1984 Katana 7/11

[pete]

Cheers Larry! And yep, sure does! I need to make myself a proper hanging frame for when I get to the bodywork though, that setup is good for small stuff but won't work for the tank, front cowl, tail piece, or front guard.

I ended up with a major disaster yesterday, I think I screwed the tank good and proper.

It was suggested that before I give it to the panel beater, I give some heat and compressed air a shot to pop at least some of the dent out. It made sense to me and I still think it was good advice, I just should've asked more questions. I believe the execution was poor on my part.

Anyway, in all of about 10 seconds the dent started to pop and I thought yay, then almost instantly after that the left side of the tank (the good side) popped as well, distorting it.

I can only assume not enough heat (although the paint was blistering) and too much pressure.

So now I don't know if I have a completely buggered tank or an even more expensive repair on my hands but I'll have to find out soon so I know what to do.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

[Charlie G]

Oh no Pete! I filled one of my 1100g tanks with compressed air in an attempt to remove a dent and it spread the tank to the point that it was unusable. I feel your pain..........

[nvr2old]

Can you describe which part of the tank you're talking about, Pete? It does look a bit wonky to my eye, but I can't say I've ever seen the bottom of a Kat tank to know. Is it the top right section (in the pic) from 1:00-4:00? Using compressed air is scary, man. It's really hard to control it and more often then not, sadly, as you've found, goes too far. I'm bummed it happened to your tank, but it can be fixed. Metal can be shrunk with heat, too.

[pete]

Ouch Charlie! Thankfully it didn't get that far... I'd actually released the trigger on the air gun the instant the dent started to pop, and it was immediately after that the left side went, so fortunately (I guess) it didn't go further.

Larry, the right side in that pic is ok, the dent is on the outside of that which you can't see. The issue is the left side in that pic. The crease in the tunnel I believe is the biggest issue as well as the flat-ish spot at the front just above the frame mount. I think/hope if that crease and flat spot can be returned to normal, that side will mostly return to shape. You're the second person who knows what they're talking about to tell me it can be fixed, so there is hope yet In future I will stick to my original plan... leave dent repair like this to the experts.

[pete]

Took all the painted bits down last night, pretty happy with the end result.

Now I need some time when it's not raining to get the Kat back in the shed and start mounting them up.

I also need to get the front cowl back off so I can start the repair work.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

[pete]

Got a little bit done yesterday.

Attached the storage box to the inner tray and made the lid for it out of some acrylic perspex I had here.

It's a friction fit and seems to sit ok, should be firm enough to stay on with bumps and vibrations, see how it goes.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr


While I had the heat gun out I moulded some U channel to shape for the electrics tray. Just need to stick it in place today.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

[pete]

Got the U channel stuck on the electrics tray yesterday, put the indicator rubbers in the indicator mounts, and started bolting stuff up.

I completely forgot to mask off where the starter relay will sit so I sanded that back to ensure it gets grounded well.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Indicator brackets on.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

All the trays and guards on.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

And the ignition switch.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

I just love that colour...

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

[dorkburger]

Looking great! The detail going into this build is phenomenal.

[pete]

Cheers mate! I'm pretty happy with how things are turning out. I wish I could get towards the finished product a little quicker but I must be patient, rushing is not going to give me the neat and tidy result I'm looking for.

[blackhammer]

Pete, booth is working a treat!

Thought about out getting some large heat shrink for that loom?

[pete]

Sure is Nate! I do have to make one slight modification though. Inside the filter box the fan blows straight against the back wall, so some air is bouncing back instead of going around the corner, so I'm going to have to put a bit of board in there on a curve or diagonal to direct it a bit better. It's not too bad with the aerosols but I can imagine once I get the compressor and spray guns going it won't take the overspray out of the air anywhere near quick enough the way it is.

I'm planning on using some self amalgamating tape for the loom at this stage. That's the stuff that will stick to itself as you stretch/wrap it around, but it doesn't stick to the wires themselves, so if for any reason you need to take it off again you don't have a sticky mess to deal with. It's not particularly cheap but my understanding is two rolls should more than do the job and it's worth the extra over the cheaper alternatives.

http://au.rs-online.com/web/p/self-amalgamating-tapes/0494449/

[pete]

I got a start on repairing the front cowl yesterday.

Popped a cutting wheel on the dremel and cut out the broken/cracked parts, ended up a little more gone than I thought but still definitely repairable.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Started sanding back the paint and cracked gel coat, definitely need some more aggresive grit paper though, I'll be at this the rest of the year with the 80 grit I have at the moment.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

To replicate the correct shape for the repairs, I'll use some scrap 1mm aluminium I have and get it bent/moulded to shape using the loaner front cowl to use as moulds.

Also, hopefully tonight I'll be taking the tank up to another fella for a better look-see at my abortion of an attempt to pop the dent out.

[nvr2old]

36 grit, Pete..36 grit.. Maybe one of those small 3M grinder attachments for your drill if you don't have one yet. They accept those screw-on disks that you'll thank yourself for having over and over, too. Mmmm..fiberglass...

[pete]

Haha yep Larry! Discovered the hardware opens early enough for me to drop in on the way to work so will do that this morning.

I've got one of those attachments here somewhere but this will be night time work so power tools are out, but that's ok I need the exercise

Also, I got a better suggestion over on the Kat forum for shaping the repairs... make a fibreglass mould from the loaner cowl rather than using aluminium, makes much better sense!

[nvr2old]

Also, I got a better suggestion over on the Kat forum for shaping the repairs... make a fibreglass mould from the loaner cowl rather than using aluminium, makes much better sense![/QUOTE]

I've also used modeling clay from behind to bridge gaps like that and easily shaped it to the correct size and shape, too, Pete. The fiberglass mat sets into it very nicely and is the correct thickness when it dries. It leaves a nice smooth back when you pull the clay off, too. Inexpensive, and you just toss it when done.