Topic: 74 CB750 Navy Style

[brandEn]

oh man, that looks like fun! I love the powder process especially getting everything back and putting things together.

[dagersh]

Nice project.

Make sure you make exhaustive documention of everything you are bringing in, and check everything is there and done to your satisfaction.

Looking forward to more posts!

Gersh

[Stev-o]

What color? Navy Blue?!

[Harsh]

The frame and a number of parts will be blue
http://www.powderbuythepound.com/RAL_5011_STEELE_BLUE.html

A number of the other pieces will be what I call gunmetal
http://www.powderbuythepound.com/AUTO_CHARCOAL_METALLIC_PANEL.html

[Harsh]

Met with the powder coater today.  Needless to say my gut was right.  My good deal quickly turned into something else.  He won't even touch the engine with regular pc.  The only color you can get high temp stuff in is black and that is not what I want.  So I guess I will be rattle caning the engine with some VHT high temp paint.  He said he gets $125 to do a frame.  However, we did come to a somewhat deal.  If I am willing to help with the prep work (masking off and the like), which I am, he said he would do the frame and all of the stuff I want in the steel blue for $225.  That would include pre treating the steel components and priming them.  That isn't necessarily a bad deal, but I would have to do all of the gunmetal stuff myself.  I have a buddy at work that has a powder coat setup at his house, but his oven is kind of small.  I don't even know if I could get the swingarm in it.

[Harsh]

I finally got the frame stripped and somewhat prepped. Note...when using aircraft paint stripper ensure you wear the proper gloves and use it in a WELL ventilated area. Regular dishwashing gloves or nitrile gloves don't stand a chance against this stuff. I went out and bought some gloves that protect against the stripper and I could still feel my hands getting hot from the it.





I also did a little more polishing work.

[Lostboy Steve]

Met with the powder coater today.  Needless to say my gut was right.  My good deal quickly turned into something else.  He won't even touch the engine with regular pc.  The only color you can get high temp stuff in is black and that is not what I want.  So I guess I will be rattle caning the engine with some VHT high temp paint.  He said he gets $125 to do a frame.  However, we did come to a somewhat deal.  If I am willing to help with the prep work (masking off and the like), which I am, he said he would do the frame and all of the stuff I want in the steel blue for $225.  That would include pre treating the steel components and priming them.  That isn't necessarily a bad deal, but I would have to do all of the gunmetal stuff myself.  I have a buddy at work that has a powder coat setup at his house, but his oven is kind of small.  I don't even know if I could get the swingarm in it.

I had my jug and head done with regular powder. NO PROBLEMS. Also my powdercoater has done MANY Harley-Davidson and Buell Jugs with no issues. I would find a different powdercoater to use.

[Lostboy Steve]

Also, that seems extremely expensive. He should have stripped that frame with a good media blast, and tapes and powdered it in a single stage powder for 75$. If it was a 2 step powder then maybe 125.00 bust still thats including all the labor to strip and tape. Go to http://www.nicindustries.com/ and locate an applicator, preferably a certified one. Also check out the colors. I don't work for NIC, nor do I endorse them, but due to experience with my own parts, this powder is far superior in selections, quality, and longevity. They are also very helpful over the phone!

[Harsh]

I have been to 5 different powder coaters in my area and they all wanted $250 just to do the frame.  While I don't disagree that it appears to be expensive, I guess that is the going rate in my neck of the woods.  Regardless, I am looking through the link you posted.

[nomad]

Have you PC'ed the frame yet?  If not, while it's in this stage, I'd strongly recommend looking into a frame kit... http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=101832.0.  It'll make your life easier upon reassembly and when you have to do any future head work on it.

Also, you might want to remove the VIN plate before PC'ing.  I have some stainless rivets you can use to reattach it (free of charge).  After I PC'ed my frame, I used contact cement to coat the back of the plate then I used a brass punch to put the new rivets in.  It looks as good as new.

[Harsh]

No...Hopefully next week I will be powder coating.

I have thought about a frame kit, but imho they are grossly overpriced for what they are.  If I took the time to figure out the dimensions I could have a buddy of mine that is a machinist for NASA Langley make me a set.

I have also thought about removing the VIN plate, but didn't want to take the chance of messing it up removing the rivets or not being able to re-attach it.  I was just going to cover it in the PC tape.

[Harsh]

I cut off the rear triangles, the seat hinge points, and the center stand mounting points.







While stripping the badge mounting points off the tank I found a hole in the tank. Luckily a buddy of mine was able to tig weld the hole for me.

I ordered some engine paint since I couldn't find the colors I wanted locally. Unfortunately, the order never arrived so I contacted the seller and he refunded my money. So while waiting for my second order of paint to arrive I decided to take it another step further. I polished the edge of the fins on the head and jugs. I am going to paint the head and jugs black and leave the polished fins exposed. The rest of the engine will be silver. It will be a pain in the ass removing the paint from the fins, but in the end it will be well worth it.

[Stev-o]

Harsh - there was a thread I saw recently about cylinder painting. He polished the edge of the fins, painted it, then wiped off the fresh paint on the edges with acetone. It looked great and appeared easy.
Sorry, I don't recall exactly which thread it was but if I run across it, I will send you a PM.

[Harsh]

Yah I saw that thread.  It is what pretty much inspired me to do it.

[Stev-o]

Yah I saw that thread.  It is what pretty much inspired me to do it.

I plan to do it too if/when I pull the motor out of my K4.

[nomad]

If you're not going to get a frame kit, do you know about laying the engine on it's side then lowering the frame onto it to bolt it up?  It'll save your fresh powder coat.

[nomad]

Harsh - there was a thread I saw recently about cylinder painting. He polished the edge of the fins, painted it, then wiped off the fresh paint on the edges with acetone. It looked great and appeared easy.
Sorry, I don't recall exactly which thread it was but if I run across it, I will send you a PM.

Yeah, I saw that one too.  But I was wondering if by doing that, the edges would oxidize over time if left bare.  I can't remember, did he clear coat the edges?

[SohRon]

+1 on removing the VIN tag. Trying to keep it from being damaged in PC or strip will give your powder coater grief, and you'll have a much better finish overall with the PC. Just drill out the screw pins holding it in; there's some rubber adhesive holding it on as well, so be careful pulling it off. Once the frame is done, you can re-glue the tag back into position and replace the pins new from BikeBandit or one of the other vendors. .

I speak from experience!

[Stev-o]

+2 on removing the VIN plate. Don R trusted his p coater and they screwed it up.

[Harsh]

Yah, but if I remember correctly his was destroyed during the bead blasting process.

None-the-less I will remove and strip the space behind it before I head over to the powder coaters tomorrow morning.  It should take but 5 or 10 minutes.

[Harsh]

OK so VIN tag was removed.  However when I went to drill out the rivets I broke the bit off in the top hole.  I was able to use the rest of the bit and tap it into the void, but I can tell it didn't go all the way in/through like the bottom hole.

All the parts are at the powder coaters.  I am supposed to pick everything up Friday.  Ohh I can't wait.  Looking at the bag of powder I hope that the blue darkens up a bit after it is sprayed and cured.

[nomad]

If you want a couple of new rivets when it comes time to reattach it, let me know... I have a whole box of them.

[Harsh]

Hey man that would be greatly appreciated.  Even though I busted the bit I am glad you guys talked me in to it.

[nomad]

Hey man that would be greatly appreciated.  Even though I busted the bit I am glad you guys talked me in to it.

You'll be much happier with the finished product having removed it.  PM me an address where you want me to mail the rivets to and I'll send them your way.

Btw, I did the same thing with a drill bit when I removed mine.  When you're using a bit that small, it doesn't take much to snap it.  Btw, be very careful handling/ storing the VIN plate.  It's made of a very soft aluminum and can be easily dented/ dinged.

[Harsh]

So I thought I was just about ready to paint the engine.  I took one last look at it and found some built up wax between the fins on the head and jugs.  Three days of acetone, scotch brite pads, jewelers files, and razor blades is enough to drive a person crazy.  Ughh my fingers are so sore.  Fortunately, all that is left is a final cleaning on the lower half and to tape it off.  That should only take a couple of hours.  After that I am pretty sure the engine will be ready for paint.

Here is where I sit as of right now.