Any Paint Experts

Gary in NJ

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I know this isn't FZ related...but there are some very smart people on this forum and I'd like to tap into the knowledge base here.

I'm finishing a DRZ400 Street Tracker project. I had the bike ride-able for a few months but I had an extensive punch list to address. I'm literately bolting the final pieces onto the bike (just in time for it to sit in my garage for 3 months of winter) during the Christmas break.

The major fabrication for the Street Tracker was adapting a fuel tank from a mid-70's Suzuki TS125 onto a modern DRZ. It required welding bosses/mounting points onto the DRZ frame and brackets onto the TS tank. My buddy who did the welding for me got a little over zealous on one of the brackets and heated the tank to the point where the pristine 40+ year old paint (it's a NOS tank - never used until I got it) bubbled. I've attached a photo of the damage.

I don't want to repair the damage (it's on the underside of the tank and completely unnoticable) because I fear I will only make it worse, but I do want to keep it from propagating and flaking. Can anyone offer advice on how I might save the paint from further damage? The photo of the bike was in its pre-finished condition. The tail section has now been fabricated.
 

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Motogiro

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I would feather edge sand the damaged area which should eliminate the loose paint. There is a masking trick called a roll. You mask the part where the radius is so that the paper is as it is going to cover the area to actually want to paint. Then you flip the paper back toward the area you want to protect and as you do that it creates a roll (at the radius) with the paper and the tape, This eliminates a sharp tape line.
Prime the bare area going lighter with paint toward the roll and then your color...

You might find this technique in a search and I think it may also be a lost technique from the old body shop days of painting on surface and blending at angled parts of panels.

By the way Gary, that bike is beautiful!!!!
 

Gary in NJ

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Great advice. I found a few YouTube videos on soft roll taping. I’ll be using that for sure. Once sanded and taped, I plan to use my mini HVLP gun to hit it with primer and then enamel paint. Lucky it’s at an invisible part of the tank, but if I do nothing it will corrode and the paint loss will grow.
 

FinalImpact

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As Cliff said, sand it back beyond the obvious damage to where the paint is solid. You can do a hard line onto the good paint and then feather the two with say 400 grit removing the edge and giving an area of overlap to be painted. Unless using hardened (two part primers), primer can not be left in the elements for extended periods as moisture will pass right through it and rust can begin before it gets paint. THIS does not sound like something you will be sitting on so it should be fine.

Obvious things I'm sure you know are no fingers on bare metal, use an in line dryer on your sprayer, do everything you can on low humidity days and all that jazz.

Do the rolled tape experiment on something you don't care about and practice a wee bit before the tank. The depending on the gun and air volume, the tape can be back much further than most would think. Just no heavy hands and take your time. Four thin layers over time is way better than the runs!

Good luck and PM us if you need something more. I used to paint doing repairs, blends, completes and all of that.
 

FinalImpact

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Also, that bike looks Awesome!!! That will be a joy to ride!

Edit: lets do a test on the new software....
drz-street-tracker-jpg.73304
 
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