painting the carbs

[Guest]

Just wondering of it would be okay to use a high temp engine paint (cast aluminum silver, 500 degrees resistant, oil/petroleum resistant) on the carbs for my 1979 gs750L.

what do you think?

[KRISTI'SGS550]

It could probably be done, but i would worry about blocking a vent or opening of some sort i wasn't aware of. I don't remember who, but someone on here has pictures of painted carbs. If I find the picture I will direct you to it. Until then, I am sure someone will come along and have some advice from experience which I don't.

Cory

[B Evil]

I had originally planned to paint the bowls and caps black and the bodies red but that is a lot of masking work. Don't stress getting the vent holes and fuel holes masked perfectly. I had a few areas where the masking tape covered more than just the holes just to be on the safe side of not painting anything that I didn't want painted but after I put the rack back together and on the bike you can't see the few tiny areas that weren't painted.

I say go for it. I haven't had any problems yet. But I'm not sure how the paint will hold up next time they are dipped.

[rockford]

Yes

You could do that and it would probably work out just fine and look pretty good but, the next time you need to rebuild your carbs, it would create a mess when you dip them. The paint comes off pretty easily but you've got to then get all of it out of all the nooks and crannies, which is kind of a hassle. (I did it once.)

[seuadr]

what about mebby powder coating'em? gotta admit those do look sharp, but would be a shame for it to all come off next time you clean'em.

[midnightcafe]

i think next time I'd skip the dipping and just use carb cleaner, and the paint should hold up since it's petrol resistant... jw for the future, good tips about taping, thanks

[B Evil]

i think next time I'd skip the dipping and just use carb cleaner, and the paint should hold up since it's petrol resistant... jw for the future, good tips about taping, thanks

You ever go swiming with a water RESISTANT watch on? They don't always hold up. You might be ok just using spray carb cleaner but I can tell you right now that this paint does get messed up with gas. Just thought you might like to know. But I'll still repaint my carbs if I dip them and they look like crap.

[chuckycheese]

Dip!!

I think, by far, the general consensus on the forum is that if you don't dip them, you're probably going to end up taking them off again. Personally, I always dip mine because I can't bear the thought of that.

[midnightcafe]

I'm dipping the problematic carb overnight (see left carb)

I think two hours should be plenty for the other two. *This is probably the first time these carbs have been dipped.

What is the time interval for dipping carbs? If it's short, then painting might not be worth it, but who knows maybe they'll look good after dipping!

BIT of bad news, I sorta stripped the pilot air screw (CM carbs) on carb #2. IMPORTANT lesson is to take a break when working!!!! I did'nt do this because I was eager to get the job done, looking forward to a nice long break at the end. But this is VERY BAD because you fatigue after a period of time and while you may keep the same work pace, the work quality lessens because you are working at a faster pace then your tired body allows. I saved myself by first cranking it inwards (since the factory didn't bottom it out), then by hitting the screwdriver with a blowtorch to anneal the tip and it came out. I'll put antiseize on the four of them and use the same caution for the stripped screw putting it back in.

I should go to bed now and rest up for tomorrow's work because I would like to dip them all by tomorrow night since I'm off to college sunday morning.... but that all depends on how much time i dip the other carbs-for how long should they be dipped for?

[KRISTI'SGS550]

I would dip them all for 24 hours. Carb bodies, bowls, jets, screws, etc. I dipped mine in little sets. Took about 2 weeks, but it was well worth it.

Cory

[chef1366]

I just had soooo much fun taking the paint off some 1150 carbs someone had painted. PITA
They look way better aluminum than spotted black. Plus it was a lousy job.

[ALB80-850]

I must agree with the idea if you have to dip them again, it's going to be a PITA. I think I'm going to experiment with the powder coat route. At least for the bowls and caps. I'll post some pictures when finished.

Andy

[MelodicMetalGod]

I've been running a set that was painted white by a former owner (I'm at least the third GSR member to own these. Before me was Schwesshund who bought them from LeeGS550). Haven't had to dip them yet, but I've cleaned 'em with spray cleaner and they're still fine. Haven't had any problems with them running.

For a pick, see the link in my sig and go to page 20.

Best of luck!

[midnightcafe]

Looks good. I just pulled the first carb out of the chem dip and it is CLEAN! However, there is corrosion on the float bowl and top cover. I think i'll polish these pieces on the wire wheel and spray them with a cast aluminum color high heat engine spray. This will happen in a few months, since I'm off to college tomorrow

[midnightcafe]

chem dip

Check out the results of the chem dip:


This carb was dipped overnight, and the other 3 I set in for just 2-3 hours. A little more scrubbing was involved, but seems as effective and more time efficient. I didn't know what "rinsing" precisely involved, so I just dipped the tray in a bucket of water, immediately sprayed them w/air after, and hit them with carb cleaner. Medium steel wool for the outside (extra careful not to leave any steel remnants using compressed air), qtips/flathead for the inside, and they looked great. [picture above is just after the chem dip, not involving the other steps).