I want to repaint my gas tank and side panels while I'm on vacation next week, and I've been reading a bit about it, but I'm not sure if I've got it all straight in my head. I've got a couple other projects to work on this week, and I don't need it to look professional, just good.

The gas tank is pretty messed up. There's some wierd paint on the top, some other areas that are painted grey and the S from "Suzuki" is still on one side. I'm guessing with all the crap on there I'll have to strip the existing paint. Is it better to use a sander (wet or dry?) or a chemical? How do I get the "S" off, and should I take those blue and grey strips off, or just paint over them? Once it's stripped, I need put on a primer and then a base coat? The sand again and another coat? color-rite.com  lists the black on the 2000 model as "Pearl Novelty Black (33J)" (my bike is actually a '90, but I couldn't find the color for that). Is that a standard color that any paint store'll have? Do I need special automotive paint? Do I need to use an airbrush, or are there other brushes?

The side panels are in good shape, but I want to paint them also so they'll match the tank and look newer. But since they're already painted I can just sand once and then put on a coat and be done, right?

Thanks

Yup, with that one I would strip it down and start fresh. Chemical strippers are the fastest way there are ones made for metal and plastic. Once you have it stripped, sand it with a 400 grit then apply primer, sand the primer with 600, then you are ready for your basecoat color, clearcoat after that.

iandunn if you chemically strip the tank, be carefull of the filler cap, as it will oxizize the alumnium finish on it, so cover it up and be carfull.

Also when you get it down to bare metal, purchase a "self-etching" primer, it has excellent adhesion to bare metal.

Goodl Luck[/b]

I would remove the cap all together, that way you don't have to fuss with being all careful.  It's only 4 screws that hold it on.  It looks like 8 but 4 of them are fake.  Then when you use the chemical stripper(Home Depot,  get the stuff in a spray can) stuff your girlfriends panties into the hole so the chemical stripper wont get in there.  That would be bad.

Thanks guys.

I'm not familiar w/ painting. Is there a specific primer or clear coat I should use? Or will anything work?

For the gas tank, should I put on more than one coat of black? But just one coat of primer and one coat of clearcoat, right?

For the side panels, all I'll need to do is
1) sand (what grit?)
2) base coat (how many times?)
3) clear coat

right?

once stripped....do like i said in my previous post...sand with 400...use a solvent degreaser and clean the surface good, then go over it with a tack rag....then apply primer, sand that with 600, wipe that with degreaser, then tack rag...apply basecoat.....coats...well that depends on the paint...some cover better than others....basically all you need is enough for even coverage...usually at least two good coats. For clearing....two-three good wet coats should be enough. A urethane base/clear system is best. Any local body shop paint supply will have it.

Hey Dom, what's so bad about a stripper in your GF's panties ? I have this great mental picture.................

Hey airbrush.. it's nice to have our own expert on the board! I'm about to paint my tank too, and I keep getting conflicting info on whether to sand or not before the clear coat... Maybe spray two or three base coats, sand w/ 800/1200 grit and then apply a couple more base coats before clear? I want to take my time on mine and make sure it looks awesome (well.. as awesome as a rattle can allows...)... so time/effort isn't really a concern.

trey

Any professional will tell you that you don't need more than one or two color coats before spraying your clear.  All the color coats do is provide color coverage.  Less is better because it takes less time to fully harden.  If you are painting your bike orange for instance, more orange coats won't make it any oranger.  The clear coats will give added depth to the paint, though.

I wouldn't do chemical strippers.  I would sand it down either by hand or with a dual-action sander, 400 grit, as mentioned.  Then use a paint prep solvent, a coat or two of primer, gentle sand, then color coat and clear.  If you make the color coats as thin as they should be, you'll probably need a few to get the color depth right.

Hey guys, thanks for all your help. I finally got everything finished today. I think it turned out pretty well.

After stripping the tank:


Tank done:


Side panels done:

Sweet...looks like a stealth bike.  I hope tp paint my tank in a camouflage pattern before the summer.  Needless to say i'll be looking for input.....  

I fabricated a tail rack and painted it a solid silver/aluminum...didn't look good so I tried a black rattle can that dries with a hammered texture.  I was surpised how good it looked.  I'm wondering what the hammered black look would do to a whole bike?  Too rustic?  The Home Depot also has it in red.  My bike is too new to repaint...but for someone needing a remodel...I was just wondering.

Quote from: juggernaughtSweet...looks like a stealth bike.  I hope tp paint my tank in a camouflage pattern before the summer.  Needless to say i'll be looking for input.....  

i was thinking about camo too... let me know how it turns out.