Buffing Outboard Paint?

[ARC240]

Hey everyone, I have a 1992 Nissan 30hp outboard (silver/blue color scheme, in my avatar), just purchased it used along with my boat this past July. The boat and engine were in decent shape when I bought them, but aren't completely to my liking yet. Over the winter, I will be getting the engine cover repainted as it was cracked by the previous owner and the paint has dulled over the years. Since the cover will be all brand new looking, I'd like to restore the lower half of the engine, however I have a small faded spot on the drive shaft housing of the motor and was wondering if it would be possible/safe to buff the shine back out on it using automotive rubbing compound. I'm not sure if Nissan outboards are painted using 2-stage paint from factory or if they are a single-stage. The last thing I'd want to do is ruin the rest of the original finish I have on it. I've looked high and low for answers, but I can't find any. Has anyone had any experience with polishing up outboards before? Can it be done, or am I better off getting it repainted? Any input is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Capt'n Chris]

Re: Buffing Outboard Paint?

Heat created by hot exhaust in the shaft housing bakes in the minerals from the water into the painted surface. Light compound will help unless the finish is too far gone. Carefully cleaning, priming and repainting is frequently done to restore the cosmetic appearance.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Buffing Outboard Paint?

It would be a single stage paint, I don't think to many places base/cleared engines and as Capt said a fine buffing compound shoul dwork as well as anything, just be careful, lots of edges on the motor and you don't want to burn through.

 

[ARC240]

Re: Buffing Outboard Paint?

Thanks for the input! I think I'll try carefully buffing the single stage before. I have quite a bit of experience in cutting/polishing clear coat, but never tried single stage. Cutting the paint seems like the cheapest option for now, so I'll give that a shot and if it doesn't work out so well, I'll have to try painting it. I'll be attempting to repaint my outboard's lower unit over the winter. If it nets good results and the buffing doesn't turn out well, I guess I can always paint the drive shaft housing as well.

I'll be using the Duplicolor Zinc Chromate etching primer as a base and Nissan's Precision Match rattle-can paint. Has anyone had any experience with either product? Also, do I spray color directly over the zinc chromate or should I put an automotive self-etch primer on top of the zinc? I had a look at a couple of chips in the paint of the lower unit and it seems like Nissan does 3 layers of paint, zinc chromate, followed by a black coating (not sure what it is?), then the top coat. Any thoughts?

***Also, should I be sanding right down to bare metal?

 

[richardgreen]

Re: Buffing Outboard Paint?

If the paint looks dull it may just be hard water buildup. Before you do anything else I'd try giving it a good cleaning with a liberal dose of plain vinegar. You might be surprised what the mild acidity of the vinegar will take off if the issue is hard water not sun fading.

I use my boat a lot in a river system that has very hard water. At the end of the season my motor looks really bad. A good bath in vinegar brings it back to new.

RG