Mufflers

     These were among the first things to be removed from the boat when I started the restoration. They were then placed in the corner of the shop, and started collecting dust. I just kept saying "I'll get to those when it is too cold to work on the boat....". Then I worked on the boat all winter. At any rate, I did finally get to them this week. Here is what I started with:

They were dirty, full of salt, and the paint was peeling from them. My wife was gracious enough to wash them thoroughly, and she also stripped all the loose paint. One thing I particularly didn't like was the appearance of the drain plug gaskets, located at the base of each muffler. The generator muffler has two of them, on opposite sides. Take a look at these:

The rubber is cracked all around, and the gasket is ready to fall out completely. All four of them looked this way - leaks just waiting to happen.
     I started with a coat of catalyst dried primer/sealer, followed with 2 coats of basecoat, and three coats of clear on the mufflers. My wife had previously removed the manufacturers stickers, so once the paint had cured, they were reapplied with spray glue - 3M's Super Trim Adhesive. Great stuff, but please don't get it where you don't want it. Makes quite a mess. The finished mufflers came out like this:

     The finishing touch was to cut new gaskets from high temperature silicone rubber, clean up the stainless plugs, and reinstall them:

     OK, I know, why the pearlescent red? A car I restored is painted this color, and I like it, and I had some left over. Besides, painting everything black hides the leaks, makes the engine room dark and dreary, and is just plain boring. Trust me, it will look good...