Aftermarket paint job will never be as good as the factory?

[gspaul]

Look ! you can do it your self .But preporation is 98% of the job.The rule's.
Paint will not fill any imperfection.
Use the bet quality paint.
Take your time .
I painted truck's when I was a kid , learned a LOT!

[stiksave]

Go here for a referance point on colors. http://www.color-rite.com/

Chris

[earlfor]

Absolutely right. When you reach the point of being ready to pull the trigger on the spraygun, you are about 98% done. For a great paintjob, assume paint will not cover any imperfections,..............because it will not. :-) You will see a fingerprint clear as day after the paint dries and no amount of buffing will make you happy with the result. Six layers of clearcoat, nah, then all you will notice is that there is a fingerprint under all that clearcoat. :-) If it isnt perfect before you start to color coat, it will only get worse.

Earl

Look ! you can do it your self .But preporation is 98% of the job.The rule's.
Paint will not fill any imperfection.
Use the bet quality paint.
Take your time .
I painted truck's when I was a kid , learned a LOT!

[chuckycheese]

Paint

Steve, the guys at the body shops didn't say new paint isn't better than old paint. The point both made was that older, highly cured paint would be more resistant to gasoline. They said spilled gas would take off new "clear coat" and ruin the paint very easily. But, I guess they're BOTH just dummies.......(me, too, 'cause I figured they probably should know what they were talking about ). I always learn a lot on this fourm.

P.S. I also gathered from what they said that the reason factory paint jobs are so durable is because they employ a "baking process" that can't be duplicated by a commercial body shop. Now I'm doubting that, as well. :roll: (It seems if that were true, you could accomplish the same thing by painting your gas tank and putting it your oven for a spell ).

Actually, my guess is that a lot of body shops don't want to mess with motorcycles.

[duaneage]

Although not original it is tough to beat an epoxy paint like Imron. Resists impacts from wrenches and gasoline will not touch it. I have a bicylce painted with Imron and the paint is really something else. Of course there may be limits in color and effects ( like metalic finish and the like) but if your looing for great paint Dupont Imron is worth the money.

[Anonymous]

Re: Paint

Steve, the guys at the body shops didn't say new paint isn't better than old paint. The point both made was that older, highly cured paint would be more resistant to gasoline. They said spilled gas would take off new "clear coat" and ruin the paint very easily. But, I guess they're BOTH just dummies.......(me, too, 'cause I figured they probably should know what they were talking about ). I always learn a lot on this fourm.

P.S. I also gathered from what they said that the reason factory paint jobs are so durable is because they employ a "baking process" that can't be duplicated by a commercial body shop. Now I'm doubting that, as well. :roll:

Yeah, I think they're pretty much wrong on both counts. Some might debate it though.

A good catylized(sp?) clear coat will resist gasoline. I just repainted my bike's tank a couple months ago, using R&M's 5100 clear. Even the area under the gas cap, around the filler neck seems unaffected by gas and gas fumes.

Most quality paint shops now have heated paint booths. They paint a car, or whatever, and then turn the heat up to around 150 degrees F. I don't know how this affects the long term durability, but it's definitely baked.

I've found that the durability of a paint job to things like the innevitable wrench drop has a lot to do with the materials used, the prep work, and the timing of applying the materials. If you spray the base coat, then wait a couple weeks to clear it for whatever reason, there's a good likelyhood the clear will delaminate from the base if it's struck. I've had the same thing happen when using a lower quality etching primer. ALWAYS use the best materials you can afford. I've been hosed in the past by paint store guys trying to make me happy by saving me some money on primers and paints. In the long run, they screwed themselves because I had bad luck with the paints and had to redo the jobs.

[earlfor]

Re: Paint

Part of my job description for the past 25 years has been yacht paint and finish restoration. 25 year old (automotive type) paint is normally very resistant to gasoline and other chemicals. The new multipart, catalyzed paint systems are also. Most of the new paints (as a rough aproximation) cure about 30% in the first 6 hours, then perhaps another 50% in the next 30 days, with the last 20% requiring 6 months. Beyond 6 months of cure time, they are more resistant than the 25 year old paint and the surface is harder. Newly painted surfaces should not be waxed for at least 30 days and only washed/wiped off with a soft rag and clear water. Final hardness and succeptability to chemicals varies with paint brand and paint base as well as with modifiers added to the paint and climatic conditions during application.

Earl

Steve, the guys at the body shops didn't say new paint isn't better than old paint. The point both made was that older, highly cured paint would be more resistant to gasoline. They said spilled gas would take off new "clear coat" and ruin the paint very easily. But, I guess they're BOTH just dummies.......(me, too, 'cause I figured they probably should know what they were talking about ). I always learn a lot on this fourm.

[chuckycheese]

Side covers

Can the plastic side covers be painted as easily as the gas tank..or is there some trick to preparing and painting plastic?? Thanks!

[duaneage]

YOu have to use a bonding agent and this is not a problem. Look at all the plastic bumpers on cars nowadays.

[earlfor]

Yep, a bonding agent (often called adhesion agent) is probably the most simple approach. There are also some paints formulated specifically for plastics.

I have not had any problem with adhesion and durability on plastic motorcycle parts using multipart automotive type finishes. Sanding the part and applying a quality catalyzed epoxy auto primer as prep to painting has worked fine for me. Nothing tricky needed. :-) Dupont Corlar is my favorite primer for adhesion and toughness. Corlar does not sand easily, so apply it as smoothly as you can. :-)

Earl

YOu have to use a bonding agent and this is not a problem. Look at all the plastic bumpers on cars nowadays.

[Griffin]

I'm going to have to ship my parts to Reproduction Decals so they can duplicate the decals, I may just go ahead and have their recommended painter finish the job, depending upon cost. This guy also does dent removal, rust removal/refurbishing, and all prep work. A bonus is that I know that he'll know how to properly apply the decals as well.

Here's some of his work, using Repro's decals:







Before:

After:

I expect to pay somewhere between $700 -$1200 for the painting (1/2 fairing, fender, side panels, tank, tail) plus some more for a couple of dents to be removed. I've been quoted locally by three shops, and they were in this range.

[chuckycheese]

Bumpers

I didn't realize that plastic car bumpers were painted...I thought maybe the color was mixed into the plastic!

[earlfor]

Re: Bumpers

I would guess they are manufactured both ways.

E.

I didn't realize that plastic car bumpers were painted...I thought maybe the color was mixed into the plastic!

[Cajun Cycler]

I can testify that an automotive lacquer finish is durable and beautiful. Son in law works at a Dodge dealer, painted my bike PT Cruiser red. The paint has never chipped, clear coat is just as fine as the day he painted it. No gas has so far been able to dull the finish. It always helps to keep the painted surface waxed though.

[Planecrazy]

Hey Chucky, you haven't cornered the market on learning here ... I've picked up several useful tips myself just from reading the other posts in this one thread

The GSR rocks as usual!!

Regards,
Steve 8)