"restoring" a 74 johnson

[vegard]

My johnson is in top working shape, but I want to give it a paint job and a cleaning. I have it off the boat and plan to dissasemble/clean/paint parts individually. I plan to strip the lower unit, midsection and transom clamp and repaint them. My question is what do I do with those little pits in the lower unit? do I need to get them welded, or can I just fill it with epoxy putty? Also, what paint do you guys recommend? I am currently looking at the interlux stuff.<br />Thanks.

 

[Hooty]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

I personally would fill all the pits with....<br /><br />

<br /><br />Regardless what paint you use, I'd prime with zink chromate but I feel sure you'll get lot better advice from others.<br /><br />c/6<br />Hooty

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

Painting the engine are you. Well, since you asked.......<br /><br />(Engine Painting)<br />(J. Reeves)<br /> <br />Pertaining to the areas to be painted, clean off any oil, grease, etc with acetone. Use a fingered carbon scraper (or a tool of your choosing) to chip off any heavy rust and corrosion that might exist. Sand the areas with #60 (if needed), then #220, then #320 sandpaper to obtain a smooth surface.<br /><br />With compressed air blow off the sanded surfaces, then wipe down all of the areas with acetone to make sure the surfaces are perfectly clean.<br /><br />If the surfaces are cold, or even cool for that matter, warm the surfaces with a hand help propane torch that has a blow torch type tip. Do not get the surfaces hot enough that they will fry the paint.... you just want them warm.<br /><br />Have the location well lighted so that you can see that the paint is flowing on smoothly (not a dry fluffy look) but not to a point where it is running. This will take a little practice. You'll find a sighted viewing angle whereas you can see that the paint (although wet) will appear shiny.... this is the desired effect.<br /><br />Spray in whatever reasonable bursts are required. Do not use a constant never ending spray of length wise, width wise, coupled with circular wise action just to get the paint on the area unless you intend to enter the engine in a circus display.<br /><br />Prime the surfaces with what is called "Zink Chromate Primer". It is developed specifically for aluminum that will be used in salt water. This is available in spray cans in most marine dealerships, and possibly elsewhere. Perhaps there has been another primer developed in recent years specifically for this aluminum/salt water use that I'm not aware of..... check into that possibility.<br /><br />After the paint has been applied, you can again use the propane warming method if needed which will give you a certain baked on glossy appearance.<br /><br />Before attempting to do the complete job, I'd suggest that you experiment on a smaller scale until you're fairly sure of what the outcome will be.<br /><br />Now..... what will you be doing the rest of the day?

 

[Franki]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

Not to long ago I painted my 100HP 72 model...<br /><br />I did it on the cheap... used acrylic lacquer 10 spray cans of that.. and about 4 or 5 of primer...<br /><br />Started with a wire brush fitting on my drill, to get rid of any loose stuff.. then spend about 8 hours solid sanding to get rid of high spots.. <br /><br />then filled the pits with plain old auto putty...<br />primed and primed so much that the motor was 5kg heaver then it was when I started ..<br /><br />Finially, I dumped all ten big cans of white fridge color acrylic paint on it.. (really hot here, so it got good and baked in the sun).<br /><br />Then I bolted an anode to the cav plate and called it good..<br /><br />It looks really really good, surprised me.. and that was most of 2 years ago, and its still as good as when I did it.<br /><br />As a test, I did the same thing to an old chrysler, but I didnt' have any primer handy..<br />paint mostly fell off in abit over a month... so primer is the key. <br /><br />rgds<br /><br />Franki

 

[ledgefinder]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

I've used MarineTex on the pits, & it's held up well. BTW, there's some fairly toxic stuff on original OMC surfaces, don't breathe any more of it than you have to when sanding.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

I too have used the Marine Epoxy with good results. I completely overhauled an 84' 6HP Johnson this last summer and painted it. I used an automotive acrylic enamel with a hardner. I probably should have taken a few shots after it was completely assembled, but I was in too much of a hurry to get it out on the water!<br /><br />Pics are here:<br /> 84' 6HP Johnson Painted Parts <br /><br />I'm pretty sure you can view the pics album without registering with the Sony site. You can see a larger version of any one picture by clicking on the pic. This is the first time I'm using the album feature of the Sony site , so bear with me on this one.

 

[Hooty]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

That's an Ace job, Ex! Looks better 'n new.<br /><br />c/6<br />Hooty

 

[motordummy]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

Xcuse, i concur with hooty, looks good. As i will be diving into the painting project shortly, any hints on your painting job-especially the powerhead. sand down old paint? prime? thanks. I am guessing you did not do very recently as i am in chicago too and low is -8 degrees tonight.

 

[Tinkerer]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

If you're going for high gloss, sand the primer back finally with 1500 or 1200 grit wet and dry to give a fine surface. This is important under any glossy finish as the higher the gloss the more any imperfections will be highlighted. <br /><br />If there's nasties in the original OMC paint, or anything else you're using, that's all the more reason to sand it wet so that no dust occurs. Either hold a dribbling hose over the sanding area or hit it every now and then with a sponge from a bucket so there's always a film of water under the sandpaper. Wet sanding, especially with a dribbling hose, will give a better finish as the water is removing the bigger bits of grit and stuff that would otherwise be ground into the surface.<br /><br />I don't know what the nasties in the OMC paint were, but if it's lead or probably anything else you don't want to leave the dust from dry or wet sanding (wet dust will end up as dry dust) where it can affect young children or where they're likely to play. <br /><br />The final finish depends mostly on the quality of the preparation, while the preparation is the most boring and lenghty part of the job. Don't be tempted to skimp on it.<br /><br />Several thin coats of topcoat are better than one thick one, whether brushed or sprayed. <br /><br />If using spray cans buy one and test it on something else first. All spray cans aren't the same. Some have good fine patterns that anyone can use and some have spattery thick patterns that are guaranteed to give a poor finish with runs and sags that'll look worse than a brush job by a 5 year old.<br /><br />The correct tecnique is to hold the spray can or gun parallel to the painted surface at all times moving it horizontally (or vertically if necessary) and overlapping the paint above by about one third of the spray pattern. Start the spray on the already moving can / gun just before hitting the surface and stop it just after leaving it, and repeat this all the time so that you're not spraying pointlessly into the air at the end of each stroke. Do not angle the spray at either end of the stroke or you'll get a thinner coat of a different pattern at each end. Either wait for a coat to dry completely (not just surface dry) before applying the next coat or do a "wet on wet" before it's surface dried, but the latter risks runs and sags by building up too much wet paint. A light sand with 1500 grit between coats doesn't hurt on dry surfaces.<br /><br />Make sure you wash it down thoroughly with prepsol or acetone shortly before applying any primer or paint, and at any time after you've touched the surface. There can be enough grease in human fingers to cause imperfections in the topcoat of some paints, especially auto type finishes. <br /><br />If you're using auto lacquer you need to cut it and buff it to get a really high gloss, which might be hard on some of the angles on an outboard. I'd rather go for any paint that is glossy straight off the spray or brush. <br /><br />Sorry if I'm telling you what you already know.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

Thanks guys ! I started this little project when I found out the motor had a spun drive shaft spline. A good friend did the machine work on the crank and drive shaft. I figured, "In for a penny, In for a pound", and just rebuilt the whole thing, pistons,rings,seals, carb rebuild,fuel pump rebuild,water pump rebuild..everything. I used a hvlp gun and sprayed the color in June of 2003. The prepping was the most important part of the job, paint wise. De-greasing,alcohol wash,multiple coats of etching primer then color.A note about the primer, be sure you get a primer that has a 'paint window' of some considerable time. I used SEM brand Self Etching Primer. It has a 'paint window' of 24 hours. Beyond 24 hours, you have to sand the primer before you shoot your color. Most of the rattle can primers have a zero 'paint window'.<br /><br />The final coats went on like glass. I applied 4 coats of color with 15 to 30 minutes between coats for the paint to flash. I snapped those pics late in the afternoon and I was loosing the light and had to work fast. I noticed that in some of the pics, it looks like there's a slight fogging of the paint, but it's only the reflection of that white towel off of the finish. While I could have used rattle cans to paint the motor, I thought I would have a hand at using a spray gun. The hardener in the paint gives the finish a durable wet look. This was my first attempt at using a hvlp gun. <br /><br />I tank tested the motor 2 days later, it started on the second pull. A few initial adjustments to fine tune then off to bigger water for the break-in and final tweaking. I did stop back by the fella whom I bought the motor from, he wanted to buy it back...fat chance! I'm very pleased with how the whole project went, a labor of love really, and as I had hoped, it ran like a dream.

 

[Hooty]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

Sierra Hotel!<br /><br />c/6<br />Hooty

 

[vegard]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

Thanks! I am starting my project this weekend. I will follow the advice here. Ill snaps some pics and post em when Im done (might be a while). I just welded up a stand to keep the motor on, so I dont have to go out in the cold to dissasemble the engine. Thanks

 

[Xcusme]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

One last note:<br /><br />I had an original OEM service manual and an OEM parts catalog for my motor before I started. As I broke down the motor, I placed the each part into an envelope, labeled same with description and part number from the parts list. This sure helps when you get knee deep into the project and find you have to wait days or weeks for a replacement part. Trying to remember the fine details later on can become quite a challenge and the envelope thing keeps everything organized. <br /><br />Things like marking/numbering the rod end caps and storing the needle bearings so things don't get swapped around is important too. Use the proper tools, take your time and things should go smooth. Good Luck.

 

[vegard]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

One last question: do I prime the metal before filling pits? Basically: can the metal etching primer just be used on metal, or is it ok to have some epoxy in there. THanks.

 

[Tinkerer2]

Re: "restoring" a 74 johnson

I'd check the manufacturer's recommendations and make sure that the primer being used is compatible with the topcoat. Also check that the filler is compatible with them. Don't mix materials intended for different systems, e.g. acrylic versus enamel.<br /><br />As the main purpose of primer is to give a good base for the topcoat to adhere to, primer has to go over fill anyway.<br /><br />Fillers will stick to most things, but they're better on the base metal. If you prime first you're really just sticking it to a wafer of paint between the filler and the metal.<br /><br />I'd fill the pits first and then coat everything with primer.