I'll second this advice. I tried stripping the paint off the aluminum water pump pulleys...what a waste of time. The outdrives are done the same. Clean 'em real good, scuff sand and paint. At my local boat store the Mercury brand Phantom Black rattle can was the same price as the aftermarket brands and does a fine job. Perhaps another brand might have a silver that would work, but I say stick with black.

You could sand them down by hand or with a D/A , the factory uses an epoxy type paint and if you don't get it all off and clean it well it will not let the new paint adhere properly. The best this that I have found is to have them soda blasted , it won't ruin any of the seals and will strip all the old paint off. Then use a self etching primer and a good epoxy primer like DP40 from PPG. then you can use what ever base coat clear coat you'd like or a single stage paint .

Thats just how I prefer to do it.

Wow everyone here has a different way of doing it...anyone have any pics of their drives before and after?

Haven't stripped any newer ones- they "used to" powdercoat.

If you sand, I would definitely conversion coat prior to paint or powdercoating.

mer use lacquir paint. i use interlux 2001 primmer then expoy black i leave my boat in the water all summer . my drive dont get eaten up.i use a da sander and hand sand

I think the drive looks good

Pat the impellers are in the pump on the front of the engine, you know the ones you cant see.And know Mercury does not powder coat there drives.

Here is a thread that I started when I painted my drives. http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...ghlight=drives

Well I have to get you to do those before I launch her cause that one motor was heating up every once and while last season.. I think i'm just goin to tape the boat up and sand the drives down on the boat until they are smooth and them paint them.Also going to finally get some of those thing I wanted to do last year this year...Like paint those hatches and even the rub strip...

left you a voice mail and sent you a message...