What are the parts of the OUtdrive. You have the upper and lower units (outdrive), transom assembly and what else? I am thinking of getting my outdrive redone and want the entire back of the boat looking like new. Any help? Thanks..

As a fellow canadian that just followed this steep learning curve I am happy to help.
You have the upper unit, lower unit (also called gear case) connected to the boat on the outside with a supporting plate on the inside is the transom assembly. In between the transom assembly and the upper unit is the Gimbal assembly. You cannot remove the transom assembly without removing the motor. My advice would be 1. have a reputable shop remove the drive, and pressure test it then have it stripped and painted then re assembled, filled with gear oil and re installed. Use aftermarket stickers from Ebay to save some money. If the pressure test fails have it checked and resealed prior to painting.
Find a shop that can strip and paint the transom assembly and Gimbal unit on the boat, it costs more and is harder to do. Hope that helps of by the way get familiar with your drive serial number and visit the mercury parts website where they are many diagrams of the various parts










If the

Using the right products you can "body work" (sand, filler, primer, paint). I previously had a Bravo that had a lot of pitting to the gimbal and transom assembly. However it was mechanically sound. I took the time to mask the transom off and basically sanded it down, used a small grinder where needed, used a self etching primer and body filler (I can't remember what it was I used at the moment). Sanded the filler, used a primer filler, wet sanded, then used a can of Dupli-Color Engine Enamel to finish it off. The Mercury Phantom black spay can seems to flake and chip easily. I had much better luck using the Engine Enamel (It also produced a much glossier finish). Then followed it up with Genuine Mercury Stickers, and the drive looked brand new.

In Progress:


Finished:

Nice Job... I think I will just get the transome plate painted and Gimble assembly when the outdrive is off the boat.