paint that says it'll give just about anything a mirror like finish but it went from metallic blue to a gray. And yes I made sure it said clear coat lol...

 

[gm280]

What type of clear coat did you use? I tried this rust oleum paint that says it'll give just about anything a mirror like finish but it went from metallic blue to a gray. And yes I made sure it said clear coat lol...

Sounds like the clear coat was heavily sprayed on and clouded over. It could clear up after a few days. :noidea: JMHO!

 

[Bassman42]

It wasn't just your typical clear coat... Thats why I asked what you used, the one I used says it's a clear triple thick glaze that gives anything a glossy look... As soon as I sprayed it, it looked like the white fiz from a soda bottle

 

[Frey0357]

Bassman,
I believe I used an automotive clear coat from a local automotive store. It was not what you described and actually was quite thin. I applied 2 thin coats of this clear coat and then polished by hand (no drill attachments or anything with this step).

I had ordered some of that Evinrude paint, but I really didn't like the color, so after painting it on one coat I did sand and start over with an automotive spray paint that matched the motor color better, even had some metallic in it.

Completely agree with GM280, when polishing make sure NOT to go through the clear coat and into the paint.

Frey

 

[gm280]

If you follow with just one manufacture's materials from start to finish, you shouldn't have any issues. Paint compatibility will never be an issue using the same manufacturer's products. Here is a before and after of my cowling using PPG Shop Line products. And this wasn't even polished at all.


NO, it isn't the same manufacturer's paint scheme, but I could have easily duplicated the original paint scheme using the same process. I just wanted a different look.And it is all paint, not decals. JMHP