Paint carburetors

[Guest]

What paint has been used successfully for the carburetors? Or does anyone have a better way to make them look presentable?

[kdo58]

i used something like this on one set

http://www.tcpglobal.com/SprayPaintDepot/ItemDetail.aspx?ItemNo=VHT+SP201&gclid=CKWN_t6ny7oCFQE6Qgod528Afg

[Big T]

Vapor blast them

[Steve]

Or does anyone have a better way to make them look presentable?

A lot of that would depend on your definition of "presentable".

Some prefer the look of the bare, silver carbs, others prefer paint or some other coating to match or contrast with the bike.

I have used caliper paint with good results.





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[Nessism]

Not a fan of painted carbs. If at some point of time in the future you need to dip them the paint will come off and make a huge mess.

When restoring carbs I like to bead blast the bodies after removing or masking off the steel parts. If you really want them to look pristine get yourself a zinc plating kit from Caswell's and redo the tarnished steel parts. Good fun.

[HaggisHombre]

Wow all great suggestions. I agree that for future cleaning I may not want to paint them. I think vapor blast might be the way to go. Thank you for the excellent suggestions. Steve your bike looks great.

[londonboards]

Vapour Blasted Carbs

Here are some before and after on my GS1100 carbs which were in very poor condition:

Carb Vapour Blasting

From this:



to this:



Greetings

[Steve]

Wow all great suggestions. I agree that for future cleaning I may not want to paint them.

I painted, knowing that it might hinder future cleanings, but, if you clean them properly and change all the o-rings, you won't have to clean them again for several years. Just winterize properly (if necessary in your location) and you should be good for a LONG time.

Steve your bike looks great.

Thanks, but that is Mrs. Steve's bike.

You can click on the links in my sig to see the rest of the stable.



While londonboards' vapourblasting does a pretty good job on cleaning, it just does not quite measure up to this:





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[cowboyup3371]

I painted mine but grew tired of the color after only a year or so and tried to change them back. It took a lot of work to remove the old paint and they are still not perfect. Whatever you do, make sure it will be something you want to keep for awhile.

[Sci85]

Those bowls look fantastic Steve. I tried to do that on mine but couldn't get them anywhere near that shiny. I tried black, then brown then white compounds on differing buffer wheels. How did you get them so mirror like?

[Steve]

White compound on a layered wheel and about two minutes of time.

You want yours to shine like that? Be happy to do them (for a small fee, of course).

.

[Sci85]

That's it!? No sanding either? Mabe that's my problem...trying TOO hard haha.

[HaggisHombre]

Very nice, like chrome.

[Steve]

That's it!? No sanding either? Mabe that's my problem...trying TOO hard haha.

Depends on the starting point. Some do take a light sanding.

.

[wedoo2]

I have had good luck with the ceramic paints from VHT and Dupli-Color. I can see where caliper paint would hold up as well. Then I usually just use the grinder with a wire wheel to clean the bowls and tops. They can come out very nice that way. It is just not possible to get that mirror look on the carb bodies since there is so many nooks and crannies. To get the bowls, or any other aluminum part, to look like Steve's is a ton of work. It is my opinion that if you are going to do that then your side covers, and cam ends, better be looking good too.

Maybe some day I'll have my side covers and cam ends chromed. That sounds expensive. One thing I will say, wait until you have got everything ready on those carbs before you paint.