Restoring 650L Side Covers

[loud et]

You can take little chunks of ABS plastic or old, broken side covers put them in a bottle with acetone I think it is and and it makes a creamy paste. once it hardens it turns back into hard ABS plastic. Search for slurry and a thread should pop up.its like abs glue made from abs its self.

 

[Agemax]

ok cheers guys

 

[nvr2old]

I've been lurking around watching your progress and trying not to interfere, but I think you've revealed to yourself what the problems are. You have to get the side covers ground down below the cracks and repairs to have enough area to fill so that it can be sanded down flush again. Everything you've done is just sitting on top, and no matter how much fill material you put on, it's just going to sand down to the original breaks. As you mentioned, using a dremel to "V" out the cracks will help, front and back. The glazing putty should only be used for surface scratches. It's just not strong enough for repairs. There's a fiberglass filler called Duraglass that would work great instead of a plastic filler such as Bondo. It's much stronger and will harden like concrete. You can use 36 grit and then 80 grit sandpaper on the Duraglass to shape it quickly, faster still if you start sanding and shaping it while it's still "green" and hasn't hardened completely. Then use a skim coat of the glazing putty to fill the scratches left by the coarse paper. Sand the glazing putty with 360 or 400 and then start the primer coats to fill those scratches. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[exzachtly1]

I've been lurking around watching your progress and trying not to interfere, but I think you've revealed to yourself what the problems are. You have to get the side covers ground down below the cracks and repairs to have enough area to fill so that it can be sanded down flush again. Everything you've done is just sitting on top, and no matter how much fill material you put on, it's just going to sand down to the original breaks. As you mentioned, using a dremel to "V" out the cracks will help, front and back. The glazing putty should only be used for surface scratches. It's just not strong enough for repairs. There's a fiberglass filler called Duraglass that would work great instead of a plastic filler such as Bondo. It's much stronger and will harden like concrete. You can use 36 grit and then 80 grit sandpaper on the Duraglass to shape it quickly, faster still if you start sanding and shaping it while it's still "green" and hasn't hardened completely. Then use a skim coat of the glazing putty to fill the scratches left by the coarse paper. Sand the glazing putty with 360 or 400 and then start the primer coats to fill those scratches. Hope that helps a bit.

Thanks, hopefully it won't come to having to do the rework. I think it's pretty close to where I want it at this point.

So far I am only using the glazing putty on surface scratches / dings. There's one spot where it's on kind of thick so I may end up having to go back and fill that with something else.

In case I do have to go down this path, where does one buy acetone and ABS sheets? I thought about doing that when I first started but didn't know where I could get that stuff. Hence ending up with the JB weld process

Edit: looks like I can buy acetone at the big box stores, but what about the ABS pieces? Just by something made with ABS (plastic pipes??) and cut it up somehow?

 

[oldrookie]

Think I remember somebody on here using Lego pieces to create the slurry. Filed that info away in case I needed.

Some very creative and inventive folk on here.

 

[exzachtly1]

Hah! Nice I have some old legos in the basement. I hate to melt down my childhood memories though, but I suppose it would add a nice personal touch to the bike

What do you guys think about painting acetone onto the cracks with a small paint brush to bind the existing plastic together? From the back side maybe...

 

[Steve]

What do you guys think about painting acetone onto the cracks with a small paint brush to bind the existing plastic together? From the back side maybe...

If it's just a hairline crack, that might be enough.

At the very least, I would do that as a "primer", then put some slurry on the inside surface.

.

 

[exzachtly1]

Decided to go for it yesterday. I got the side covers sanded to the point where any imperfections are barely noticeable. They were not perfect, but a heck of a lot better than where they were before I started.

Here's the left one:

Put the top coat down, took about 4 coats. The paint I used was Duplicolor Dark Metallic Blue, originally a GM color I believe. It's definitely that 80's metallic blue I was looking for, even if it doesn't match the tank perfectly. I really love the way it turned out!

I decided to throw one on the bike out of curiosity. Needless to say - it doesn't really match that well, which I'm a little bummed about, but I think once the chrome part is painted (currently taped) and the badge is on it should blend in nicely. If it doesn't I suppose applying a decal might help, or I'll just have to paint the tank to match

Today or tomorrow (weather permitting) I am going to apply the chrome paint to the accent piece and then clear coat.

And a question! When it's time to do the chrome I will need to tape off the main sections. Will regular (blue) painters tape work for this or will it damage the fresh blue paint? I'm afraid to cover it up and have it peel or gunk up the fresh paint.

 

[Agemax]

i would let the paint dry properly for at least a few days before you start sticking masking tape on it. just my opinion

 

[exzachtly1]

i would let the paint dry properly for at least a few days before you start sticking masking tape on it. just my opinion

That's what I'm thinking, just wanted to be sure. Maybe applying a clear coat to the area I already painted would be better? Originally I was thinking of painting both pieces and clear-coating the whole thing but now I'm thinking this approach would be best.

 

[Crankthat]

Cure time for the duplicolor is two weeks i think?
Should say on back of can.

Vaseline rubbed onto areas you don't want painted should work also without peeling paint on removal.

I just sprayed some chrome duplicolor on some parts and did a clear coat.

I think i messed up and sprayed clear coat on to soon after the chrome turned out looking like galvanized steel just glossy.

It was really cool temperature wise yesterday evening here and am thinking chrome paint had not dried enough for application of clear.

I have never used chrome paint before so i don't know if this is normal or not.

When you are done with your chrome clear coat would you post some good pictures and let me know the time frame between chrome and clear applications?

Would help me with my next try at this.

 

[exzachtly1]

Cure time for the duplicolor is two weeks i think?
Should say on back of can.

Vaseline rubbed onto areas you don't want painted should work also without peeling paint on removal.

I just sprayed some chrome duplicolor on some parts and did a clear coat.

I think i messed up and sprayed clear coat on to soon after the chrome turned out looking like galvanized steel just glossy.

It was really cool temperature wise yesterday evening here and am thinking chrome paint had not dried enough for application of clear.

I have never used chrome paint before so i don't know if this is normal or not.

When you are done with your chrome clear coat would you post some good pictures and let me know the time frame between chrome and clear applications?

Would help me with my next try at this.

Sure thing, I plan to keep posting pics as I go through this. I'm in Ohio so I imagine the weather was similar here last night. To help out with the cool temps I used a clip on aluminum light like this one on a step ladder and positioned it right over the side cover I was working on. It throws a decent amount of heat with a 100w light bulb in it, enough to affect the temperature near the paint and help with drying.

I am also thinking that maybe you are not supposed to use a clear coat over chrome paint. Hopefully some more experienced people can chime in on this. I originally planned to but after reading around I think I might not now.

 

[Crankthat]

Thanks for tip with light.

Sounds like a good investment with a heat bulb.

 

[exzachtly1]

I am also hoping the clear coat will darken the color a bit, to match more closely when it's all finished. Is it possible that this will happen? Crossing my fingers that a few coats of clear coat will make it match the original dark blue nicely

 

[exzachtly1]

Here's a thread of a guy who painted a nighthawk with the same duplicolor that I am using. I think it looks great!! He's got me seriously thinking about painting the tank to match...

http://www.xjrider.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=18

I'm thinking the tank is due anyways since there are quite a few scuffs and dings, even a couple large spots where the clear coat has worn through. Envisioning some new gold pinstripes too... hmmmm

Think I'll spend some time in photoshop tonight seeing what my bike looks like in this color

 

[exzachtly1]

Applied the clear coat the other night. Here it is without having been polished yet. Shiny!! This is about 48 hrs of cure time.

I've been reading about techniques for polishing these. Will gladly accept any tips - I'd love to give them at least a light sanding and polish to enhance the depth a bit more. This metallic blue sure is pretty.

 

[nvr2old]

Considering what you started with, you should be very happy with the results you've achieved. Seriously. Depending on how many coats of clear you have on, ( 3 would be nice) you should be able to sand it with 1,000 grit followed by 1,500 then 2,000 and then polishing compound to bring the shine and depth up some. The clear will not make it darker, unfortunately, so your idea to match the tank to the covers will be your best bet to get all the parts the same. The side covers were a good practice session for doing the tank, too.

 

[exzachtly1]

Considering what you started with, you should be very happy with the results you've achieved. Seriously. Depending on how many coats of clear you have on, ( 3 would be nice) you should be able to sand it with 1,000 grit followed by 1,500 then 2,000 and then polishing compound to bring the shine and depth up some. The clear will not make it darker, unfortunately, so your idea to match the tank to the covers will be your best bet to get all the parts the same. The side covers were a good practice session for doing the tank, too.

Cheers, thanks for the compliments! I'm happy with them for sure. I did 3 lighter coats and a fourth coat slightly heavier. Do I do the sanding wet or dry? I'll probably pick up one of those foam sanding blocks and some polishing compound this weekend and give it a shot. I don't know anything about the compound - any specific kind I should be looking for, or recommendations?

I do plan to paint the tank since it's pretty beat up. Just not sure if I will be able to until next year now that the weather here is pretty consistently below 60 and raining a lot.

 

[Agemax]

i never got on with those sanding blocks, they wear out to quick and tend to scratch the surface rather than sand it.
better off buying sheets of wet and dry and do it by hand, wrap the paper round a block of wood for large flat areas.
i always do it wet........

 

[nvr2old]

You'll need to be careful if you only sprayed 3 light coats and one wetter coat. That's not really a lot of material. 3-4 wet coats allows you to sand it smooth, no problem. A flexible block is what you need for curved surfaces. Something to follow the shape. On parts that small, you could do it w/o a block though, just sand in circles to avoid finger grooves. To do the polishing, get yourself a small buffer pad set that attaches to your drill. They're available at auto paint stores. They come with a wool pad, and 2 foam pads for progressively finer polishing. As with the wet sanding, you need to do it in steps. It's a smart investment that you'll use many, many times.