What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

[TN-25]

Today I picked up a few items for my newly acquired 50 year-old Johnson 7?. One thing I got a hold of is a newly molded plastic medallion for the front of the cowling. It is clear and unpainted.

I was wondering what paint people have used to paint the backside of the medallion to get the gold & the chrome appearance on the front side of the medallion.

Also, what type of screws or bolts should be used to secure it to the cowling?

My motor is a ?58 with the 3 screws or bolts; I don't know because the original medallion & mounting hardware are long gone. I had to settle for the ?57 style that used only 2 (placed in a different position, necessitating some drilling). I am told by the guy I bought the parts from that some early ?58 Johnsons actually had 5 holes drilled in the cowling, the stock 3 and an additional 2 to mount the ?57 style emblems they evidently were trying to use up.

I know there are some people out there that are restoring '57 & '58 Johnsons so they must have had to deal with this themselves.
Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[wbeaton]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

Sorry, Cam, I'm not much help here. I'm only responding so I keep a watch on this post. I've considered buying some of those medallions too. The thing about the extra holes in some '58 cowls is true. They were held on by plastic pins with a barb on one end. I don't know what others are doing to attach them. The fellas at the AOMCI.org site can tell you, though.

 

[Sea18Horse]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

Sorry can't help much with the colors but here's a picture of the medallion on my '57 18 horse. The screws are polished stainless or chrome and they're a cross slotted style. They look like phillips but they're really not. Unfortunately the motor is sitting on its back on my basement floor so I can't get the cowl off and check what the nuts look like. And I don't remember off hand.

But I think if you used that chrome and gold metallic paint, since it's on the shiny back side of the plastic it might look pretty good. Have fun!

Cheers................Todd

 

[Theoutdoorsman]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

I've had my eye on them myself. But like others here, I can't offer much help either. I'll certainly keep my eye on this thread as well, so if you come up with a sollution, please post your findings. Good luck.......... ALAN

 

[F_R]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

Why don't you simply call Peter and ask him what to paint it with? He's pretty easy to talk to. I assume that's where you got the medallion.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

I called Peter myself a while ago. He didn't know how to get it like new either. I think next time I'm going for used ones. If you try the gold or chrome colored model paint or something, it WON'T come out like you hope. I've been watching this thread hoping to see the solution. I hope someone comes up with one.
JBJ

 

[TN-25]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

Well guys, it looks like I asked a real question!

Right now I'm removing the casting flash from the emblem. After spending some time to make sure it is smooth I will then wash it with dish soap and water (I heard Joy has silicone in it so that is one to avoid for this purpose). Once I wash it and rinse it thoroughly I will make sure it is fully dried. I will then mask it. I picked up some Duplicolor Chrome aeresol, plus some Motomaster Near Match light gold metallic, #047-5031-6 (hey, I'm Canadian and have been known to shop at Canadian Tire). The gold seems to have the right tones and the desired level of metallic effect. If it works we have a winning combination. If it doesn't then I will try again with something else.

In studying these emblems, the 1957 scheme seemed to have the seahorse emblem and the oval rim around the whole emblem in chrome, with the rest of the background in metallic gold. For 1958 the seahorse is gold like the rest of the background, leaving only the oval rim in chrome. This is what I have observed from old motors and from brochure pictures. If I'm bluffing then at least I'm bluffing with a straight face. Obvious exceptions are the Javelin 35, the Super Sea Horse 35, and the 50-horse V4 electric start. I don't have any of those so I will give it the old college try.

As for fasterners I decided that some small stainless steel panhead bolts with washers are what I'm going to use, along with some flat and some lock washers. The 2 bolt '57 emblem looks as though it must have used something like that. My '58 just has 3 larger holes, one of which looked to have some sort of broken rivet left over. That may be the fastener wbeaton was referring to.

As for calling Peter McDowell, I already asked him. As was mentioned he didn't have the "magic formula" for painting these emblems. I have called him quite a bit lately for lots of little things and I feel like I shouldn't monopolize his time. Besides, I need him to get cracking on my 1950 5-horse TN (LOL). I dropped the 5 off a year ago with the understanding that it would be a total restoration. He ended up using a 1952 block to get the right clearance between the crank and the bronze bushed main bearings (read that as "not rebuildable").

I really want to thank you guys for your answers thus far. The saga continues....

 

[jbjennings]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

Cam,
I hope you get it right! If so, I'd sure like to know the exact procedure on how you did it. I wish I could have been helpful. I hope you also post a pic when you get your TN back, too.
Later,
JBJ

 

[wbeaton]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

For 1958 the seahorse is gold like the rest of the background, leaving only the oval rim in chrome.

The outer ring and seahorse are both chrome. Here are a couple shots of some that I have. All three of mine have chrome seahorses, although in one of the photos the horse looks a little gold, but it isn't.

Please post a pic once you've painted it regardless of how it turns out.

 

[Theoutdoorsman]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

Just wanted to bump this back up to hopefully get an update.......

 

[TN-25]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

Well, I unmasked the emblem. The gold looks great but I am disappointed in the "chrome" paint; it looks no better than Testor's silver model paint. Maybe spray technique has something to do with it, or perhaps the fact that you're seeing it on the adhering side through clear plastic. The 'topside paint' (i.e. the back of the emblem) looks bright and almost like chrome, but that doesn't do me any good in this case. Maybe I painted the chrome paint too wet and it settled out.

It was a real pain to mask it because the tight details of the horse, plus the raised serrations on the background make it too easy for paint to bleed in underneath, not that I had that problem.

Ugh, sorry but no pics. Wifey has my camera and my daughter growled at me (LOL) when I reached for her Digital Rebel. All that, plus my operating system for some reason does not recognize either my i-Pod or the camera (I can't upload regardless). I tried deleting and reloading the driver from the OS CD. In the past it has worked, but this appears to be something more sinister, like corruption in the registry hive (huh?). Nevermind...

Anyway I am encouraged by the way it turned out so far, but I may consider something like vacuum metalized chroming as offered by some specialty platers. I'm sure it would look perfect in that instance. Ah heck, if I feel motivated and have the time I may just strip & redo the thing myself. Why not?

 

[Theoutdoorsman]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

Thanks for the update TN. Do keep us informed as to your final decission and try to post that pic if/when possible. Just a thought, have you tried any of those automotive touch-up paints? Might be worth a shot ???? Thanks again......... ALAN

 

[wbeaton]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

Its been my experience that chrome paint never looks like chrome. More like shinny aluminum. There is another fella on the internet that sells new emblems and I believe they are complete. However, he charges $200 for the 1958 cowl emblem, which is just too much to justify in my mind.

 

[TN-25]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

Well, I managed to haul the motor outside and grab the camera. As you can see it doesn't look bad for 50 years old. The emblem is not bad, but I will probably just strip it and look into some vacuum metalized chroming (the type of chrome to use on plastic), followed by the metallic gold (I don't have any complaints about that).

I bought the motor after seeing it run, go through the gears, and generate a steady stream of water.

The first order of the day is to perform some maintenance. I've changed to lower unit oil. I want to rebuild the carb, install the tune-up parts (including coils). The combustion chamber looks carbon free, but there is a lot of Squeeze-A-Gasket where the real head gasket should be. Other things it would be smart to complete before any cosmetic restoration include the water pump, rings, new lower unit seals, and an inspection of the gears. It might also be wise to replace the starter rope. New gaskets and seals should be installed throughout, including a head gasket. After all that stuff is done it should receive a good bead blasting, followed by etching primer, filler or spot putty (it isn't dented anywhere). The prop is a little rough around the edges so I should consider getting it trued up, then stripped & repainted. The motor should get repainted and have new decals installed. A properly plated emblem up front will really help with the looks at that point. The pressurized tank will also be restored. At that point all that will be left to do is to find a boat to put it on (preferrably a little 12' Starcraft or Mirro-Craft)

 

[jbjennings]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

Cam,
I'm just curious but why the ring job? Is the compression low? I can see you're seriously into getting it flawless and I'm just wondering if a full restoration requires a ring job to get the motor in perfect condition? Mine, I just like to get back to running really well and have the lower unit sealed up good and put a decent paint job on 'em so I don't have too much time and money tied up in 'em. But I am interested in knowing what a full restoration consists of. After you do the rings, I'd also be really interested in your new compression results. It already looks like a nice motor.
Thanks,
JBJ

 

[HockeyNut]

Re: What paint for '58 Johnson medallion?

That motor looks great. It brings me back when my grandfather use to bring me fishing. I'll always have a deep love for the late style motors. BTW he past on to me an 1 1/2 hp air cooled Elgin that I keep under wraps until the time is right.