1984 Katana 7/11

[pete]

I ended up hand filing the post in the reservoir but it worked out well.



Then I put the old crappy diaphragm in and let it sit overnight with brake fluid in it.



No disasters, the JB Weld is exactly the same (except cleaner) and no bits coming off or anything, so I reckon that's success.

Then I broke out the wire wheel to finish cleaning the stubborn paint off, and again success.



I made up a frame that I can sit on the workbench in the shed and spray all the brake components in one go.



So if everything goes to plan this week and I can finish the prep of the parts (still a bit of sanding to do), then I should be able to spray on Sunday if it's not pouring with rain.

[pete]

I didn't end up getting any time during the week to do the paint prep, so I finished that yesterday just in time to finish up for the day.

Went over all the parts with brake cleaner, then a final run with the wire brush, and another clean. Then masked them up, a quick go over with wax and grease remover, and hung them.

Hopefully next weekend I can get the primer and paint done.



I also spoke to the upholsterer on Thursday and apparently my seat has made it to his workbench at last, so with any luck that'll be ready real soon.

[thebrandonbeezy]

You're having it done to look factory?

[pete]

Yeah pretty much, going satin black with Eastwood's Extreme Chassis Black. Apparently when prepared well and primed well it's a great paint for calipers and master cylinders.

[thebrandonbeezy]

I ment the seat haha

[pete]

Hahaha ok... head back to post #315 to see the fibreglass seat pan I made: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...01#post2341301

The rider's section will be red, pillion black. Hollow under the pillion section so I can get it registered as a single seater only which saves me a bunch of $$$ but it will still look like a proper Kat seat.

[pete]

Got the primer done yesterday, bit hard to show in a photo but it seemed to go on well.



The good news is the recirculation box seems to be doing its job too.

Despite the fact I haven't done anything yet to seal around the doors in the shed (some big gaps there!) the odour outside the shed after spraying was more like a hint of thinners than "oh someone's been painting". Pretty happy with that!

I'm definitely going to have to do something about sealing it properly before doing any extensive spraying though.

[pete]

Got the paint finished up on Saturday, then left it well over 24 hours to cure and unmasked it last night.

I'm a happy camper!

I ended up doing 3 coats... the directions say 2 for fastest cure but I want longevity.







Not sure if I should start assembling yet though, gonna be a while until I can actually put them to use so I don't know that I want brake fluid just sitting on the seals for months on end.

I also need to figure the best way to give the bores and things a bit of a final clean up before assembly, can't remember how I did that last time.

[nvr2old]

mmmmm..shiny parts. Looks nice, Pete. I wouldn't mess with them for awhile either if you don't need them immediately. Let em set and get good and dry.

[pete]

Haha cheers Larry! Yeah gonna just let them sit for a while for sure. I'll clean the shed up, wrap them up safe and stash them for the moment and move on to something else. Thought I might have the seat back by now which would mean I can dismantle the roller ready to get the frame powder coated and start on the forks or something but no such joy just yet.

[nvr2old]

I'm really anxious to see the seat. You've put a lot of time and effort into it and I hope it comes out like you want.

[pete]

Me too Larry, me too! The upholsterer called yesterday to say it's ready, so hopefully I can get down there tomorrow to pick it up. I can't wait!!

[pete]

Well, it's back!!

I think I left the rear part a little tall but once the tail piece is black it should blend in reasonably well.

Very happy with the upholstery job though! Looks great and feels comfortable and the seat overall is a lot lighter than the stock one I copied.

The red's not going to be to everyone's liking but it certainly is to my liking!









Now it's time to pull everything off the frame and get some $$$ together for powder coating.

Oh, quick question... is there a trick to getting the footpeg rubber off the footpegs? Deciding if I'm going to powder coat them red with the frame or just paint them black but either way I need to get the rubbers off to do it.

[Charlie G]

The seat is looking nice Pete!

[thebrandonbeezy]

Drooling mate drooling