Stock paint has crooked emblem, clear coating over it, what to do?

[oldGSfan]

My red bike got a fresh 2K clear coat, which looks quite nice. The blue bike's bodywork is not quite as good, but it's OK and will look fine with clear. Unfortunately, the tail section has a crooked emblem that's giving me grief. It's stock paint. Somebody goofed in Suzuki-land. I've written a letter to them (kidding).

It was also cracked from the sun and looked bad. In prep for the 2K, I sanded it back. But it's still hanging around and I'm not sure I should go any further. See the pic and pardon the paper towel fluff. When I spray water on it the paint looks great, and my experience is that 2K clear will do the same.

Choices that occur to me.

1) Keep sanding it back. I'm worried I'll break into the paint
2) Lay the new decal over the old, all crooked-like. That sort of stinks, maybe it shouldn't bug me.
3) Lay the new decal over but straight. I think it may look janky It's also off-center vertically. It seems to me anyway.
4) Try dissolving it with Goof Off
5) Consult a psychiatrist.

The decal is abutting the straight part of the cowling pretty much where it should be alignment-wise.

 

[Cipher]

Several very sharp razors to score the perimeter then score a medial line to beneath the decal.
lift and with a suitable spatula and solvent work away

 

[Rob S.]

Ride the Norton. All necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused.

 

[oldGSfan]

Ride the Norton. All necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused.

I have only just gotten to the point where I am confident it's not going to blow up after 1000 miles. I'm a worrier - this is basically me....

 

[oldGSfan]

OK, good suggestions. I am a little leery of using a razor for fear of going too deep and scratching it. As for spray, I have researched a lot and no can's a direct match, some close but different flake sizes. There are a lot of threads and I think I read them all. Some recommend having it matched by a paint store and they will make a can. I tried several shops in my area and none would do that. Maybe try a bit more Goo gone. I have some xylene which is pretty strong but may be too much so.

 

[oldGSfan]

Have you tried warming the decal with a hair drier and carefully trying it to lift it with a razor blade? I know it's tricky with it being so old.

I think I will give that a try. I can't tell if I'm through the clear completely on all of it, but I guess I'll find out.

 

[Cipher]

I think I will give that a try. I can't tell if I'm through the clear completely on all of it, but I guess I'll find out.

Be vary careful with heat you may well peel a large swathe of clear completely off along with specks of colour coat down to metal.
A metal block to sand the centre of the decal may get you through to a point where you can peel it away but again peeling without scoring may well pull off more than you bargained for.

There is one useful youtuber out there who shows a stripe being removed from a tank's "spine" but it involves an aggressive sanding and is on a newish part.
if you use a never dull razor swapping to new more frequently than you think you have to and cut in an angle so the tip is under the edge you should be fine.

Maybe make friends with a dermatologist they can wield a blade with shocking accuracy and sensitivity.

 

[oldGSfan]

Be vary careful with heat you may well peel a large swathe of clear completely off along with specks of colour coat down to metal.
A metal block to sand the centre of the decal may get you through to a point where you can peel it away but again peeling without scoring may well pull off more than you bargained for.

There is one useful youtuber out there who shows a stripe being removed from a tank's "spine" but it involves an aggressive sanding and is on a newish part.
if you use a never dull razor swapping to new more frequently than you think you have to and cut in an angle so the tip is under the edge you should be fine.

Maybe make friends with a dermatologist they can wield a blade with shocking accuracy and sensitivity.

Thanks, great info. it's ABS underneath. I am nervous with a blade, frankly. My fine digital motor skills ain't what they used to be.. (she said). I will do some research on that razor etc before diving in. I have finished the bike except for the bodywork and don't want to screw it up now. I'm trying to imagine peeling it off cleanly, that would be ideal but it's delicate work. Maybe a combination of a bit of heat, nothing crazy, some scoring, and some solvent which may get into the scoring and loosen it up enough to lift?

 

[chuck hahn]

get some adhesive remover from paint supply store. it wont hurt the paint. red shop rag provides a litte abrasiveness. spray on and let it set a few minutes and then get after it

That or just sand it off and repaint it

 

[oldGSfan]

I screwed it up. I warmed it up and used Goof Off and tried the rag/friction method. It didn't really do much. I tried with fresh razor blades. Very carefully, it started OK and it seemed like I'd pull this off .... but no, it was so bonded to the paint that it pulled up in spots. I don't have spare $ to have the entire bodywork professionally painted. All I can think of is to level where the ABS is exposed and slap some sticker over the clear coat. Which I hate to do. DANG!

 

[chuck hahn]

ill pm you my number... call me

 

[DomsKat550]

I can print you a Suzuki logo whatever colors you want directly on to a colored rectangular background all one layer so you can hide any blemishes on base paint with the decal and then clear over everything- I have a sign shop

 

[oldGSfan]

I can print you a Suzuki logo whatever colors you want directly on to a colored rectangular background all one layer so you can hide any blemishes on base paint with the decal and then clear over everything- I have a sign shop

I appreciate that! But I chatted with Chuck today and he graciously offered to help. The paint is OEM so it can be scanned and get the 'good stuff' where he lives (he has good experience with his paint guy). In CA it's not so easy - my experience goes anyway and the paint isn't the good stuff. I have a repro decal. It will also be good to have some nicely matched extra paint for a couple of other little areas.

 

[oldGSfan]

This site is the greatest. Dom offered help with a sticker to hide my mishap, and Chuck offered to get some paint mixed up. I went with the paint route because it's not that expensive and I can make it like new, given I have the decals, plenty of urethane reducer and 2K clearcoat. The bodywork is in great shape. I shipped a side cover to Chuck and will get that back along with a pint of the paint this weekend. He says the match is excellent, like 99% - and that's close enough for me

I helped a good friend paint his '55 Corvette a couple years ago, and he has all the high quality gear, glaze, primer, and skills. I have an awning big enough to convert to a booth, a nice new LED light, box fan and a bunch of heater filters, masks etc. Why not?

Here's where it gets interesting.... I have a 2nd complete set of '83 bodywork in nice shape - that set needs a couple of small dings attended to but will come out as good as the first. So I am thinking why not paint both sets while I'm at it? All I need to do is get a 2nd set of blue model decals and do the labor. I don't have a 3rd bike for that set, and the red bike looks pretty good. So either it or the red bodywork may become available.

 

[chuck hahn]

Scanner gave a 98 percent match. It looked pretty darn good when the guys took the lid off the can after shaker mixed it up. Laid lid on the cover under their bright light thing and it looked awesome to me. Toms gonna love it once its sprayed out and cleared. Came out to be a Honda car color called Bali Blue if i remember correctly.

 

[oldGSfan]

Scanner gave a 98 percent match. It looked pretty darn good when the guys took the lid off the can after shaker mixed it up. Laid lid on the cover under their bright light thing and it looked awesome to me. Toms gonna love it once its sprayed out and cleared. Came out to be a Honda car color called Bali Blue if i remember correctly.

Yeah, that looks like the color - as best I can tell from photos of Hondas online. I will take a pic of the tank under the same lighting & same location before and after.

My friend who is gonna help painted this '55 Corvette. I helped mask and mix. He rented a booth to do it. He had never painted a car before or restored one either. But he did a fantastic job restoring this, all work himself except the engine rebuild. It's immaculate and has quite a story, racing trophies, very interesting mods from way back. Wall Street Journal did a nice article on it but it's paywall-restricted. His dad had 2 Corvettes and did a coin toss to see which of the kids (twins) got which. Well, he got the '78 but eventually ended up with the '55. His dad became friends with Zora Arkus-Duntov after meeting at shows. Duntov said that the way this was modified, Muncie 4 speed, 283 solid lifter (from a '61 after blowing the original 260), and '57 Rochester FI is how he wanted the Vette to be from the get-go but the accounting dept disagreed.

 

[chuck hahn]

Just checking to see if the packages have arrived yet

 

[oldGSfan]

Just checking to see if the packages have arrived yet

Yes sir! UPS man just came by with the paint a couple of hours ago, and the side cover came yesterday. Check your texts, I'll be sending you $ tomorrow.

 

[chuck hahn]

Be sure to shake the can super good before opening it so the settled out metal flake is fully remixed into the paint. I would even use a stir stick after opening to mix it even more.

 

[Don R]

You could smooth it with filler and apply a vinyl rectangle from a sign shop over the bad spot and then put the decal on that. Like the sticker has a background.