paint question

[Bill Conquest]

Can anyone advise me on what paint to use to re-paint the engine casing, actually it's the starter casing, around the bmw stamped lettering - the black background part?
Thanks, Bill Conquest .. also, what about the frame paint?

[Motu]

Black paint - the blacker the better.

[Bill Conquest]

Thanks,Motu - should it be a heat sensitive paint & flat, semi or gloss?
thanks, Bill

[montmil]

Bill, I know you're in the Dept of the Hawaiians but perhaps there's an Ace hardware in town.

I have found the Ace store-brand Premier rattle can Semi-Gloss Black -not flat black- to be a dead ringer color for the R65 chassis.

I would also recommend the semi-gloss black, preferably in a heat resist, for the top case. That said, I have repainted the rocker boxes on my R65s using the same can as the chassis paint. They have remained in pristine condition w/o using heat resist paint.

Also something to consider when repainting the case... Masking the BMW logo plate would be a major PITA and would still likely result in less than desirable results.

What I have done is, before spraying the case, have handy some lacquer thinner and a small. fine woven towel. Shoot the case and let the paint cure a bit.

Wrap the towel around a small piece of wood, dampen the towel with the thinner -not soaking, damp- and wipe off the paint on top of the lettering. You can achieve great results if you do not allow the thinner to trickle into the lower regions. Several light swipes will give you good results.

Post up a photo when it's done. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Monte

[nhmaf]

I've used POR-15 "Black Velvet" hi temp paint - used for engines and exhaust systems.   It is almost flat black though, which I am not so happy about.   The starter cover and other engine bits (not exhaust system) doesn't get THAT hot, so the hi-temp paint is probably overkill.

I did something like Monte did, but I actually just used some medium grit sandpaper wrapped around a wood block and it worked great on giving the bare alloy "BMW" letters on black background look.

[Bill Conquest]

Thanks for the good ideas you guys...I was wondering how to tape over the insignia -glad not to do it! Yes, we do have an Ace here on the outpost of Kauai but it only has a thatched roof & things get a little damp....  
Bill

[nhmaf]

Forgot to mention, my wife and I LOVED visiting Kauai while we were in Hawaii, years ago.  Somewhere around here I've got a patch from the Westernmost Harley-Davidson dealer in the US on that island.   They didn't have a single bike in the (admittedly quite small) shop.  Lots of leather doo-rags, though..   I think that I've finally wore out my "Red Dirt" shirt!

[DamanC]

Hey! I'm thinking of doing this myself... What kind of prep did you do to the case, or did u just paint over the old black?  I have 300 grit that i was about to rough it up with.

[Bill Conquest]

I havn't done it yet.. can't find Ace brand semi- gloss. They have either gloss or flat - i guess it'll be the gloss. ...Nhmaf - better get back over here for a new red dirt t-shirt..& give me a call when you do!
Bill

[Lucky_Lou]

Hey! I'm thinking of doing this myself... What kind of prep did you do to the case, or did u just paint over the old black?  I have 300 grit that i was about to rough it up with.

I would think 300 would be too fine, i got most of the old paint off with a steam cleaner and stripper gel.
I to had more than one attempt at getting the bmw logo "right" in the end i roughly masked it then finished off the edges with my trusty Dremil, the only mistake was not using High Temp paint which i will use when i do it again.
Lou  

[Red_Hen]

I suggest you buy the Black Velvet from POR online - get it shipped.  It's an amazing product.  You can brush it on and after two coats, you won't see brush marks.

I bought a soda blaster from Harbor Freight and blasted off the old chipped black paint.  When you paint it by hand, use a fine brush to paint around the BMW letters.  If need be, you can use find sandpaper to get any paint off the letters.

[fbenach]

Very good tips Mr. Montmill!!!
I was also wandering how to not-paint the BMW letters and ribs...

Anyone with a sample of a well-painted engine? My black parts are almost gone and I cant seem to find a good picture on how the black parts should be when finished...

Thank you out there!!
fdo.

[Red_Hen]

Here's a photo of mine:

http://gallery.me.com/kentuvman#100007/P1000085&bgcolor=black

[Mike V]

Bill,

Lots of good recommendations.  I used Krylon High Heat BBQ paint on the timing chest ribs.  Took a lot of prep work with Dremel tool and sandpaper.  I used some 1/8" drafting/mapping tape to mask the ribs which helped a lot, then after paint and tape removal i ran a sanding block with scotchbrite pad to clean-up and detail.  It's holding up very well.  Be sure to clean any paint surface beforehand very well and leave no residue behind.

http://tinyurl.com/66vls9l

For the top cover, valve covers, and air box; I had powder coated.  Turned out better than I expected and seems to be holding up well to heat and miles.

[soliecirc]

Just completed my low budget version of this project. I'm happy with the results and didn't have to spend too much time or $$$$. Ordered the Black Velvet POR 15 online, purchased rustoleum high heat silver for the "ribs" from home depot along with some cheap brushes. Don't think the look is in line with how it was originally produced for the '86 but I like the look none the less. When I bought the bike it already had some black but was "aged" and peeling. Just wanted to clean it up a bit.

http://www.suraklyn.com/r65_forum_gallery/index.php?cat=12783

hope the link works. Photos in coppermine. If the link doesn't work you can search the coppermine website: Soliecirc 1986 r65