TOPIC: painted the cowl of my merc 450

here is what it turned out like,and i found a guy that makes the mercury lettering in silver on ebay,i think the colors will look good with the chrome on it,next is the rest of the motor,oh by the way i guess i just told ,what colors the boat will be,lol.john,like i always say im on dial up,it takes awhile to load the pics,ill let you know when im done,lol,john,p.s.in the pics it looks like plain red but it has red and gold metal flake in it .and the silver is metal flake too. also the 3rd pic down is before clear coat

Blasphemy it was a White Merc! Just kidding it looks AWESOME! I can't wait to see how the whole boat/motor combo comes out!

Bob

lol,bob,the rest of the motor was white also,but was painted black,and not to good of a job,lol,i have my work cut out for me taking it all off,lol.john

Looking good John
I am working on the mid section of a Mark 55. Lots of nooks and crannies to get to around the swivel.
Here is my hat, pan and wrap.

John,
Yeah looks pretty rough. It'll look great once your done. I plan on breqking mine down completely and painting it the Merc White again if the power head is good inside.

Neil,
That's looking great buddy keep up the good work..

Bob

i would like to do mine soon but the chrome cover on mine had a few dents and scratch on it how do i make it new again.Can i order a new one somewhere.thanks

wow neil that looks great,my wrap is not to good,yours looks great,it a ll looks good.

bob yeah that whats next break down of the bottom,then paint remover,scrapeing and sanding,lol.heck in my pics you can see the pull start is still in it,it was so rusted that i couldnt get the nut to loosen up,to get it out,not with out breaking it anyway,lol.

commander email tim calmes and tell him i sent you,he has what you need im sure,his email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ,he had cowls and wraps everywhere in his huge building.also send a copy of your email,here at his business This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. john

Thanks John.
I like the way the small silver line on yours breaks the top and bottom. I can't wait to see it with the chrome and decals back on it.
Neil

John what do you use to paint? is it a sprayer or just a can? I have been just using can on most of my projects due to clean up time and simplicity... Though I have sprayers in the barn and lots of dust. The cover is looking great keep the pics coming!

Looks good John, I like the red metallic. I got some red metallic on my motor, that band that goes around the middle that hides the attachment bolts, plus my control box is red metallic. The steering wheel was, but I'm re-doing it in silver metallic. Hope it gets warm enough today to "v" out some cracks and fill them, remove cleats and such, wet sand, and get it ready to spray paint. No more brushes for me! )As long as I got a good buddy to do the spray painting...)

Frank

frank, what are you using to fill the cracks in the steering wheel. i used jb weld and they re-appeared. ron

No cracks in my steering wheel Ron, just re-painting it. Cracks I mentioned are in/on the deck of the Power Cat. One minor one, one major one. Want everything to look nice for Hammondsport. Steering wheels I've done in the past with two part epoxy putty worked out real well.

Frank

JG: you are a master with the rattle can! I've never painted with a spray can and gotten a smooth finish.
BTW, my KitKat came with twin 450s, early 60s models, if you're in need of anything for yours... [not sure my exact year...] I dont currently have plans for them, since they were pull start models, not sure whats involved in adding a starter, wiring harness, and etc.

Also, if you dont mind getting your hands a mess, after soaking the old paint with the paint remover, a scotchbrite stripper pad does a great job on the curved surfaces on the lower unit.

jessie,on this motor i had a pint of the red mixed up and used a siphon type gun,i tryed hvlp and didnt like it,i guess im old school.lol.
the silver is a mettalic ground coat for car motors,and the clear is also a clear for motors,they are compatible with acrilic enamel,which is what the red is.
the motor paint is rattle can.and thanks jessie,john

frank,yep and it looks great on your motor ,this more of a blood red mettalic,my wife picked it out.
and you will always have a buddy to spray paint for you,if you ever need me,john
ron yep i agree with frank i just did pauls with 2 part epoxy for rubber,plastic,steel,and the only wheel im worried about is starcrafts wheel because it was so bad.when you bring the boat to my house if you can take off the wheel before you get here,doing the boat and wheel will be a 2 day deal.and if the crack is bad ill grind out the shape of an "I"and put in a steel piece to hold it together.john
thank jim,i use the rattle cans on the small stuff,and siphon gun on the boats themselves.
as far as getting a shine ,its not hard just takes a little practice,i spray looking at it from the side and make sure that at about the 3rd coat and after that it blends in wet,even if it looks like the ege is a little dry,as you go it will blend in quickly,its kind of hard to expain,lol.1 tip is if you can use engine paint it drys very fast,and if your not satisfied use engine clearcoat.keeping the edges of the spray pattern looking wet,its hard to get engine paint to run because it dries so fast.
thank you so much for the offer,i do need the top chrome handle for this one its a 1961 450. i will get pics for you,thanks guys,i hope i helped someone,john

jim,lol,i see i already have a pic of the handle in the very 1st pic,lol,mine is broken and has been beat on.thanks john

neil,thanks buddy,i think im going to go get the decals off the lady that lettered the sunray,the fellow on ebay his drawing of it didnt look as good.john

John
I am going to go with east coast marine for my decals.
I have heard good things here about there decals.
Neil

cool website neil,but too expensive for me,lol.
at laest i found ou that my cover plate face plate "400" is the right one for the 61,450 45hp,i thought it had the wrong badge,john

I had a '60 White Merc 300 (35 hp) and the larger one were 400 500 700 etc. at least in 60 and I believe 61 also...I think it was the last year of the cloud whites.

62 was the last year.

yeah,and also my keihaefer badge is chipped,are there any out there for this motor?

I had a nice face plate with good emblem but unfortunately gave it away with the 300 I restored. I do however still have the wrap(looks just like the one on the 700 above) that is in good condition as well as the top/recoil that is good though unfortunately painted black.

Not sure if they will fit the 400 as they are off a 300. Maybe someone else knows?
Tim

John wrote:

are there any out there for this motor?

Here ya go buddy;
www.nymarine.ca/MERCmedallions.html
(Personally, I kinda like the "custom" one Andrew did!)
www.fiberglassics.com/fiberglassics-forums/home/main-forum/emblems#24685

yeah me too but i havent heard from andrew lately,i do know hes on board his ship,john

Hey guys, I have to comment; the water based decals are crap, I went through 3 sets ($150) in restoring a Mark 55 a few years ago. Avoid them at all costs, they basically break up before you can get them on your motor and then you must clear coat to protect.
I just restored another Mark 55E (see Most beautiful motor) with the help of Peter from NY Marine. I used the Sunset Orange and Sand Tan Urethane Paint as it was tough as nails and would last years. It went on like a dream, beautiful stuff.
I bought his decals and was so glad I did. The set for the Mk55 was screened onto very thin clear vinyl, it was super easy to put down (spray Windex on all surfaces, squeegee out with your thumb, let dry) and it looks super authentic. He had the Merc Electric decals too.
I also bought a set of decals and a medallion for the Mark 58A. This one was a little different, it was a cut vinyl set; black on top of blue. I was skeptical as I have a vinyl cutter myself. It turns out the vinyl they use is super thin, couldn't tell it was not a decal. Again, super easy application, a tape hinge and Windex. The medallion was cheap ($25) and although not as thick as the original, it looks authentic (again, Windex on all surfaces)
Neither of these decals needed a protective coat unless you are going to be using nasty chemicals around them.

Forgot to say that I used a detail cup gun for the paint job for the Mk55, rattle can for the Mk 58A

merc electric

one more try

You appear to have a 1960 or 1961 Merc 400 (45 horsepower). The front cowl attaches with a threaded knob (as with the Mark 55s and 58 pictured) on the 1960. The 1/4 turn knob on the 1961 (like Ron's Merc 700).
The sheave shaft and nut for the recoil starter are left-hand threads.
Merc 450 is 1962 only. All are manual start, but with the electric flywheel (has ring gear), starter motor & solenoid, battery charging components (if wanted), and wiring they can be converted.
Cloud White is used on most Mercury models for 1963. All 1964 Mercurys are black.
The Merc 300 wrap-around cowl should fit, but is the wrong pattern for "stock". It has white stripes versus the brushed silver stripes of Ron's Merc 700.
I am not trying to correct everyone's spelling here, just trying to provide correct answers for the discussion.
I enjoyed viewing your very nice paint work (John, Neil, and Thom), and Ron's sharp looking motor.

Regards,
Joe

thank you headley,yes thats how the lady did the decals on the sunray ,water and squigie,it came out nice.by the way great looking motors.

hi joe yes its a 61,and thank you for the compliment and advise,john

I agree with Joe on the colors of the motors. I have a '63 850. All of the motors that year are white except the 1000, which was black. That was the first year for the 100 hp. In '64 I believe they all were black.
Bill