I did a dumb thing, need to buff my motor

[jlperkins]

I was going to change decals on my motor this past winter, so I brought it in the house and took it to the basement to let it warm up, the next night I started, also had a hair dryer, one side was tough and came off in med size sections, the other which I think faced the sun before I got it, because that side fender was faded also. It was coming off in 1/2 to 1 inch pieces no matter how much or how little I heated it. I got a razor blade to help get the little pieces started, it was a long process. I took it outside and seen my mistakes, all these small scratches in the sun I didn't see in the basement. I had heard you have to be careful with the motor. I like to do what I can myself including fixing my screw ups.

I'am not finding much info on the internet for motors so could you all give me some tips? I would hate to buy a new motor cover.
Thanks

[BigFishSteve]

Order custom decals and have them sized just a bit bigger. Your scratches took away material, it will never look right.

[Tinman90]

If you want it right time for a repaint. Fine scratches can be buffed out but it's not like buffing a car where you have clear coat to move around. Could also vinyl wrap it

[Lil Mo]

You probably have to lightly sand, prime, and sand again. Then repaint it, wet-sand with 1000 grit, compound, and then polish.

[high 2]

You won’t be happy when you price a new one

[jlperkins]

You won’t be happy when you price a new one

LOL I wasn't happy with the price of a used one on ebay

I guess anybody that paints a car could repaint a cowl?

[Ron H 520]

Price decals, as well as a new paint job, then make the decision. If you’re handy with painting, you could attempt it, but it would require some filling and sanding, just going by what you have described. If it’s black, it would be a tough job for a do it yourself project, IMO. The new decal suggestion sounds promising. You have not done something that many others have also done, so don’t beat yourself up.

[castforcash]

I would take it to get it painted. At least you didn't do what I did.....backed mine into the garage door, cracked the cowling. $1,400 for a new one. Then a month later my upper motor mounts broke, probably cracked them when I hit the door, then LSC did the rest. So yeah 3k later it was a hard lesson learned!

[CJ1]

LOL I wasn't happy with the price of a used one on ebay

I guess anybody that paints a car could repaint a cowl?

cowls are easy, you won't like the price of supplies! Done quite a few. See if a wet sand and buff will work first. CJ

[crawdadking]

Order custom decals and have them sized just a bit bigger. Your scratches took away material, it will never look right.

I would look into this, I thought the same thing.

[pavi69]

I would take it to get it painted. At least you didn't do what I did.....backed mine into the garage door, cracked the cowling. $1,400 for a new one. Then a month later my upper motor mounts broke, probably cracked them when I hit the door, then LSC did the rest. So yeah 3k later it was a hard lesson learned!

I cracked my cowling backing into a boat dock in the wind and not paying attention, cracked the rear. Then sometime later, I had my anchor in the splash well and trimmed the motor too high and cracked the front. I just live with it.

[CowboyRulz]

Lots of guys do buffing and repairs on boat gelcoat. Might be able to ship the cowling to someone for a pro fix. Guy in Flippin, AR on the same road as Ranger does boats and resells highly polished aluminum campers. Just seems like a lot of startup investment in all the sanding/buffing equipment for a one time job that might get botched. My 2 cents...

[BJSmasonry]

Vented cover, I did something similar trying to get registration numbers off

[high 2]

Cowls for the 2 stroke Mercs came two ways that I know of. Fiberglass or plastic. I have some experience painting and would think it would be next to impossible to get paint to stick to the plastic cowl. The plastic cowls are way lighter than the glass ones. When I bought my Ranger it had a cracked plastic cowl. I found a used one in perfect shape for $400. I’ll paint the fiberglass cowl one day. The suggestion of a little larger decals sounds like the way to go. Good luck

[Mark v]

Here’s what I did:

http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread....highlight=Cowl

[Riccochet]

Tuff Skins

[PaRiverRat]

LOL I wasn't happy with the price of a used one on ebay

I guess anybody that paints a car could repaint a cowl?

Yes any body shop can repaint your cowl. Pretty standard single stage or base/clear. Would definitely be the cheaper route. In the future use an eraser wheel to remove decals. Come right off without damaging the paint

[MCIPinkie]

I'd just go fishin !!

[Ranger391v]

Here’s what I did:

http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread....highlight=Cowl

Man I always liked the look of those old 2.5 ProMax motors!

A friend of mine had a mint motor on the back of a slightly rough blue-n-white Allison. I'm a sucker for blue. Thankfully he wanted way too much for the rig, as I probably would have gotten hurt with it. LOL!!!

[EKYRanger]

I'd just go fishin !!

Perfect answer!