Been doing some painting on the Fizzy...

[ddaniels]

Can't wait to see them on the bike. Not bad for rattle cans eh?

[tkent02]

The stripes came out very good. How did you do them?
Can't wait to see it all put together.
Are you going to clear coat it?

[SVSooke]

What paint did you use?Looks to be cleared to IMO.

[Guest]

Hope my paint job turns out at least that good lol.

[ddaniels]

Thanks for the nice comments. I used Duplicolor Perfect Match paint from AutoZone or Advance Auto or O'Reilley's...take your pick. I used Duplicolor gray primer...3 coats. Then 3 coats of the blue. Then I let it dry overnight. Next day I lightly sanded with 1500 grit before putting on the gray. Turns out I sanded into the metal flake and had to go back and put another coat of blue on. This time I did not sand. I taped it off using thin pinstriping, followed by wide making tape, and newspaper to cover large areas. I put on 2 or 3 coats of the gray, but just enough to cover the blue. Then I put at least 3 coats of Rustoleum Gloss Crystal Clear Acrylic Lacquer. I like the stuff. After letting it sit at least 24 hours I started wetsanding. Started with 1000 grit to get rid of the orange peel and overspray. Followed that with 1500 grit to get rid of the 1000 grit scratches. Followed that with 3000 grip. I then let it sit overnight again and the next day hit it with McGuire's Ultimate Compound. For the gas tank clearcoat I used Spraymax 2K. It's fuel resistant and is really nice stuff. It sprays on very evenly and didn't even try to run or sag. Plus, it wetsands and buffs easier than the acrylic lacquer. Anyway, after sanding with 3000 grit wet/dry paper, the buffing is very easy. I used to stop at 1500 or 2000 grit and then buff but it would take forever for the gloss to pop out. After 3000 grit sanding, the gloss starts popping out almost immediately when buffing out with rubbing compound. It was difficult spraying this particular blue color. For some reason it produced a large amount of overspray so I had to put fairly heavy coats on, but try and not put it on too heavy or it would run/sag. The gray, which is the same Duplicolor Perfect Match paint, went on very nicely. Anyway, wetsanding can remove a lot of mistakes. Its' a long tedious and arm-breaking process, but the reward is when the gloss pops out when buffing, and it's worth it.

[Guest]

Thanks for the step by step, appreciated.

[SVSooke]

+1,been getting flak for thinking I'd do the 1000 the same way

[ddaniels]

+1,been getting flak for thinking I'd do the 1000 the same way

I say go for it. It probably takes longer to wet sand out than painting with professional equipment because there's more imperfections to sand out, but it sure is cheaper, and very rewarding in the end. Just watch out you don't strain your arm patting yourself on the back. My arm hurts already.

[dr_fosg8]

Those look really good man. Good job. Can't wait to see it all put back together.

[ddaniels]

Here she is all back together. I'm very happy with how well the colors work together. All in all, I could not be happier...especially since I didn't pay a grand or more on a professional paint job.

[Guest]

Holy Cow that bike looks fantastic!!! that is a really nice blue colour, looks great.

[jwhelan65]

I have to be honest when I saw the bodywork off the bike I was uncertain. But now that it is complete its looks stunning...Nice job!

[Steve]

Just for comparison, do you have a "before" picture?

.

[tkent02]

Excellent job.

You should post it on the rattle can paint job thread, it will be the best one on there maybe.

Edit, this thread:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=191660&highlight=rattle+thread

[ddaniels]

Sure, Before:


It wasn't bad, but I've always wanted a blue bike and have had 3 black bikes in the past. Never been a big fan of black anyway.