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HAS ANYONE FOUND ANT PAINT THAT WILL ACTUALLY STICK TO THE DRIVES? I'VE SPENT THE MONEY AND BOUGHT FACTORY PRIMER AND PAINT BUT IT WON'T HOLD UP!THE BOAT STAYS IN THE LAKE ONLY,NO SALT WATER.I KNOW THE ONLY OTHER OPTION IS TO DISSASEMBLE AND HAVE THE PARTS POWDER COATED , TO MUCH TIME AND MONEY. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!!
POWDERCOATING!!!
Not to pricey if you shop around
Sand blast the drive to a "white metal" finish. This is where the metal is totally clean with absolutly no color variations. DO NOT TOUCH THE METAL! Now prime the drive with a etching epoxy primer. You must use a repirator for this stuff. Now you can top coat with the finish of your choice. Merc sells their black in a spray can. I believe that it is a enamel which is a excellent choice. You can also use any automotive finish that you desire. I actually used Rustoleum silver metalic enamel from mine. It's holding up quite well after two years. It did wear through where the skeg got dragged through some muck though. The appliance enamels seem to be much tougher than the standard enamels, so that is an option that you could also explore.
[ September 24, 2003, 10:05 AM: Message edited by: dorC ]
I got tired of painting my drive so I primed, painted it, and then installed a "SkegGard". It is a stainless sleeve made to fit over the skeg and it works looks good.
Go to a marine store and by a marine green primer. I forgot the name of the formulation but it works great. Then top with merc outdrive paint. It will match up nicely
Nothing holds up better than gel!
HavasuBarney:
Nothing holds up better than gel! Would that be "man' gel? :confused:
personally I would think twice before stripping the paint off of the drive. Mercury's paint process cannot be duplicated in the garage. I have a friend that did just that and never could get it painted again to his satisfaction. And this guy paints cars regularly. And does OEM quality jobs, better than most paint shops. I took his lead and just maintain the paint surface the best I can.
I degrease (remove wax and oil) with acetone, lacquer thinner or some other solvent and then sand the top of mine to make it hold the paint. Then I paint it and it sticks pretty well. But you always are going to drag the skeg in sand now and then and it is an ongoing thing.