awesome bud! i can't wait to see where this project goes!

 

Hehe, thanks. Don't expect miracles, as I'm experimenting ... it'll probably be pretty simple ... we'll see. :mrgreen:

 

simple is a good thing. i like simple! looks good on bikes.

 

I like the planned retro look.

 

More sanding today ... I find it interesting that the fender pinstripes were stickers and the tank seems to be painted. At first I thought it was a decal from the slight bump in the clearcoat, but it sanded completely smooth. I also happened to find a simple air-brush gun that I used many years ago when building scale models ... hmm, I guess we'll see where that goes. So continuing on my quest. Will finalize sanding details tomorrow. More boring pics :mrgreen: ...

 

sweet sweet sweet. keep us updated.

 

Finished final sanding details and degreased and washed all the parts. Did a bit of research on a few things and found two alternatives for DIY white wall tires. Behr Elastomeric roofing paint available at Home Depot has been used by some with pretty good results as it can stretch up to 600% of it's application when dry. Also found that Krylon Fuzion satin white spray paint does very well considering it's for plastic and also permits flexing. There are ups and downs to this process, mostly browning and cracking, but one thing is for certain that it's the preparation that is the crucial part ... scuffing the sidewall, degreasing, etc. Don't yet know which way I'm headed, but $10-$30 sure beats the price of new tires right now! That's it for today; tomorrow (time permitted) I prime.

 

I painted the fairing covers this evening and I am very pleased. I tested a few blacks next to each other on a test board to see how close I could get to what I wanted and found the perfect one. I did not prime as the sanding of the factory paint proved a more than adequate surface. After last night's degreasing and washing, I simply wiped them down with a tack cloth and sprayed a couple of coats back to back within a few minutes of each other. Here's some info with pics below each ...

The Paints:

The Test:
Sprayed each side by side and compared sheen, texture, spray patterns and flow. I narrowed my selection down to three that I thought would give me the result I wanted. From left to right, #1 Krylon Rust Tough Semi-Flat Black, #2 Rustoleum Satin Black, #3 Rustoleum Professional High Performance Semi-Gloss Black. Some thoughts regarding these products:
- #1 Had the best spray tip, smooth flow and obviously for me the right sheen.
- #2 Had horrible flow with blots of paint landing on the surface.
- #3 Flowed better, but had a much smaller spray pattern; it was by far too glossy for me.

The Result and the Winner:
The first pic is inside the garage under florescent lighting. The other two are outside on my driveway in indirect evening light, partly cloudy with the sun behind the clouds. The paint cans are there only to emphasize the sheen.

I'll be hitting the tank and fenders on Saturday, maybe tomorrow night depending on conditions. Now my thoughts are rambling on about either airbrushing some ghost flames in a dusty white or silver, or pinstripe painting in white and red with a theme not yet to share. :mrgreen:

 

lookin' good bud. just to let ya know... ya got atleast one follower on this project. i'm checkin' this thing everyday! :lol: keep up the good work!

 

I would say that he has more than one follower. :mrgreen:

Looking good so far. Can't wait to see it when it's done.

 

Looking good so far! I like the design you chose. Keep on posting progress.
Coop

 

Don't know how I missed this before but now I'm following it too. Any plans about gas-proofing the tank paint? Most rattle can paints are not very resistant to fuel spills and splashes. .

 

Hey thanks guys ... wow, a lot to live up to now! :shock: Anyway, as for 'gas-proofing' the tank - I'll be clear coating with a satin finish. I used another test board yesterday with gloss but it did exactly what it was supposed to ... gloss. So I'll test again this weekend with a satin. I don't want to spray until I've chosen and completed any artsy-fartsy stuff though, obviously.:mrgreen: Remember, this is a rattle-can job so it's a bit experimental for me.

 

Painted the tank and fenders this evening. Turned out really nice ... like satin ... duh! :mrgreen: You'd never know this was two-tone before ... yeah, I'm a good sander. Anywayyyyy, I'll be wetsanding them later for a silky finish and then hitting them with a clear satin (gotta test it first). I placed the tank on the bike and have to tell you it is definitely another bike now. :wink: Well, it's getting there. And the chrome looks great against it. On with the pics ...

Tank:

Rear Fender:

Front Fender:

 

You are getting there, looking good so far!

 

Thank you Sir!

 

lookin' sharp bud!

 

Looking good. I was so close to going flat black with my bike when I swapped the rear fender, but couldn't bring myself to paint over the hot rod flames that come on the Spirit!

 

looks good!

 

Great looking job so far. How many coats of base color and clear are you planning on using?

Are you still going with the lighter gunmetal two tone on the sides?

 

Thanks for the comments! The Photoshop pic shows a two-tone, which is clearly not what I am doing ... I just suck at PS and couldn't get it all solid. Anyway, I used three coats on all but the tank. I sanded that today and painted another coat after seeing it was a bit thin in some areas. I'm too much a perfectionist and while true rat-rods are imperfect in finish, it's killing me not to have this all baby-butt smooth. So anyway, today I did some scuffing of the sidewalls while letting the tank dry. I first shot them down with Formula 88 degreaser, then used steel wool to scuff all around up to the edge where it meets the tread. Then I shot them with Bleche White, hosed it off and I'm letting the tires air dry overnight. I'm looking to attempt the white walls tomorrow. As for the rims being painted red ... well, the chrome is so stubborn that steel wool won't even scuff them. It will take muratic acid or the like so I may just wait until I can afford the reall white wall tires so as when the rims are off the bike I can get them to the powder coater. However, my goal here was to be as thrifty as possible. We shall see; I may like them left alone afterall. Sorry I'm rambling, tired and hungry ... going to dinner. :mrgreen: Pics from today ...

 

So started today with a really nice "early" birthday present from my wife ... a Harbor Freight motorcycle jack :-D ! H3ll, my birfday aint til August 30! I love my wifey!! When I divorced my practice-wife 4-1/2 years ago I sold a lot of stuff off to pay off some debt - my '64 Skylark, my GSX-R 1000 and worst of all ... my old jack. :mrgreen: Anyway, this morning I masked off the tires that I prepped yesterday. I used 3M automotive paint tape (the green stuff) because it's very flexible and easy to work with. Then I further masked them with the typical painter's tape you find at home improvement stores. I applied the first coat of Elastometric and I'll let it dry 4-6 hours and apply another coat; then a third tomorrow. But guys, I need your prayers because then something terrible happened; the absolute worst possible thing a man can have occur on the weekend - just awful (see last pic) :sad: ......

... Well, off to sand the tank ... again.

 

Alcohol abuse.

 

Whu? Hey, if anyone was abused it was me ... that was my last one!

The tank looks really good now after sanding. Probably going to sand the fenders and fairings, but they really turned out smooth so we'll see. Put on a second coat of the Elastometric last night ... white walls are looking really good. Will do a third and final coat this evening, then removing the tape. This stuff is pretty thick and rubbery, so I'll have to delicately assist the tape removal with a razor. I also think I came up with an alternate solution to my red rims. :mrgreen:

 

lookin' good bud!

 

Did the final coat on the tires last night. The 3M automotive painter's tape did extremely well (click on the first image below for video; it's the thin greenish tape). Tried getting ahead of myself and putting the front fender on ... yeah, not a good idea while the white walls were still not dry ... little touch up, no big deal. :lol: Looking forward to doing some re-assembly tonight to get a better idea of where I'm headed with any further design. :mrgreen: Here are the results:

 

can you give us an update on how well the white wall project held up in the florida summer? Will it do it ok in extreme cold as well. I am looking at options for my winter bobber project and well my bike has brand new rubber on it so hard to justify new white walls right now. Yours look great do they look as good in person?

 

Coming out really nice. Great job on the whitewalls.

 

lookin' great bud!

 

Eh, family duties got in the way of assembly tonight, but I did get a chance to accomplish my alternative to red rims. I have a few rolls of 7-year automotive vinyl that were left over from my day as a speed shop owner. I decided to cut strips and adhere to the outer rim lips. It's a nice touch and will do for now. :mrgreen: I experimented with 'inside' the rim too, but it just didn't show as well (neat as it were). Finally, I have a design in my head regarding a painted design-work for the tank and such and once the bike is back together it will further help me envision it ... it's simple, but I like it. So far my project expense is under $60; so far so good ... I don't count the jack as it was a gift. But for now, on with the pics.

Red Stripe Inside:

Red Stripe Outside:

Done ... Sorry, it was dark by the time pics were taken:

... and tank on for giggles ...