Has anyone "Ceramic" coated their GS engine?

[Anonymous]

That was fast - cool!

Good idea to take it down to nuts and bolts. I ahve some pics of my cases in the 80 GS1100E Mods thread. Just got them back together and waiting on some more parts. If you need any advise or hints let me know. Hopefully I can help a bit.

As far as cleaning, you can get them spotless with kerosine, elbow grease, some carb cleaner, power washing, and soap and water. I don't think it's necessary to bead blast. I didn't, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work either. The only reason I didn't go that route was that after the blasting I'd probable spend as much time cleaning up the blast material as I would cleaning without it.

The top half of the cases is painted, the bottom is aluminum finish - at least on my '80. Blasting will remove all the finish, cleaning with kerosine won't.

Here's a pic of the cases so you don't have to go to the other thread and look for them.

http://groups.msn.com/SuzukiGSGarage/yoshimurags1000article.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=1373
http://groups.msn.com/SuzukiGSGarage/yoshimurags1000article.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=1374

Since I'm not going to repaint, I don't have any personal experience to share with you. I would however look at powder coating very seriously. Check this link out

http://my.execpc.com/~davewrit/Powder.html

If you read it carefully, notice that he recommends that you leave the surface preparation up to the power coater. You may be waisting your time (and money) by bead blasting and then sending to the shop that's going to do the coating.

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Swanny,

Actually, Airborn Coatings Co. plans on glass-beading my engine before they powder-coat. They will have to make sure all the glass is out before painting. But I'll shoot some compressed air throughout the engine when I get it back...just to make sure.

Nothing gets your engine back to looking like new..like glass-beading. This will take away all discoloration and nicks. Keep in mind, they have been doing this for years..and NASCAR driving teams trust them with their engines and body work.

Thank you for all the info...it will definitely prove useful. Thanks Swanny!

Rudi
1980 GS1100E

 

[kevan]

So, is the consensus that powder coating, let?s say a cylinder block, is okay? There is not a problem with heat transfer? I was considering having the cylinder block anodized.

Kevan

 

[Anonymous]

black coated engine

black coated engine

A 1983 GS450LD that I bought a few weeks ago has an engine that is coated black, and has peeled around the oil filler cap. Does anyone know if Suzuki sold bikes with black coated engines? I'm wondering if someone might have had this painted at some time in the past, although to me it looks like it was done at factory.

I'd like to either remove all the black coating, or apply similar paint to the area that has peeled.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: black coated engine

Re: black coated engine

A 1983 GS450LD that I bought a few weeks ago has an engine that is coated black, and has peeled around the oil filler cap. Does anyone know if Suzuki sold bikes with black coated engines? I'm wondering if someone might have had this painted at some time in the past, although to me it looks like it was done at factory.

I'd like to either remove all the black coating, or apply similar paint to the area that has peeled.

That's probably factory paint. Suzuki had several models in 83 (and later years) with black engines.

 

[Anonymous]

So, is the consensus that powder coating, let?s say a cylinder block, is okay? There is not a problem with heat transfer? I was considering having the cylinder block anodized.

Kevan

*** I powdercoated my cases and valve cover ( GS 1150 ) having my engine in nuts and bolts 3 years ago, and it holds great, is easy to clean and I didnt have any problems with heat transfer. With cylinder block and head an original finish ( black ) hold up little better, than on cases - so I left it alone.
I just wonder if original black finish holds on cylinder block and head until now, and is inferior to powdercoating in every aspect, why powdercoating shouldnt hold ?
Did my frame and a lot of small elements too, and I`m very happy I powdercoated it.

Adam M.

 

[Anonymous]

I realize that that ceramic coating has already been shunned, but I have a question. I recently painted my bike and I am in the process of rebuilding. For the tank I used a ceramic ENGINE paint from Wal-Mart. Is the reason that big V8s and such can be ceramic coated because they are liquid cooled and therfore dissipation is not an issue?

 

[Anonymous]

I think there are a couple of choices here. You could have the engine covers chrome plated and that would definitely brighten them up, or you could powder coat them black which would actually dissipate the heat faster and still look very cool.

On your car engine question, yes I believe since the automobile engine is cooled with a radiator pumping liquid throughout it, Ceramic coating it will not affect heat dissipation. Ceramic coatings are designed for the express purpose of staying good looking on high heat surfaces.

 

[Dink]

the idea of ceramic coatings in a car type situation is to keep heat in and therefore lower underhood temperatures, which helps a little to create more power.
Dink

 

[Anonymous]

Just a quik note about coating your block. if you chose to coat your block with ceramic drop www.HPC.com a note they are based in the US and have been the leaders in the industry for over 20 yrs, they have been coating race engines in and out for some of the top racers in the world.

if you chose not to go this route, consider to base coat your block with Duponts Centari acrylic enamal in your choice of color or do a high temp engine color and clear coat it with Duponts Chroma base Clear coat. I have done this on my engine as well dirt bike motors all air cooled with no problems to this date. I have done this for over 20 years myself as I am a auto painter by trade this is all we had available at that time, so I have stayed with it. good luck ! Archie

 

[Anonymous]

Just a quik note about coating your block. if you chose to coat your block with ceramic drop www.HPC.com a note they are based in the US and have been the leaders in the industry for over 20 yrs, they have been coating race engines in and out for some of the top racers in the world.

if you chose not to go this route, consider to base coat your block with Duponts Centari acrylic enamal in your choice of color or do a high temp engine color and clear coat it with Duponts Chroma base Clear coat. I have done this on my engine as well dirt bike motors all air cooled with no problems to this date. I have done this for over 20 years myself as I am a auto painter by trade this is all we had available at that time, so I have stayed with it. good luck ! Archie

 

[dpep]

Ceramic may not be the way to go for the engine, but you may want to consider having your exhaust system dipped in it. If you want to keep your old bike in stock exhaust, it gets more difficult and expensive each year that goes by. I figured that that the ceramic treatment will make my pipes last more than twice as long for less than half of what a new set would cost. Very good long term investment.

 

[Mastiff]

Many different types of ceramic coatings

Many different types of ceramic coatings

Just a bit of information. There are different types of ceramic coatings, some of which hold heat in, and others of which transfer heat out. You can coat the inside of the cases with a coating that will draw heat out of the oil. Then you coat the outside of the block with a coating to release heat to get the heat out of the engine. Some of the ceramic coatings are used to reduce friction, instead of affecting heat transfer. I'm thinking of having the valve train and cylinders coated with the friction reducing stuff. That way, the engine lasts longer, and if I have an oil pressure failure, I won't wind up with a seized engine. If anybody wants to know more, I'll try and chase down the websites I got this info from.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[saaz]

Just to add a new thought...

I remember the GS1000 Yoshi superbike had a bead blasted finish to improve heat transfer (more surface area) and a kalguard type heat transfer treatment.

keeping heat in headers is a longstanding trick to improve power. Some wrap the headers, but this can be prone to condensation and rusting out.