[Jay V]

Not meaning to bump this, but I had a question. I recently did this method of painting my bike, using duplicolor engine enamel white. Now, the difference is that I bought some spraymax 2k urethane clear coat... and want to use that over the base. Is this possible? Or is it going to cause the paint to chip and crack. I am giving the duplicolor 7 days dry time before clearing it like the instructions say, but I want to make sure.

I would give it more than 7 days, and then carefully sand it dull with 1000 wet before clearing it - with only very light sanding on edges or sharp bodylines for fear of going through the base.

Wait until you can't smell solvents to clear it or you may have problems, seeing as it's not the same type of finish. Hopefully the engine enamel doesn't require high heat to cure - some high heat paints do.

Once the finish is cured it shouldn't be any problem clearing over it, but you don't want to clear over a shiny (cured and unsanded) finish or it will peel.

This technique will only work on solid colors, not metallics, and the base paint needs to thick enough to take the (light) sanding.


Jay

 

[zabrow187]

Good post.I wonder if last few steps would work for touch up painting...

 

[Trev]

Not meaning to bump this, but I had a question. I recently did this method of painting my bike, using duplicolor engine enamel white. Now, the difference is that I bought some spraymax 2k urethane clear coat... and want to use that over the base. Is this possible? Or is it going to cause the paint to chip and crack. I am giving the duplicolor 7 days dry time before clearing it like the instructions say, but I want to make sure.

This is Duplicolor engine enamel red. It worked very well for my engine. Although the dumb thing said to wait 7 days to dry...I put it on and in my truck in less that 4 and ran and drove it...its holding on fine. I don't really think you need to wait THAT long...but as I precaution you might want to....good luck!

 

[zabije cie]

sorry to bump this up again, could you show us a picture of how your bike turned out? i tried looking at threads started by you, and posts, but you are VERY active, and its over 20 pages long!

-Thanks

 

[jbswear]

I'm gonna start painting the GSX-R front fender and rear body work this week. I'll post pics as it progresses.

 

[SV1000 DSM]

DO NOT WET SAND BODY FILLER!!!! I have been doing auto body work professionally for 5 years, and have a degree in auto body repair. The filler is porous (as mentioned) but the water will not come out of the deep spots no matter how long you let it sit, unless you can put a heat lamp on it and get it up over 200*. If you don't get that water out, eventually the metal under the filler will rust. I just kinda skimmed the rest of the post, but from what I gathered the rest of the info seemed legit.

 

[Jay V]

DO NOT WET SAND BODY FILLER!!!! (SNIP)

Where did it say to wet sand filler?

 

[dream36realms]

im doing the same on my gsxr fender to try and clor match my paint. if it works ill do the same to my hugger

 

[SDRider]

Note that this is NOT my work. Don't give me credit.

Okay, I won't mention all the spelling and grammatical errors then. ;D

 

[R1DAVE]

if you wait that long to let the paint dry, then put clearcoat to it they wont bond together and the clearcoat will chip off. the paint and clearcoat have to bond together.

 

[jbswear]

The clear coat will bond by slightly dissolving the paint underneath. That's why you need to wait to allow the bottom coat to cure--else it will dissolve it too much, ruining it.

How can you wet sand the paint if it isn't cured completely?

 

[SV1000 DSM]

Where did it say to wet sand filler?

Quoted from the second post:

6. Fill those imperfections. Let it dry, sand it and do it a few more times. When I sand I ALWAYS use a wet-dry, automotive rated sand paper. It is worth it to but the good stuff. Cut out rectangles that fit your sanding block. I never dry sand any more. I like to use the garden hose with very low pressure, really just a fast dribble coming out. The water works wonders! It washes away the dust so your paper does not clog up and it lasts longer. It lubricates the surface, and I think it is the only way to go. Whenever I mention sanding, assume I am referring to wet sanding under the hose. Also assume that means that you have to have the parts thoroughly dry before going on to the next step. I use compressed air and a clean towel. Remember that Bondo, primer, paint, all this stuff is porous, so it remains wet even when it looks dry. That means letting it sit for a few minutes out in the sun after it seem completely dry is a good idea. A hair dryer works well too. Sanding means wet sanding.

 

[Jay V]

Quoted from the second post:

6. Fill those imperfections. Let it dry, sand it and do it a few more times. When I sand I ALWAYS use a wet-dry, automotive rated sand paper. It is worth it to but the good stuff. Cut out rectangles that fit your sanding block. I never dry sand any more. I like to use the garden hose with very low pressure, really just a fast dribble coming out. The water works wonders! It washes away the dust so your paper does not clog up and it lasts longer. It lubricates the surface, and I think it is the only way to go. Whenever I mention sanding, assume I am referring to wet sanding under the hose. Also assume that means that you have to have the parts thoroughly dry before going on to the next step. I use compressed air and a clean towel. Remember that Bondo, primer, paint, all this stuff is porous, so it remains wet even when it looks dry. That means letting it sit for a few minutes out in the sun after it seem completely dry is a good idea. A hair dryer works well too. Sanding means wet sanding.

Yup, I guess that's what he's talking about.

I'll agree - never wet sand body filler!


Jay

 

[enrico vespa]

I'm glad this made it to a sticky.....


Sticky this someone.

 

[jbswear]

Okay, so you'll see these pics in the Mods forum, but here they are to show that this method works.

Here are the rear pieces after about a total of four (4) coats of primer.

Here's a mistake I made by laying on the primer too heavily after filling in a small gouge in the plastic:

Yes, I did wet sand with 400 to take the primer off, then dried thoroughly. After that, I put another three coats of primer over the mistake area so that it was flush with the rest of the primer. This was a tiny spot to fill in, so I'm pretty sure that it dried completely. It was less than 2mm deep.

I then followed the instructions and put on the primer sealer. Because these body pieces are not flat, I had to change directions when spraying many times, which laid down more than just two coats of sealer. Just like the primer and the paint, what would have been two coats turned into, in essence, six or seven to ensure proper coverage.

No pics of the sealant applied, but imagine the above pieces, but now with a smooth gray coloring. I did hit each coat of sealant with 400 grit wet to smooth it out, and then had to keep adding as I sanded through thin spots. Finally I got it so that I was no longer sanding through.

Then I added paint. The first coat, as described in the original post, was quite splotchy and incomplete.

I put on several thin coats, turning the pieces between each application, until I had complete coverage. Mostly. There are some flaws that I've found on the underside, but nothing that continuing what I've already done won't fix.

This is roughly 4 coats of paint:

I still have a lot of "orange peel", but that's okay. I'm gonna start hitting it with 1000 grit wet paper later this week. I'll probably lay another 3 coats of paint, with 1000 wet between each, before I let it cure and then start hitting with the clear coat.

The directions may seem daunting at first, but if you take the time to read them through, and break it down into individual procedures (stripping, primer, paint, clear), it's actually very easy. It's just time consuming.

Updates to come.

 

[Mandalorian]

Many thanks to Brad for posting the original instructions. I followed them for my new (used) belly pan. It is for my first gen 2000 which is Helios Red. I purchased most of the supplies first from Pep Boys (~$50). Didn't need any paint stripper or bondo as there were no deep gouges.

I went step by step till I got to the paint part, then I followed the directions that ColorRite sent me with the spray cans of Base #1960 and Y7M Pearl Helios Red (to the tune of $80 ). Their directions involved less sanding and actually said not to sand in between color coats or before clear coat.

Overall the painting from start to finish took about three weekends. It could have been done faster, but since the darn groundhog said 6 more weeks of crappy winter weather, I had to stretch this out a bit.

Pics are below: Enjoy. it really isn't too difficult. However, I am not tackling a tank or other bigger pieces, just a belly pan. I probably would go with store bought paint before ColorRite $$$ if this were a bigger project.

I still have to apply the rubbing compound and then the final Mothers Wax. More pics to come after that and a few of it installed.

Sand off the silver:

Primer Filler:

Primer:

Primer Sealer:

Base #1960

Pearl Helios Red:

Clear Coat:

 

[speedfrk]

FYI, the best way to fix cracked plastic is to heat weld it with a pencil tip soldering iron from both sides and then get some plastic repair epoxy from a body supply shop and coat the cracked area on the inside. It goes by different names- durabond, SEM problem plastic repair, etc. regular epoxy resin and fiberglass does not stick well to abs plastic and will usually separate after a while from flexing, vibration, etc. A lot of the bikes that guys bring me to paint have repairs like this and I have to grind all of the crap out and start over to do a permanent fix.

 

[Apollo1777]

Many thanks to Brad for posting the original instructions. I followed them for my new (used) belly pan. It is for my first gen 2000 which is Helios Red. I purchased most of the supplies first from Pep Boys (~$50). Didn't need any paint stripper or bondo as there were no deep gouges.

I went step by step till I got to the paint part, then I followed the directions that ColorRite sent me with the spray cans of Base #1960 and Y7M Pearl Helios Red (to the tune of $80 ). Their directions involved less sanding and actually said not to sand in between color coats or before clear coat.

I still have to apply the rubbing compound and then the final Mothers Wax. More pics to come after that and a few of it installed.

Wow looks awesome! Great work! Do you know if ColorRite can match the Grand Candy Blue too?? I have a spare center tailpiece that I am thinking I can tinker around with and color match it to the rest of my bike... ;D

Also, did you decide to follow ColorRite's directions or did you 1000 wetsand between the Helios Red coats?

 

[Mandalorian]

Wow looks awesome! Great work! Do you know if ColorRite can match the Grand Candy Blue too?? I have a spare center tailpiece that I am thinking I can tinker around with and color match it to the rest of my bike... ;D

Also, did you decide to follow ColorRite's directions or did you 1000 wetsand between the Helios Red coats?

Thanks for the compliment. Check out their website http://www.colorrite.com/matrix-step1.cfm?type=2 and find your specific bike and color.

I think it matches up pretty well. There is a slight difference, but I havent had a chance to buff and wax it yet, so that may change the hue a little too. I have the advantage of some distance between the fender, tank and other red parts on the bike, then the black motor and parts, and then the belly pan. So, if there is a slight difference, it might not be easlily noticed.

In your case, it may be tougher to match, but heck, give it a try.

I followed the OP's directions for surface prep, filler, primer and the primer sealer. Then I went to ColorRites instructions for the base paint, top cover, and clear coat. I did not wet sand between Helios coats.

Good luck. RK

 

[jbswear]

Wow, Chris, I didn't know you were painting, too!

Looks good.