Painting Silver Engine Parts

[james]

Over the years I've made plenty of mistakes and learned new ways to do different things in regards to restoration.
Years back I painted my cylinders with Harley heatproof silver paint. Looked good, but if you had to do any cleaning with solvent or Brake kleen the paint melted off looking like crap.
What I do now that works well is to first have a beadblasted clean part. Cleaned with prep solvent and dried.
For example the oil pump body, cylinder jugs, exhaust pipes, whatever gets painted silver, not cad plated. Tape off what you don't want painted especially the oil pump body.
Paint the parts with Weld Through Primer. You can find it at a welding supply store or off the internet. I used U-POL Weld #2 Weld Through Zinc Primer.
After it sets up a little while spray the parts with Krylon High Heat & Radiator Paint color Aluminum. Internet also.
I usually bake the parts in the oven for about a hour at 250 degrees. My family just loves the aroma of fresh baked motorcycle parts.
After they cool down you have yourself some real nice looking silver parts that will hold up to just about anything except for scratching.
After I install the flexible exhaust shields on the pipes, I just scuff up the end of the pipe thats scratched up , tape off the cover and respray silver on the pipe.
You can see an example if you look at the gallery under 1952.
Use Krylon High Heat & Radiator Paint, Black on your Linkert body.

Now you guys give us one of your restore tips.

Happy motoring, Jim

[Cotten]

Jim!

I'm always looking for a better black for carbs, thanks!

Krylon must have changed their formulas over the years...
We certainly know the fuel has changed.

I was baking Aerogloss black over baked Variprime, but that's expensive and the gas eventually gets to it anyway.
For the last couple of years, I've resorted to VHT "self-priming" epoxy, but it has its limits as well.
So I must schedule a trip to the Big City to sample some Krylon, is the U-POL Weld #2 Weld Through Zinc Primer critical for carbs, too?

Thanks,

....Cotten

[FelthamW]

Hey Jim
I looked at your pics in the '52 gallery.
NICE bike! Nice work!

Do you know for a fact that the Krylon High Heat silver will pass A.M.C.A. muster? They told me and the forum agreed that OEM #98660-78 Heat Resistant Silver was correct to duplicate the "siliconized" silver of yesteryear.
But............I don't think the MoCo paint works well on header pipes and especially the "y" pipe. First time it bubbled up. Second time, not so much. I am after my senior first. Come on Eustis. I want to ride this bike! I am afraid I will have to re-paint it again come February - or keep it on the lift and trailer it (yuck).

By the way......NICE BIKE
Wayne

[james]

Jim!

I'm always looking for a better black for carbs, thanks!

Krylon must have changed their formulas over the years...
We certainly know the fuel has changed.

I was baking Aerogloss black over baked Variprime, but that's expensive and the gas eventually gets to it anyway.
For the last couple of years, I've resorted to VHT "self-priming" epoxy, but it has its limits as well.
So I must schedule a trip to the Big City to sample some Krylon, is the U-POL Weld #2 Weld Through Zinc Primer critical for carbs, too?

Thanks,

....Cotten

I painted my carb without the primer and it's holding up fine. The carb was super clean of course before painting. Plugged all the holes and taped things off.

[james]

Hey Jim
I looked at your pics in the '52 gallery.
NICE bike! Nice work!

Do you know for a fact that the Krylon High Heat silver will pass A.M.C.A. muster? They told me and the forum agreed that OEM #98660-78 Heat Resistant Silver was correct to duplicate the "siliconized" silver of yesteryear.
But............I don't think the MoCo paint works well on header pipes and especially the "y" pipe. First time it bubbled up. Second time, not so much. I am after my senior first. Come on Eustis. I want to ride this bike! I am afraid I will have to re-paint it again come February - or keep it on the lift and trailer it (yuck).

By the way......NICE BIKE
Wayne

I'm told yes, the color is right. So far it holds up real well. It's not glossy, kind of a dull aluminum. 1200 degrees of heat guard.
Super clean prep is the key. I bead blasted everything before painting.

I also use it as a touch up for cad parts with wrench marks. Now that's anal.
Spray some paint into a small cup and use a skinny brush, it works perfect.
You can't tell I cranked down on my manifold nuts, no marks.

Hey Wayne you owe us a tip! Pass them on...

jim

[FelthamW]

OK, James

In the same vein of touch up and paint (you aint that anal afterall..)

Testor's #1181 Aluminum is a spot on match for most of my cad on my bike. There is some that is different, but this works well and is available in a small 1/4 oz. quantity bottle.

Testors Model Master enamel Italian Red is a small 1/2 oz quantity match to OEM Pepper Red.

I use Testors #1147 enamel gloss black to hide the inevitable frame paint chips. Good match, can't tell without REALLY looking.

It seems that the old paint used years ago to paint my bike dried up in the cans, so these are all my second choices. Cheaper, too.

Wayne

[john HD]

here is my quick and dirty tip for silver jugs on bikes ridden in wet weather.

VHT silver hi temp with a WD 40 straw adapted to the nozzle allows spot touch up to inevitable rusty brown areas.

any overspray is cleaned immediately with a paper towel soaked with carb cleaner.

easier than masking off the whole motor or pulling the jugs for no other reason.

john

[FelthamW]

John,
I have done the exact same thing with H-D paint. I too hated to take apart a good top end for cosmetic reasons.
If I still had dem dang Total Seals in the Wild Child, none of this would have mattered. They would have always been looking good because I would be constantly taking it apart.
I consider my venture into Total Seal territory like the Velvet Touch fiasco....
PS: they didn't work too well on the stroker......... the smokin' ol' guinea pig that it was - at that time. It is perfect now.
Wayne