Topic: 75 cb550 paint and decal questions

[Shopdog]

I've been sifting through hundreds of old threads trying to get some info on this, but no luck. I'm sure it's here somewhere, but maybe buried in build threads. So forgive me if this has been covered extensively.

I will be painting the tank on my '75 cb550k and I'm sticking with the original paint & decal scheme. The candy paint is a little out of my comfort zone, but I have experience with painting. There are a dozen or so different ways to do this, if course. My plan is to paint the entire tank and side covers in single stage black (2 part with hardener). I have a compressor, guns, etc. For the color, I'm using a bc/cc with 2k clear and Jeep Rescue Green to keep things simple. I understand cure times, recoat windows, off-gassing, compatible products, etc.

The thing I'm not sure about is how to accomplish the 2-tone paint scheme and match the lines of the tank decals. I can lay down the black, let it cure, sand/scuff, then carefully cut out the decals and temporarily tape them to the tank. I can then mark (probably with tape) around the edge to establish a line. Remove the decals, then add more tape to line up approximately where I need to paint in order for the decal to conceal the edge. I understand that I'll have a bit of adjustment when laying the stripes. Does this sound like the best way? It's a little harder to describe in words, so I hope my plan makes sense. Any ideas or tips are appreciated. Another note here is that my tank has been painted solid black (poor condition) so I can't trace out a stencil. Otherwise, I may consider using off-the-shelf stripes in a roll or even painting them on.

Here's a pic of the paint/decal scheme I'm going for.

[Shopdog]

Oh, and I was really confused looking at the pic of the new decals online. But I see what they did here. It would be helpful if they posted another pic of the finished product on a tank! 

[bryanj]

Its normaly done the other way round, all done in colour then black panels with decals over the join and then laquered

[seanbarney41]

Yeah, I would think that your green color would be affected going over black, even though it is not candy.

[Don R]

 The vinyl masking tape makes a smoother edge, then cover with regular masking tape and paper from there. I see the difficulty.
  I think the Jeep color is a wise choice, modern paint covers better and is more consistent. I did something similar on my K1, I used 2013 accord "tiger eye pearl" brown with K2 gold/white/black stripes.

[Kevnz]

Like Bryan says, paint colour, then black. I used decals from AFE Graphics, and had a template made up, just the basic shape. Taped it in place , then marked the underside ( black) area with a pencil. Then I masked with narrow tape about 5mm above the drawn line. Then masked the whole tank above that, leaving just the area to be painted black. This gave about 5mm give and take overlap for fine tuning the stripe position. I realise you are doing a 550, but the same technique will work. I use single pack laquer, seems robust enough, plus easier to get a nice polished finish . Clearcoat after stripes are applied, make sure the edges are pressed down well, and do a couple of light coats first and allow to flash off. I failed to do this and part of the underside of the stripe reacted with the thinners and bubbled.

[Kevnz]

BTW, it's recommended to allow 48hrs for the paint to dry fully before applying the graphics; even though it may feel dry to the touch you can still smell it for a day or two.

[Shopdog]

I see what you guys are saying about laying down the green first. My thought was that I could do the black single stage in one shot, vs the green, which will be a bc/cc. But that's not a deal breaker at all. It also probably makes laying out the decal/black paint line a little easier.

[Shopdog]

Yeah, I would think that your green color would be affected going over black, even though it is not candy.

Yep. I believe you are absolutely correct. That crossed my mind, but I also think the Rescue Green would benefit from being a shade darker. I may do a couple spray cards with black vs grey sealer and see what they look like.