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Tank restoration/finishing

  • Thread starter Thread starter Joe Garfield
  • Start date Start date
J

Joe Garfield

Guest
I got a quote of $350-$400 to restore the tank and paint the side covers of my '82 650GL, so I'm looking into doing the job myself. It has a big dent in the side, some minor rust along the edges, and a bit of rust inside the tank.

I have a friend who can help me remove the dent with some kind of bar that welds on the outside, pulls the dent, and snaps off. I'm assuming some bondo and sanding would be used to finish the repair.

A good sanding and maybe some bondo along the edges should take care of the rust there.

I was thinking of using the 'tank liners' I've seen advertised - a combination of cleaning/degreasing, etching, and covering materials for the inside of the tank.

The tricky part for me is the paint. I have another friend who can help me paint in a booth at a commercial airplane hangar. The hard part is the pinstripe. How do I do the pinstripe on the tank? I want to paint the tank solid black with a stock looking pinstripe. Do I use a tape? Is there a recommended paint, and do I use clear coat?

Any thoughts on anything mentioned are really appreciated, especially on the pinstriping. I've never done anything quite like this and really want the bike to come out nice.
 
Big T said:
The pinstripes are usually decals

try Reproduction decals for yours

Also, check for the painting thread by nvr2old, he really knows his stuff

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=142285
Click to expand...


Electrolysis works great for rust inside the tank, it can make them look brand new again.

Doing one now, it will be perfect in a few days.

Tank coating is not needed unless you are in a very humid area and the bike sits a lot.

Redoing a tank does take time and effort, it's good work.
 
Joe Garfield said:
I got a quote of $350-$400 to restore the tank and paint the side covers of my '82 650GL, so I'm looking into doing the job myself. It has a big dent in the side, some minor rust along the edges, and a bit of rust inside the tank.

I have a friend who can help me remove the dent with some kind of bar that welds on the outside, pulls the dent, and snaps off. I'm assuming some bondo and sanding would be used to finish the repair.

A good sanding and maybe some bondo along the edges should take care of the rust there.

I was thinking of using the 'tank liners' I've seen advertised - a combination of cleaning/degreasing, etching, and covering materials for the inside of the tank.

The tricky part for me is the paint. I have another friend who can help me paint in a booth at a commercial airplane hangar. The hard part is the pinstripe. How do I do the pinstripe on the tank? I want to paint the tank solid black with a stock looking pinstripe. Do I use a tape? Is there a recommended paint, and do I use clear coat?

Any thoughts on anything mentioned are really appreciated, especially on the pinstriping. I've never done anything quite like this and really want the bike to come out nice.
Click to expand...
The price quote you recieved was pretty reasonable. You're going to spend $150+ for the paint anyway (unless you rattle can it) and the prep work is a real pita. To get it right and look good the $200 you save is going to look like chump change compared to the level of effort you're going to expend.

Good luck anyway.
 
I just recently painted my bike in my garage (single car). I had rust issues with the inside of the tank. somebody told me to bring it to a radiator shop and that they could help. For 85 dollars they boiled the tank, treated the rust, and put two layers of red kote. The tank had some dings and i wanted to get rid of the tags for that smooth look, so i brought it to a body shop and had them prep and prime the tank. The prep is the most important job so i let the pros take care of that. I wet sanded it all down along with the rest of my pieces. I have an automotive paint store right down the block from me so i went there and got paint, reducer, clear coat, and hardener for around 120 dollars. it looks like a whole new bike. it is very time consuming when you do it yourself, but in the end you become more attatched to your machine. Good Luck!!
 
Mike Ski said:
it looks like a whole new bike. it is very time consuming when you do it yourself, but in the end you become more attatched to your machine. Good Luck!!
Click to expand...

We need pictures!

In the end it will depend on whether or not you enjoy the work. If you enjoy doing it then it is fine. If it is not fun it is WAY TOO MUCH work.

Paying someone to work on my bike just seems wrong.
 
I can't agree with you more......you are 1000 percent right on that one. Luckily enough for me i had a good day when i painted.
 
I think the work sounds like fun, granted I'm not missing something that is a lot more complicated than I am anticipating. I don't think the $350+ quote is bad, I'm just not sure how much money I want to sink into my first bike. I was told it will never be worth much more than the $800 I paid for it. Other side of that is it will be pretty cool to have a classic bike from '82 with a classy fresh look to it.

The restoration link didn't have my bike listed for new decals, however I've got a friend who does vinyl vehicle graphics and just sent him an email. If I could keep total costs around $200 I'd be pretty psyched.

I don't know anything about the electrolysis but it sounds cool - any links?
 
I just had a tank, front/rear fenders and two side covers painted for $300. The tank had exterior rust and a large dent in the top. By the time you pay for paint and figure in your time it's just not worth painting yourself. Besides the paint came out way better than I could have done myself. Shop around..things are slow..you may be able to find a bodyman that will do the work on the side for you.
 
almarconi said:
I just had a tank, front/rear fenders and two side covers painted for $300. The tank had exterior rust and a large dent in the top. By the time you pay for paint and figure in your time it's just not worth painting yourself. Besides the paint came out way better than I could have done myself. Shop around..things are slow..you may be able to find a bodyman that will do the work on the side for you.
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What do you want, perfect paint cheap or pride in ownership?
 
I'd rather have perfect paint cheap :D

Sometimes its better to have it done professionally. I had some wheels powdercoated for $85 each. They came out much better than I could have done with a spray can. My time is better spent wrenching or riding rather than painting.
 
almarconi said:
i'd rather have perfect paint cheap :d

sometimes its better to have it done professionally. I had some wheels powdercoated for $85 each. They came out much better than i could have done with a spray can. My time is better spent wrenching or riding rather than painting.
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ok. .
 
I think both points are valid. I hate paying people to do things I can do myself, but I also don't really like when you can tell a paint job was done at home. If I didn't have access to a good sprayer, paint room, and buffer I wouldn't even consider it.

Do any of you guys have experience with vinyl or decal pinstriping? Is it a challenge to make it look right, and also does it need to have a clear coat applied over it?

Thanks.
 
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If I didn't have access to a good sprayer, paint room, and buffer I wouldn't even consider it.
Click to expand...

Since I don't have painting equipment or powder coating equipment, I'd rather just pay a pro. I'll paint small parts with a spray can, the results are decent but not professional quality.
 
tkent02 said:
Electrolysis works great for rust inside the tank, it can make them look brand new again.

Doing one now, it will be perfect in a few days.

Tank coating is not needed unless you are in a very humid area and the bike sits a lot.

Redoing a tank does take time and effort, it's good work.
Click to expand...

Hey Tom,

Post some feedback of what the tank looks like after the electrolysis. My understanding is that there will be darking of the metal where the rust was. I "think" the tank should then be coated or the rust will quickly return. I may be wrong on this though so please let us know how your tank turns out.
 
Joe Garfield said:
I think both points are valid. I hate paying people to do things I can do myself, but I also don't really like when you can tell a paint job was done at home. If I didn't have access to a good sprayer, paint room, and buffer I wouldn't even consider it.

Do any of you guys have experience with vinyl or decal pinstriping? Is it a challenge to make it look right, and also does it need to have a clear coat applied over it?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Yes, you should clear before the decals, then sand, apply decals, then clear again.

I'll add here that some manyfacturers recommend that you wait 1 day after applying the decals before you clear over them. ReproductionDecals also states you should wait 5 days (I believe that's correct) after painting before you apply the decals. Hence, the requirement for a clear coat before the decals (even though I'd do it anyway).
 
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Unless you are going for the absolutely stock original paint job look.
They did not clear over the decals.
 
Nessism said:
Hey Tom,

Post some feedback of what the tank looks like after the electrolysis. My understanding is that there will be darking of the metal where the rust was. I "think" the tank should then be coated or the rust will quickly return. I may be wrong on this though so please let us know how your tank turns out.
Click to expand...

I think that dark stuff prevents rust, it's not like acid that makes it want to rust again instantly. It comes out easily enough.
 
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