repainting engine cover

[54bobby]

i am repainting my 69 25 hp evinrude sportster using rattle cans. question is, how to finish it? i now have 3 coats each of the blue and white. should i now sand? and with what grit? and then clear? then sand with 1000 grit again? this is new to me. i also have era corect decals to put on it. should i clear over them?

 

[dkonrai]

Re: repainting engine cover

i am repainting my 69 25 hp evinrude sportster using rattle cans. question is, how to finish it? i now have 3 coats each of the blue and white. should i now sand? and with what grit? and then clear? then sand with 1000 grit again? this is new to me. i also have era corect decals to put on it. should i clear over them?

i have sprayed a few motors. as for sanding, yes light wet sanding 1000/1500/2000 is good. i actually never sand down my finished product and they have all came out pretty nice.
for clear coat i only use duplicolor auto engine clear. it seems to cope with the gas and oil but idk about carb cleaner.
dino

 

[Stickler]

Re: repainting engine cover

Hi there, when i painted my 1971 4hp cowl it was only one color, i didnt sand between coats,just really good prep and prime, however, i applied my decals then cleared over them, i had to wet sand out some runs and then re clear, dont remember what grit ,just fine wet sand paper, if i did it again i wouldnt have cleared over the decals, the ridges hold paint that you dont see building up, and then can cause a run in the clear,its really annoying, with that said, it would really be your call, but i honestly dont think clearing over makes it look any better, and they were not originally cleared over to begin with, just my opinion though. Good luck, i attached a couple pics of my finished cowl that i did last year.

 

[54bobby]

Re: repainting engine cover

great, now i don't know what to do. i was thinking that the clear would protect my decals from the salt water/air that i run her in and give her a nice gloss. hmmmm, more opinions please.

 

[JSMoore]

Re: repainting engine cover

I've had success putting clear over decals. The trick is SUPER light, misted on clear coats, followed by thorough drying and 00 steel wool, then tack cloth between coats. 5 or 6 thin coats of clear is much better than 2 or 3 heavier coats. Patience is the hardest thing about it.

 

[gm280]

Re: repainting engine cover

Having just finished up painting my cowling, I would say that the clear can be applied over the decals also. Just go slow and allow everything to dry and cure. If you do get some runs don't worry about them. Continue clear coating everything like you like and after it is totally dried, you can get some 2000 grit wet/dry sand paper and wet sand all the runs out. After you do that you can get some buffing compound (I like and use 3M products but most any type will work) and go over the cowl and it will look amazing...



Those are my before and after pictures before I buffed anything yet. And I didn't use any decals...

 

[54bobby]

Re: repainting engine cover

if you used no decals, how did u get that factory looking lettering and striping?

 

[gm280]

Re: repainting engine cover

if you used no decals, how did u get that factory looking lettering and striping?

I designed them myself on a computer before applying the design to the cowling, and used paint for everything with lots and lots of masking tape. NO decals at all. So everything you see was airbrushed and then clear coated. But that doesn't mean you can't get the same results with decals. If I did use decals I would have clear coated over them too. But a little at a time until they were covered.

 

[Sandor27]

Re: repainting engine cover

Hi there, when i painted my 1971 4hp cowl View attachment 191378

Is that a new cowl gasket? Where did you get it?

 

[Stickler]

Re: repainting engine cover

The cowl gasket is new, mine was missing when I got the motor, I got it from nymarine, they carry several different types, it's a good site.

 

[w2much]

Re: repainting engine cover

Just my 2 cents. I put to much clear coat on my decals and they started to come off. I would not do it like that again. Perhaps as mentioned a few really light coats on the decals but use caution.

 

[kodibass]

Re: repainting engine cover

I have tried the new fusion paint made for plastic /fiberglass it seems to work better as for as adhesive properties go