Engine paint touch up- Who has done it?

[vwaxxed]

The paint on the engine of my 86 is just terrible and I hate looking at it. I'm really wanting touch the paint up on it. I only saw one post about this and it was 6 years ago with limited information.

Who all has done this? What paint did you use? How did you prep it? What kind of results did you get? I know masking is going to be a long process, but it just looks terrible and I can't stand it anymore.

 

[Fire-medic]

Well, you can do it in the bike, or

 

[D-Max2012]

I'm in the same boat.
I was thinking about doing it, in the bike by brush, with this self leveling paint.

I've used the KBS Tank Sealer Kit in the past, with great results..

https://www.kbs-coatings.com/motor-coater-kit.html

I'm sure taking out the engine, and sand-blasting it 1st would be best, but I don't have a garage yet.

 

[one2dmax]

Or, our version

 

[D-Max2012]

Damn Sean.. Those looks awesome!!!.

 

[vwaxxed]

I'm in the same boat.
I was thinking about doing it, in the bike by brush, with this self leveling paint.

I've used the KBS Tank Sealer Kit in the past, with great results..

https://www.kbs-coatings.com/motor-coater-kit.html

I'm sure taking out the engine, and sand-blasting it 1st would be best, but I don't have a garage yet.

Looks like there are a lot of good reviews on this too. I'm not looking for perfect because I'm going to be building another bike, but I'd like it to look good from 10 feet away

 

[MaxMidnight]

The principle of re painting is easy; prepare the surface and paint...
...the difficulty is in execution.

Key to a successful job is preparation of the surface.

This will need to be completely free of flaking paint, oxidised surfaces, oil, grease and dirt.
On (say) the crankcases there is also the added problem of a) access and b) numerous nooks and crannies where the aforementioned problem areas can lurk.

To do any of the above to a sufficient level with the motor in the frame, whilst not impossible, is probably beyond the patience and endurance of most folk.

In my rose tinted world I would strip the components to be painted out of the bike, have them soda blasted de-greased before re-finishing with a VHT type paint. I suspect that current automotive paint would also be suitable but you would need to confirm this.

However, if you still want to give it a go (and why not?) the best advice I can offer is to get as many of the ancillaries off the motor as you can to allow you the best possible access.
I would also remove all of the engine covers (paint over gasket interfaces looks awful and will look even worse if you take the cover(s) off).
De-grease and then flat back the areas you are going to paint. It isn't necessary to remove paint that is still adhering but you will need to feather any edges so that the change from metal to paint is imperceptible.
Pay particular attention to all of the nooks and crannies particularly on the front of the motor.
De-grease again and re-check what you already have done.
Mask up and then use a high temperature paint (I have used VHT products with great success but there are probably others just as good) sparingly. Build the layers up rather than try to cover in a single pass. Note: There is no need to prime if using a VHT paint.
You are aiming to have sufficient paint to cover the base metal. The thicker the coat it will be more prone to chipping.

Remember that the completed job will only be as good as the preparation (i.e. elbow grease) YOU put into it.

Cut corners and the paint will be off quicker than I can down a pint.

What you want to do will take a lot of time and effort if you are to achieve an acceptable finish. Think carefully before you start!

 

[D-Max2012]

Looks like there are a lot of good reviews on this too. I'm not looking for perfect because I'm going to be building another bike, but I'd like it to look good from 10 feet away

Same here. Not looking for perfection, just not to look so bad.

I must admit, those engines jobs that Sean posted looks GREAT!..
In my case, it would look totally out of place in my older looking bike. uke:uke:uke:uke:

If I had the cash and resources to remove the engine and other parts, I'd have to talk to Sean about that work.. Damn they look nice.

For some reason, the previous owner took the black off all the covers, but left the rest of the engine stock black. Over time, even the black paint is starting to show its age.

So, in my case, I would have really prep polished aluminum for painting, and touch up the black areas.

I did allot of searching for reviews of that KBS Engine Paint kit (KBSEPK).. NOT just going by what that site reviews say. I always search on different forums, websites, and YouTube, that had no affiliation with the KBS site itself. When all is said and done, it looks like it works really well, as long as you take the appropriate prepping steps.

As stated before, I've used the KBS Tank Sealer Kit, to combat that rust build-up in the tank, which of course, mucks up anything else down the line. So far, fuel has been crystal clear and carbs running great. (4 years now, knock on wood :biglaugh: )
I went that route based on all the reviews that I found before purchasing.
With the Tank Sealing Kit, it uses some of the same stuff that's in the "KBSEPK", and you MUST follow the directions and give it the appropriate time between steps.

The downloadable directions is nice to review before purchase also..

After I get my bike back up and running, I'll be looking into this.

 

[[email protected]]

Not a vmax but I did paint a dirt bike engine with vht caliper paint. It's been around 5years. I sold the bike but still see it a few times each year. Looks great except the clutch cover. Paint wore off there

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[vwaxxed]

Anybody use any methods other than blasting to get the paint off of theirs?

 

[jdeitz1979]

Or, our version

What did you spray those with?


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[Fire-medic]

Airplane stripper should do a good job.

 

[jdeitz1979]

Anybody use any methods other than blasting to get the paint off of theirs?

When I did mine, I used a few different things to see what had good results. I used oven off, worked ok, can be a little time consuming. I used a paint stripper from Lowe’s which worked well, and I did a little blasting as well. Blasting is probably the fastest.


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[D-Max2012]

Sean,
Are those Powder Coated or sprayed???

Thanks

 

[one2dmax]

They are painted with good quality auto paint. Just like you use to paint a car. The engines heat doesn't exceed the paints ability to stay looking nice (since it's a water cooled engine).

 

[Zeus36]

Check out this done in the frame using Duplicolor Engine Enamel (Cast Iron color):

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

[[email protected]]

Looks good!

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[D-Max2012]

They are painted with good quality auto paint. Just like you use to paint a car. The engines heat doesn't exceed the paints ability to stay looking nice (since it's a water cooled engine).

They look great.. Where they sprayed, brushed or both??

 

[one2dmax]

Bead Blasted, the taken to the body shop to be sprayed. Spray is done and then the paint booth is warmed up to around 200 degrees to cure it.

 

[D-Max2012]

Well, Finally got a chance to tackle my aged engine paint.
1st I did a standard wash with soap and water, to get the surface grime minimized.
Next I brushed and air blasted away any loose paint areas I could find.
Then I used the 1st part of that KBS Paint system called Kleen. This removes any oils and grease that may be lingering around.
After rinsing it with filtered water, I let it dry completely.
Then, the 2nd step in that kit was the Rust Blast / Etching.. I let that Etch any paint and raw metal areas for the paint to adhere.
I then covered up all my bolts with heat shrink tubing, to protect them from the paint.
I didn't want the paint to create a seal, which would break up, if I ever had to get into one of the side covers.
Finally the paining..
I was not worried about getting paint on some of the bare aluminum areas, since I still need to polish some areas up. Plan to do that next week. Also, since i was not looking for perfection, i just needed it to look better than it did.. :biglaugh:
Now I'm letting the paint to fully harden, as per the instructions.. 7 days, before running the bike. I plan to clean up the round covers (tuning fork logo), maybe paint the triangles black. Also may do something with the old looking bolts..

Before:


Prep work:


After: