What is the best to refinish an entire transom assembly??
Paint or Powder Coat?
If paint, what brand? The old finish is reall bad, so we blasted it. I am thinking of powder coat ????

I did mine with 3 part epoxy primer Dura something, and then Imron. By the time I replaced all the garbage on the transom assembly and did all the work refinishing it, I could have bought a new one on ebay for 1600 and been about even with a lot less work.

I was wondering the same thing.
My Alpha assembly needs replacing too, play in both vertical and horizontal directions. Saw one in the classified section for 150.00. It would need to be gone over completely and repainted, it's now blue. I figured it might be easier/cheaper to just buy one.
Thanks.

Any good urathane paint will be good. I would go with a awlgrip or Imron if you have a place to spray it. If not the Mercury stuff is not all that bad. Just make sure you do light coats. Use a good primer and alluminum oxidizes in about 1 hour so you have to scotch bright them REAL fast and get the stuff into paint quick. Good luck

Jon

When My u-joints went, I got a new bellhousing and transom plate from sterndrivespec, and added my gimbal ring. After assembling everything, I rubbed it down real well with scotchbrite and primed it with PPG epoxy primer, then sprayed it with ppg concept urethane. I have used this same process on my lower unit with great results. I know your's is probably raw at this point. I think there is a echant that needs to be wiped on before painting. Powder coating sounds simpler, as long as you make sure they don't wipe it down with their greasy hands before coating it. I think that powder coating is the most notorious for poor prep! You have already taken the first step, however.

Thanks for the info guys, this powder coater company does a lot of custom motorcycle stuff, for shops right around them, so they probably do a good job, due to repeat business??? Hope so.....
I don't have the ability or facilities to paint the eurathane stuff and at the cost paint shops charge, the powdcer is probably cheaper....$150 max for blasting & coating. ??? Cheap enough???

I was warned of any corrosion when i redid my drive...I love powdercoating as an alt to painting...but was told by several people and a few at different powdercoating shops - alum. offgasses in it's natural state and any existing corrsion(even after blasting) ampllifies that offgassing making for a poor finish and possibly a short term finish...a few mentioned baking the unfinished piece pryor to applying the powder to help burn off as much gas as possible , then applying the finish....keep in mind these were things told to me , so maybe a grain of salt is in order...might try sending "BruceK" a message here on OSO he has a shop and am sure some good advice...


I think 150.00 would be a hell of a price though...

Thanks!! That's an interesting thing...off gassing.... never thought of that, hummmmmmm I will ask around.

I did my '88 Bullet 7 years ago. I wire wheeled the corrosion and featheredged the Paint around that. Used a zinc primer on the bare spots and coated with an epoxy primer. Top coated in black imron and put new merc decals back onto them. Still looks pretty damm good after 7 years. I just finished an '89 bullet the same way. You may want to consider using imron due to the fact it's a hell of alot easier to re-finish than powdercoat.