Paint Project

TimG

XS650 Enthusiast
Messages
78
Reaction score
178
Points
33
Location
Chicago, IL
I was posting these in the "What have you done to your XS today" discussion, but thought it would be fun to document it in one place. I really didn't want to take the 650B out of commission in the middle of the summer but the paint was just so bad and it's hot as hell anyways. All the hard work over the winter was really being "dulled" by the poor paint work. I have only been on or 6 rides since finishing everything up. I'm laughing as I say finishing....it will never be done, I'll always find something. Hell, I'm waiting for my new LED headlight and grips to show up now and I've got a set of later model carb holders with air barbs to install still. Pull the motor for a full rebuild? charging system upgrade? fab a new front fender?....let's do it!
Well anyhow. Here is the paint project for my 75 XS650 tank and side covers.
 
The bike as of 2 weeks ago
IMG_7236.JPG
 
Thinking about staying with the dark orange, so made sure to find a close match to the existing color so I had a reference point.
IMG_7233.JPG
 
Found a little but of rust inside the tank so I used a few gallons of white vinegar and some old nuts and bolts to shake it loose. Then I rinsed and dried everything thoroughly.
 
I stripped the side covers and then used some 3M pads on my 2" right angle grinder to clean up the inside. Used an air etcher I had laying around to do a quick media blast and then started to reshape everything with filler.
IMG_4135.JPG
 
coming along nicely..............what do you use to wipe the tank down after the stripping, to stop it from flash rusting??
 
Thanks Skull. I did not surface treat with any inhibitor. I "plan" on turning the project around quickly enough that it won't be an issue. I have a temperature controlled garage that I had a stripped 54 Bel Air hardtop in for 5 years and had very little, if any, rust formation. I will be wiping down with a wax and grease remover prior to and in between spraying but that is about it. I'll hit it with a very light sanding, a dust off, wax remover and tack cloth and then prime it.
 
26987684-E76D-4B7E-A4D2-0460C4364821.jpeg FD5E1E37-5974-4D22-B7D1-6DC9FC9D6976.jpeg Hi, just thought I would throw my two cents in here. My tank and parts were completely stripped to the metal, like yours, and then i repainted with rattle cans. After strip, first step was 2k primer. Next was fill dents. Then 1k color. Then 2k clear, multiple coats of clear. Lots of fine sanding between coats. Looks as good today as when first painted 3 years ago. The attention is in the details.
 
Life has been super busy and I have been taking my time with the project. I had some time this weekend to putty some final spots and then spray the last coat of primer. Today I messed around with a stripe layout. The tank is going to be a dark burnt orange and the side covers are going to be black. The blue stripes would be the same gloss black as the side covers and the green stripe would be a platinum silver metallic I have left over from painting a Subaru.
The tank is resting nicely on the custom tank stand my dad and I worked on yesterday.

IMG_0575.JPG IMG_4040.JPG IMG_9655.JPG
 
Looks great Tim - I've got three tanks to prep and paint in the next little while so I will be following closely. ANY details you can provide would be most welcome indeed!

For example - did you try to pull the dents out of your tank - or did you just fill them and if so, with what?

Dammit - I'm comin' over! ;)

Pete
 
Thanks Pete. I did not try to pull any of the dents. They were so creased and mangled and I was filling anyway. I used Evercoat Z-Grip body filler. It sands well and adheres to just about anything even bare metal. I filled the big spots first and then shape sanded with 80 and then 120 grit paper. Once the shaping was done, I etch primed with SEM grey in a rattle can and then used SEM high build filler primer. 2-3 coats of primer and let dry. I block sanded the primer with 220 and then used glazing putty in areas that needed to be refined. Then I would either spot spray any bare metal areas that had come up during blocking or just coat the whole tank and block sand with 320. I repeated this multiple times to make sure everything was smooth. Then I sprayed a final wet coat of primer (you could use a thinner primer surfacer here, but I didn't have any on hand) and sanded smooth with 400.

Chicago is beautiful in the summer. Just let us know when you're coming :).
 
Thanks Pete. I did not try to pull any of the dents. They were so creased and mangled and I was filling anyway. I used Evercoat Z-Grip body filler. It sands well and adheres to just about anything even bare metal. I filled the big spots first and then shape sanded with 80 and then 120 grit paper. Once the shaping was done, I etch primed with SEM grey in a rattle can and then used SEM high build filler primer. 2-3 coats of primer and let dry. I block sanded the primer with 220 and then used glazing putty in areas that needed to be refined. Then I would either spot spray any bare metal areas that had come up during blocking or just coat the whole tank and block sand with 320. I repeated this multiple times to make sure everything was smooth. Then I sprayed a final wet coat of primer (you could use a thinner primer surfacer here, but I didn't have any on hand) and sanded smooth with 400.

Chicago is beautiful in the summer. Just let us know when you're coming :).

Now THAT is ZACKLEY the type of info I need! What sort of block do you use (I assume some sort of foam...?).

...just where the heck is Chicago anyway? :lmao:

Cheers and thanks - and keep the photos and posts coming!
:popcorn:

Pete
 
Last edited:
Back
Top