thought i was going to do some painting today...

[jstone8952]

instead it looks like im going to spend all day sanding my tank. sweet jesus are there alot of imperfections in this thing. ill post some pics of it finished. im just venting after my 3rd trip to auto one for MORE sandpaper.
starting:



current:



wish me luck!

[jstone8952]

also got plenty of filler to take care of the dents i cant get to and the nicks and what not. havent decided if im going to fill the badge mounts... leaning towards it but i think they stick out a little..? anyone done this?
i know i know SEARCH but im in the middle of a project i dont want to put down

[Dodik]

I did the same thing over the two weeks ago and painted this weekend if you want to remove paint fast i suggest use aircraft stripper or easy-off this way you dont have to sand for ours.

[gs road racer]

Also wet sanding will give a much better final product start with 200 and finish with whatever your arms can handle....usually 800 any higher and you get into rubbing compounds which will give you a glass like finish...but the tank has to be perfect for that cause any little flaw will be a beacon!

[posplayr]

instead it looks like im going to spend all day sanding my tank. sweet jesus are there alot of imperfections in this thing. ill post some pics of it finished. im just venting after my 3rd trip to auto one for MORE sandpaper.
starting:



current:



wish me luck!

is that a rust hole in the side of the tank? Obviously you will want to get the tank oil free before you start spraying. You might want to consider a lighter color as it will show imperfections much less.

+1 on A/C stripper saves a bunch of time.

[jstone8952]

yeah i didnt intend to sand as much as i did initially i thought the tank was in alot better condition than it was. im on my second application of filler and am anxiously awaiting it drying. this is turning into a two day pita when it was supposed to be a one afternoon venture. i may go with white actually... i was thinking this a while ago. i also got a piece of durable plastic and folded it over the back for a cafe kind of tail. i may spring for some fiberglass and make a decent seat/rear cowl out of it but for not i just want the tank done. anyone have a pic of a white gs550l?

[SKD]

you gonna paint it black again or go with something different?

[jstone8952]

gonna try white. found a pic i like. well see how it goes. not sure about the black frame and white tank/rear cowl but well see. you can always cover white lol

[Nessism]

jstone,

Not that you have to do what I suggest or anything...but I'd stop right where you are and get some paint stripper on that tank and take it to bare metal. That's the only way you are going to see what's under those paint job(s), so a proper base can be built up. Pull the dent as best you can, prime, fill the dents, sand, fill some more, prime some more until the tank is flat.

[tkent02]

Posplayer's question got skipped over, is that a rust hole?

If it is better find the rest of them, polishing turds like this suddenly ceases to be a good idea once the gas starts leaking.

[jstone8952]

oh no no rust holes. the paint is prety good except for the thousand chips ive put in it by constantly taking it off and putting it in places its not really safe (my trunk for instance ((i had a problem with the petcock, ok. lol))) but the rust is just in those places. im not sure what pic you mentioned but there is no significant rust and under the paint is the primer and shiny metal. everythings good here just a ton of dings and a really dense top coat that took forever to get roughed up enough to accept filler.

as for taking it down to bare metal i considered it but honestly the tank itself isnt bad. inside is pretty good (for a 30 year old bike) and like i said no real rust issues. im putting it away for the night tho. made a cool rear fairing tho. im kind of anxious for this all to get back together so I can judge what I did but I know patience is key. and hell i have the day off tomorrow. maybe it will all go smooth. well see.

[jstone8952]

got kind of bored while sanding and decided to try this out. im embarassed to say what it is but its waterproof and im kind of digging how it looks.



edit: I had to up the contrast and exposure on the pic cuz the flash wasnt bright enough so they look like **** but its at least visible. the brackets are temporary until i can bend them how i want them.

[jstone8952]

should i leave it where it is or move it forward? (im not chopping the frame and it just does cover the rear where it is...)

[ikantbreave]

I'm guessing you chopped up a blue plastic bucket. It's all about what YOU want. You ride it. I think it looks fine. How does it square up to your seat? Is there a big ole gap?

[jstone8952]

I'm guessing you chopped up a blue plastic bucket. It's all about what YOU want. You ride it. I think it looks fine. How does it square up to your seat? Is there a big ole gap?

lol maybe....

yeah thats what i dont like about it. i like the way it sits but there is a huge gap. my seat is a short thats meant for a bobber so im not too attached to it. maybe ill go fiberglass this weekend and make a decent rear fairing and seat. or maybe ill just leave it the way it is. idunno yet.