Topic: 1976 Honda CB550F Frame Question

[Jelle]

Hey guys, I'm new to the motorcycle world. I was an elevator mechanic for most of my career life, but am doing something else right now. I really missed working with my tools so I thought a motorcycle project would be great! Anyhow on to my question.

As with most "newbies" I have made the mistake of stripping the bike down to its parts before trying to get it running again so now I'm working backwards. At this stage I am getting the engine looked at and plan to get it running again ASAP, but in the meantime I would like to strip and paint the frame. I have plenty of time to chem-strip it myself, but if you pros think I should blast it then I'll do so. As for painting, I think I'll suck it up and drop some coin on getting it powder coated.

So my question to you all is-- Chem-strip or pay to bead blast???

Thanks in advance all!!

[Shadowjack]

Paint stripper will be a royal PITA to get clean around all the welds. A blasted steel part will rust almost before you get it home, if you live in a moist environment. But if you have it powdercoated, the shop will blast it anyway, and you're done in one pass. Just have to fill all the threaded holes with sacrificial bolts before they coat it, or clean them out after with taps.

[ben.cb500]

It was suggested powder coatihg will hide cracks and therefore not suitable for frames. Bunk?

[Jelle]

Hmm...well i live in south florida, so moisture is definitely present. Most places are quoting me about $250-$300 for blast+powder coat. Wishful thinking to get it for all for $200 I suppose. As for hiding cracks with powder coat, this is the first I've read about that, but it seems like it could be a major problem. I've inspected the frame for cracks and haven't found any, but that certainly doesn't mean that there aren't any. I'll do some more research and spend some more time looking at the welds. Thanks for the heads up.

[hansen]

Just an FYI: I also have been getting quotes for blast & powder coat for my 400F: $300-$350 for frame & swing arm seems to be the going rate. gotta remove any rubber or plastic bits beforehand or the bake cycle will melt them.