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[pete]

Nice work Larry, looking good as always!

[nvr2old]

Thanks, Pete. On to block sanding the parts and painting today. Started with 400 wet followed by 600 to smooth out the 400 scratches.



A primer touch up here and there.





I always hang parts if I can and always attach a "handle" to keep the part from spinning while I spray. Drives you crazy chasing and running around in circles..



Amazing how such a beautiful color can look so dull until the clear coats are applied.





Clear coats on the tank and tail. Three total. They came out real nice.

[nvr2old]

While the clear was drying I moved on to the side covers and filler cover. The backs first..



After the backs dried, I did the fronts.









I really like the way these look..but I wonder if they're too satin..hmm. Do they need to be a bit shinier black..? No big deal to re-do them with maybe a base coat black w/o any polishing. Just not sure. Any thoughts? Mal, what do you think?

I'll sand the tank and tail mid-week and get the decals going..then more clear next weekend. All and all, things are moving along nicely.

[allojohn]

Excellent Larry, I'm enjoying the process. The photos look great and it's all going look even better in my hands... The side covers are perfect from the photos but it's your call whether to repaint - I trust your judgement 100%.
Looking forward to seeing the the tanks with the decals on...

[pete]

Ah that's fantastic Larry, that colour is awesome!

[nvr2old]

Excellent Larry, I'm enjoying the process. The photos look great and it's all going look even better in my hands... The side covers are perfect from the photos but it's your call whether to repaint - I trust your judgement 100%.
Looking forward to seeing the the tanks with the decals on...

I think I'll leave them the way they are then, Mal. I love the way they look, they're absolutely flawless and with the emblems, they'll really pop.

[nvr2old]

Ah that's fantastic Larry, that colour is awesome!

Wait till you can see it in natural light. The pearl and the metallic will really show up. Florescent lights are nice to spray by, but they hide the true beauty. I'm hoping I can get to the decals in the next couple of days so they have a bit of time to gas out before the next round of clear coats.

[nvr2old]

After sanding the tank and tail section with 600 last night, I got started on the decals. Decals make me lay awake at night. Always a bit of anxiety involved in putting them on and trying to get them correct and symmetrical on both sides. I had some pictures that Mal sent me and some examples on the internet to use as a guide but just had to eyeball what I thought were the right measurements. The decals pretty much dictate where they're going to lay smoothly. No forcing them to bend to your will. I started out by laying them on the tank. These come in 2 pieces, one for the bottom and one for the top with intersections at the bottom rear corner and the top front corner. Once they were in place, I held them with bits of tape then ran a piece of Fineline tape around the outside as a guide to lay them for good.





I have a special solution specifically made for applying graphics. Way better then soapy water. No film left to worry about. Once the backing paper was pulled off and the decals revealed..whew..nice.









Followed the same steps for the other side. I think both sides lined up well. very glad for that.



After spending 2 hours on the tank..the tail section took about 20 minutes.







I'll let them breathe and gas out till Saturday then back in the paint booth for the second round of clear coats. I'm pretty stoked how the parts are coming along.

[steve murdoch]

No doubt you have answered this before but do you have a preferred decal company?

As always, looking good, Larry.

[allojohn]

I'm getting pretty stoked too Larry, surprisingly.... so is the wife!

Steve, on Larry's advice I bought the decals form Diablo Cycle out of London, Ontario.

[Nessism]

Those Diablo Cycles decals seem to be made by 3M or at least use 3M film. It doesn't get any better than that.

[nvr2old]

I'm impressed with the quality of the Diablo striping/decal kits. These fit and conformed to the curves of the tank beautifully..which was a huge relief. 3M has always been my preferred choice for tape of any kind. It's more expensive, but once you compare..there's nothing that even comes close. It's so flexible and you can leave 3M tape on something for 6 months and it still peels right off w/o having to fight it or leaving any kind of residue what-so-ever.

[Buffalo Bill]

Clever prep tip; locating the decals with tape before their difficult installations.

[nvr2old]

Thanks Bill. I learned how to do that after doing it wrong several times. It pretty much ensures they go back on where they need to, because you only get one chance at it.

Back to the spray booth today to get the second round of clear coats going. No sense re-spraying the bottom. Just a waste of expensive material.







Six coats later. Rotated the pics to get a better look.









The next step will be to cut and buff. Should have more then enough clear coats on these parts, 9 in all. And even after 6 over the decals, they're still so thick they won't be completely buried. It'll be close though when everything is block sanded down. They'll still look real nice when done.

[allojohn]

Simply stunning Larry.... I cannot thank you enough for taking this on!
I’ll remember you in my will.... .