V50 Guzzi re-paint ie: Therapy

[pete]

Nice one Larry! So far I've just done the ABS offcuts + acetone repairs for plastic which have served me well, but I'm well aware I've gotten lucky with the type of ABS I've been repairing. Good to see what epoxy you use and the technique, I'll keep that up my sleeve and see what we have here locally that'll do the job.

[simmoto]

I'll be buying some of that Plastic Welder epoxy ASAP!

Same here.

[jsandidge]

Same here.

That makes 3 of us.

[nvr2old]

Thanks, gentlemen. I truly believe this method will work for anyone that follows the same steps. The sanding is tedious but a Dremel with a barrel sanding tip helps get it close before having to finish by hand. It requires a bit of sculpting, but when it's done, it'll look like nothing was ever repaired. Looking forward to spraying the high-build primer, block sanding a couple of applications, and then on to the red base color and decals. Clear coats are just out of sight at this point....but I enjoy the journey.

[nvr2old]

Wasn't able to get the parts primed today. Ran out of time after spending 3 hours alone on the GS fairing. Started with 100 grit to get all the red off, followed by 180 wet & dry to take the 100 grit scratches out. Sanded, literally, till my fingers were bleeding.. Hardly worth posting pics but what the hell. It came out really nice.





Sanded the inside, too. Gonna paint it satin black eventually.



Really happy with the corner repair.



Spent over an hour on shaping and sanding the beaded trailing edge. Not a single imperfection left. I also softened the sharp edges around the headlight opening and wind screen opening, too. Paint sticks to softened edges better then sharp ones, and it just feels good when you run your fingers over it. It's going to look great when it's done.



The Guzzi parts are all sanded and ready for primer, too. Next week, for sure..

[Buffalo Bill]

So there's still a blue and another white layer?
So much hand sanding, your fingers must be bleeding!!!
Just cannot use a machine over soft plastic.
Harder that refinishing old furniture, at least that's flat so you can use a sanding machine.

[nvr2old]

No Kidding. Using a DA or power sander is impossible with all the body lines and areas that you just can't reach other then by hand. Just like the plastic filler on your 600's gas tank, Bill. The white base coat that was sprayed over the original blue and white is solid as a rock. It sanded down to a really nice, smooth and hardened surface. I took the red completely off because of the stripe ridges possibly showing up in the future.

[Buffalo Bill]

No Kidding. Using a DA or power sander is impossible with all the body lines and areas that you just can't reach other then by hand. Just like the plastic filler on your 600's gas tank, Bill. The white base coat that was sprayed over the original blue and white is solid as a rock. It sanded down to a really nice, smooth and hardened surface. I took the red completely off because of the stripe ridges possibly showing up in the future.

I watched some interesting videos about removing tanks dents. Tying off the ends of a small inner tube, stuffing that inside the tank, then slowly filling it with air, popped out a wide shallow side dent. The small dents on both sides of the upper crease of my tank; not gonna work, they're too small and hard. They'd have to be hammered out from the inside. Watched some other techniques too, hot and cold applied, super glue a handle to the dent and pull hard. None were fully successful. The air bladder technique worked well. Cutting the tank open is the very best method.
I'm not that committed to my CBR, next owner will probably be a kid just looking for cheap transportation, and drop it the 1st week, spray bomb it the 2nd week.

[nvr2old]

I've never cut open a tank to get behind a dent. That's so much work. The chance of (anyone outside of a master welder) not getting it welded back perfectly causing a gas leak is enough to shy me away from something as dramatic as that undertaking. Although you can watch the technique(s) on YouTube, I've personally never seen using ice or air to pop out a dent ever work. More often then not, it leads to a huge mess, usually pushing it way too far stretching and ruining the tank. If you can reach a dent through the filler with a tool/rod to gently push a dent out, that's fine. A slide hammer, though, followed by a bit of plastic filler is the way to go as far as I'm concerned. Modern materials are so good these days, I wouldn't go any other way.

[pete]

Fantastic work as always Larry, that cowl looks so smooth now! Reminds me of the efforts on the Kat front cowl, all that sanding is painful but so worth it for the end result.

[nvr2old]

Thanks, Pete. Yeah, the end justifies the means, for sure. One day a week really stretches the whole process out. But now that all the body work and repair is done, things should start picking up.

[Buffalo Bill]

You are going to use a sandable primer on the plastic and an etching primer on the metal?

[greg78gs750]

+1 on the plastic welder, better than slurry.

[nvr2old]

You are going to use a sandable primer on the plastic and an etching primer on the metal?

Epoxy primer actually for the bare metal. Just a couple of light coats. High build to follow on all the parts. I use epoxy because I rough up the bare metal enough so that it doesn't require an etching primer, but it does need a sealer type product before the high build.

[nvr2old]

+1 on the plastic welder, better than slurry.

I know some people swear by the slurry method and it seems to work OK, but my only concern is the inconsistency in the mixture. The 2 part epoxy is right every time and way faster.