Time to repaint a nearly perfect tank :)

[TheAlt]

1982 GS450GA Shadow black
What started as just a couple of scratch repairs now is into a full blown paint job of the my tank.
Most of it's still black, but there were some fill spots and sand-through bare metal spots.

The decals are great
They are the double gold pinstripes that trace the outline (sorry no picture presently)
I'm planning on leaving them on and masking right up to them.
Lay down the shadow black I got from the auto store
Remove the masking,
Clear over the decals.
I think this will work, but there is concern of painting up to the decals.

No reproductions of these decals I see, though I could remove, mask and paint the gold stripes on. I lack enthusiasm for this.

Thoughts?

[Buffalo]

I'd caution against clearing over the decals. We used to do that years ago and, through lots of clear failures, found out that it is not a good idea.

Clearcoats are designed to bite into either the undercoat (basecoat, in your case) or a properly sanded surface. The clear coat we use needs an 800-1000 grit tooth in the old clear in order for proper adhesion. The reason that you sand the old clearcoat before clearing (think when a car door is blended when replacing a fender) is to increase the surface area of the old clearcoat so that the chemicals in the new clear coat can chemically attach to it.

Now the decals can be lightly sanded, but being that the decals are vinyl, they are going to expand and contract at a different rate than the tank itself, which can cause the bond between the clear and the decals to let go.

I am assuming you have the gold decals that outline the sides of the tank. If you are going to mask the decals off for base, you will need to use a vinyl fineline masking tape, regular crepe masking tape and the base is going to bleed under and onto the pinstripes.

May I suggest this instead?

Pull the tank, remove the filler cap, the emblems. Take several pictures of the stripes, using different points on the tank with measurements for reference, even to the point of using a piece of tissue paper to make a tracing of the stripe shape, which you can use to make a template for installing new stripes. . Remove the stripes. Seal, base and clear the entire tank. Then source a roll of Prostripe Gold Met 3/16" double stripe, (Oreilly Part Number TRM R41016) and restripe the tank. Yes, you will have a joint where the stripes join to make the outline, but if you are going to go through all the trouble of prepping the tank for paint, wouldn't it be worth it to just spray the whole tank and restripe i and not have to worry about the clear peeling later?

[nvr2old]

If your stripes are in good shape, no reason to re-do them (unless they're over dents). Pictures of your tank would help, for sure. If you can buy some 3M Fine Line 1/8-1/4" plastic making tape at an auto paint store, you can mask off the stripes and then sand right up to the tape. I respectfully disagree that you can't clear over the the stripes once you've got the black base coat on. A 2K clear with the hardener in it will "envelope" your paint job and it won't peel off the stripes. If they're the factory stripes, they already have a thin layer over them. Just start with a couple of light coats of clear, let it set for 20 minutes then your last 2 or 3 coats of clear can be wet. I spray clear right on top of stripes all the time.

[TheAlt]

That was my thinking too. My stripes are in really good shape and they bond tightly to the tank and they’re not over any dents.
I’ll take some pictures and upload tomorrow. Really the bike looks like it has about 1000 miles on it it’s really got about 6000 but it was well kept so all the paint and everything looks really good except for I removed a dent out of the top of the tank hence my need to repaint it

[TheAlt]

I also have a fair amount of tape for masking off for powder coating which is a clear vinyl tape that should have a hard line as well so I was considering using that as the masking tape since that’s what it really does it’s just heat tolerant

[TheAlt]

My tank after 800 wet sand
Can only attach 1 photo at a time, so here's the one to rule them all.

IMG_9493.jpg

[TheAlt]

and a profile shot

[TheAlt]

It's not quite ready to paint a I'm still paint filling some nicks and scratches. but one more wet sand and it will be ready.
Alt

[rphillips]

I know nothing about painting. But reading this thread, about the stripes and the clear coat, got to thinking from the past, I distinctly remember some GS parts had clear over the stripes and some parts had "NO" clear over the stripes. Always wondered why they were that way....

[salty_monk]

I’ve cleared over decals plenty of times before too….

good idea with the vinyl masking, I’ve had the blead problem before and needed to clean the edge with a blade before clearing.

I don’t know if you’re using a primer first but I’ve also had it where you can see the edge of the primer when you pull the stripe (due to paint thickness I guess.
If you can get away without primer then I would do that or if not I’d go very easy with it and use a black one.

[TheAlt]

I’ve cleared over decals plenty of times before too….

good idea with the vinyl masking, I’ve had the bread problem before and needed to clean the edge with a blade before clearing.

I don’t know if you’re using a primer first but I’ve also had it where you can see the edge of the primer when you pull the stripe (due to paint thickness I guess.
If you can get away without primer then I would do that or if not I’d go very easy with it and use a black one.

No primer as most of the original paint is in tact. There is one spot on the top, sanded to bare, but I think it will be okay. I've tried to spot it, but it's still a slightly high spot so to smooth it out, it goes back to bare metal.
Will lay down a light tack coat of the base,
Then 2 medium coats.
Wet sand any orange peel and check it out.
Then remove the masking and 3-4 good coats of clear.
Wet sand and polish.

[Gorminrider]

"margins" aka tape borders are a pain, but you'll probably be fine ...

No reproductions of these decals I see,

.still, if you do end up needing new stripes, consider that you can replicate that pattern with two wide-ish stripes from the auto-detailing department...that is how I replicate them when I have had to..off course, putting two narrower stripes on also makes sharper curves easier

[TheAlt]

Thanks
I'm certain I could recreate them, but too may irons in the fire as it is. so hope to get by with the masking off and painting approach.
It may not look like less work, but if feels that way.

[Gorminrider]

Oh yes! do share "how it goes"!
I 've made very similar attempts trying to save unobtainable* decals and with less forethought than you're applying so I'm in the gallery for sure.


(*unobtainable =truly unobtainable or even beyond the cost of what it's worth in my world....)

[nvr2old]

Thanks for the pics. On the places where you broke through the clear and black base coat, you'd be smart to spray a couple of thin, dry coats of primer over them, otherwise there's a chance the new base coat will eat into them. It won't take much to cover them, but it's the safe thing to do.