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Message started by voldigicam on 07/09/09 at 09:10:56

Title: Painting aluminum engine parts
Post by voldigicam on 07/09/09 at 09:10:56

I have corrosion on the covers either side of the engine. All that shiny aluminum stuff. The bike is black frame, black tank. I was thinking going gloss black high temperature paint on those covers might be really nice looking. Anyone done this? I'd be sure to chip the paint eventually, but that looks nice, too.

In the alternative, I could polish out the corrosion. Best system?

Or put up with it.

Title: Re: Painting aluminum engine parts
Post by verslagen1 on 07/09/09 at 09:32:13

There's a clear coat you'll need to strip off if you want to repolish.
Aircraft stripper works great.

Title: Re: Painting aluminum engine parts
Post by Oldfeller on 07/09/09 at 10:39:00

Yoda approved "cheap and good" aluminum case polishing (not!)

When recovering an old bike with crudded up polished aluminum cases, Yoda taught me to sand the covers with 320 grit wet or dry paper (wet) until I have removed all surface irregularities on the remaining clear coat and blended the edges of the clear coat to the now roughed up aluminum. It is not necessary to sand off all the clear coat, just remove the oxidized outer part and blend in the rest of the edges where the clear coat chipped away.

I then go to the car wheel detailing area and buy a big can of silver metal flake wheel paint. HINT: take a cover with you to help you decide on which of the 10 shades of silver metallic you are going to use.

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/Paint1.JPG

Using masking tape, tape off the cover from everything else and shoot it in several light coats, building up to a finish coat that is deep and lustrous.

You don't have to take the bike apart if you pick the right tone of silver to match the weathered uncoated barrel and case castings, and yes, you can paint right over the screw heads if you spray them clean with carb cleaner.

Here is a set of side covers done this way that has over a year of use on it now. Obviously, you can do a better job if you take everything apart, but a perfectly acceptable job can be done with the bike fully assembled. Note that I masked the pipes and painted around them, so that too isn't an insurmountable obstacle.

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/Right2.JPG

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/Left2.JPG

Title: Re: Painting aluminum engine parts
Post by voldigicam on 07/09/09 at 11:17:45

Fabulous!!!! That is precisely the kind of information that I need. I can do this!!!! I've even shot wheels before. Don't know why I didn't think of it!

That actually explains the corrosion. The clear over aluminum always seems to do that. Anodization makes so much more sense.

I was thinking black because the adjacent case is black. But silver will do better. It's a utility bike anyway, but I want it to look nice.