What did you do to your bike today?

[wyly]

Hi
Are you using 2pack paint or just auto acrylic for the clear coat?

auto base and clear...then I was advised by a decal shop to let it cure for a month before applying the decals, then sand the clear coat back, clean, apply decals, clean again and apply 4-5 coats two component Eastwood clear gloss ...and when it's all done wet sand until glows...

just finished putting on initial 4 clear coats on the cowl, tomorrow the tank...

I doubted my final color selection but my daughter who is a commercial artist assured me it works, the pin orange/gold stripes compliment the blue...the blue is darker than what shows on the monitor...

[wyly]

spent the day masking off the stripes and painting the tank, "Signal Blue"...

things I learned

-masking curved lines on a multi curved surface is a pain in the butt even with a oem example beside me to compare too.

-don't count on oem lines to be the same on both sides, trying to be precise by measuring with calipers revealed discrepancies up 3/16s

-I made a template that split the pin stripes between orange and gold, then centered that on the tank, close counts the pinstripe will cover any small errors

-use only masking tape for automotive purposes, the paper type work best, vinyl tape if left on to long can eat into the base coat.

[wyly]

today I applied the decals to my 2nd tank and cowl, or at least I started to...never done this before so I was hesitant to begin...after sanding back the clear coat I started with the center stripes, the tail went ok, the tank was frustrating
not an easy task getting those stripes straight running back and forth to the old tank (in the garage) with calipers trying to get it as close as possible...finally success!

then it was on to the side stripes on the cowl before I graduated to the most difficult part, the lower tank stripes ..after a few adjustments I got those applied, a hair dryer set on low helped bend then to the upper curve...but something looked odd/wrong but I attributed that to the new blue color...

on to the lower tank stripes!...the stripes are longer than oem so I took the first stripe to the garage to see how much would need to be trimmed off and realized then what seemed odd about the cowl stripe...SCM sent me the wrong decal kit! I had the red decal kit not the silver kit ...

I sent an email to Bert at SCM to see what he can do, if anything ...if not I may have to go without the side stripes on the tank and cowl(I pulled those off before they set for good) ...I was hoping to replicate the oem look except for the blue...

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Robert, can't imagine how frustrating all this must be for you.
I think i have about 1/4 the patience you have shown in getting this bodywork finished.
Keep at it, there are lots of us following your saga.

[Rick Pope]

Have you considered having the stripes painted on? That way you can choose colors to complement the blue. I did that when I did my yellow bike.

[wyly]

Have you considered having the stripes painted on? That way you can choose colors to complement the blue. I did that when I did my yellow bike.

I have but it's not inexpensive and I'm doing my best to keep the cost down and the mrs happy ...I've even looked into having a local decal manufacturer replicate the stripes in a different colors but they wanted a minimum group order $$$$...the least expensive option is still the various internet decal offers...the more I look at the color combination blue/black/orange/gold the more satisfied I am with the "Signal Blue", my daughter who chose the blue said it would have been better if the gold stripe was orange but it's still works...as with all paint selections it's subjective...

Bert at SCM came through for me and I didn't expect him to as it's been a long time since I placed the order and if I had read the box label I would've seen it was for a red cbx and I could've returned it...anyways he responded first thing today and is sending me the correct lower stripes...

[wyly]

Robert, can't imagine how frustrating all this must be for you.
I think i have about 1/4 the patience you have shown in getting this bodywork finished.
Keep at it, there are lots of us following your saga.

thanks for the encouraging words Steve, it always seem to be two steps forward and one step back but I'm slowly learning the ins and outs of bodywork and painting...

it'll be a couple weeks before my new stripes arrive from SCM so today I decided to repaint the front fender...it has lots of damage issues, a pos when I bought (overpaid) it but I made the best of it... the plastic was nearly ripped off the fork support rivets something I didn't see in the ebay photos, the crescent shae to left of the rivet was a tear in the plastic that kept opening up, I gouged it out with a dental pick and filled it with JBweld it seems to have done the trick..


I bought a used gas cap latch on-line as the 2nd tank didn't have one... although it was listed as from a cbx it wasn't(at least not a 79), it looked identical but on close inspection I saw the hinge was different, it wouldn't close over the cap or reach the latch and lock...so today with a little filing and an ugly attack with vice grips I adjusted it , it was either going to fit or I was going break it in the attempt...

[Syscrush]

Haha, JB Weld and "clearancing" stuff with vice-grips in one post!

[wyly]

Haha, JB Weld and "clearancing" stuff with vice-grips in one post!

JB weld has turned out to be a great substitute for a plastic welder...vice grips, yeah it was tool of last resort but it worked...sometimes you just gotta improvise ...

[wyly]

finished painting and clear coating fender, only a wet sand/polish remaining ...much improved...

only need to wait for my replacement decals to arrive now

budget wise I think I did okay...just a rough estimate for fuel tank, new tail cowl, fender, paint and materials about $650-675 usd + shipping costs...

rust free tank was a local find $150 usd...repro cowl $140...pos! fender $90...Decals $90...paint stuff $150-175ish...tank badges $15...gas tank latch $7.......JB Weld $10

[jnnngs]

Hi,

Spent the last few months restoring a Suzuki GT750B and have finally finished it:

20170207_121845.jpg

I expected it to take two months, took me four in the end but it looks pretty good now (it was originally red, but I think it looks better in black).

Back to the CBXs now, I have two in the garage which need restoring - will start on them later in the week.

Paul.

[cbxmel]

Very nice Paul. I had a gold 750M and a blue 750A. Loved them both and the smokescreen when I overtook anyone!!!

cheers Mel #1876

[sasquash]

Hi,

Spent the last few months restoring a Suzuki GT750B and have finally finished it:

Paul.

Paul, looks really nice. Well done.

Another confirmation of the talented people that hang out here.

peter

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Excellent work, Paul.

A blue '76 with Denco chambers and a port job from FBG.
Another one i wished i still had.

[wyly]

repaired a section of the tail cowl on my GS...with JB Weld!
is there anything JB Weld can't repair?

my 79 Perseus replacement decals arrived and now I'm hesitating putting them on, the Glory Red decals also look good with Signal Blue...and no lower stripes at all also looks okay ...I could put the Perseus decals on the OEM tail that's missing it's lower stripes, seems like an easy obvious choice...

before I realized the shipment error I had already applied the Glory Red tail cowl decals, so I removed them before they had no more than a couple of hours to set...they were no longer sticky but otherwise undamaged so I didn't toss them out...so today I laid them on wax paper and applied heat with a hair dryer, the heat appears to have reactivated the adhesive ...they seem to be firmly attached to their new wax backing...now I may have the option to reapply them if I think the Glory Red decals look better ... it's risky they could lift later after the clear is applied...I hate making color decisions ...