Tank painting options?

[thefox]

I need to paint the tank and forks on the 110. I priced out some ppg automotive paint and it is going to run $130 for the smallest amount they have (quart of clear, pint of base, reducer and hardener). What other options do I have? This is a project trike but I am not restoring it to showroom condition or anything. It must be done in something that is gas resistant. What do you use?

I have used NAPA auto-grade paint but wasn't impressed with the durability of the clear. I was also using my brother’s paint which he took when he moved in the summer. NAPA also couldn't cross reference the ppg paint code.

[SYKO]

napa grade? thats martin senour the same as sherwin williams, you may have been using the old econo body type clear.

One thing everyone needs to be made clear about, is that automotive paint IS NOT AS DURABLE AS THE FACTORY FINISH~!

unless you use uncommon products such as rock clear or epoxy paint wich puts the price of refinishing at tank at the same level as buying a NOS TANK.

put it this way if you drove your car through the woods wouldnt it get scratched? same thing applies to a gas tank, if you go mud boggin and theres mud smashed up against your tank and your legs then its going to get scratched, am I right?

Repowdercoating woudl be great on a tank unforutunatly during their long lives the tanks sustain damage wich withough body work is hard to fix unless you got alot of time and alot of custom tools.

I have a martin senour code for the red its the closest red I have found, it was scanned off a near mint tank a year or two ago, I will PM this information if you want it.

[thefox]

Could you send me tha paint code? I ised the GM super red last time and it was close but not close enough.

[SYKO]

It will be tomorow I have it in my shop, but I will get it to you.

the code can be cross referenced in all martin senour paint products.

[thefox]

So... how about the paint code?

[Shawn72]

You could also use a single stage automotive paint. Not quite as shiny, but very good and about half the cost.

[SYKO]

im sorry fox I forgot I will post it in the morning.

and shawn single stage can be much smoother and glosseir then even the best clear coats, many hot rods are single stages that are buffed to a near glass shine, and done much easier then basecoat/clear.

[Shawn72]

im sorry fox I forgot I will post it in the morning.

and shawn single stage can be much smoother and glosseir then even the best clear coats, many hot rods are single stages that are buffed to a near glass shine, and done much easier then basecoat/clear.

Yeah, I've always had great luck with it. As long as I don't get lazy with the sanding process.

[thefox]

Is the single stage gas resistant?

How does it stack up durability wise?

[SYKO]

neither single stage or basecoat clear is gas resistant (solvent resistant) its durable so a spill wont instantly harm it, but if its fresh yes gas can harm it. and if you let gas sit on it a while it can harm it.

and for durability neither paint can stack up against the original finish, like I said if you take your car through the woods wont it get scratched up? same thing applies here. Dont expect it to be as strong as the original finish, if you want durability you want to have it powdercoated or use an epoxy paint (wich iis hard to get now) or a rock clear (wich is very expensive-bordering on a new tank cost wise) and its not user freindly meaning if you dont know what your doing you can ruin it and be out of alot of money.

you can paint it single stage then let it dry for a week resand and then clear it, what will happen then you can have 2 layers of hard coats instead with basecoat clear, the base being a soft coat and the clear being a hardcoat, its a bit more durable that way, but sometimes prone to chipping.


here you go for paint code
everyone so far agrees this is a good match for the red

martin senour crossfire single stage (can be cross referenced for tech line as well)
58471
MAGMA RED








.

[Shawn72]

neither single stage or basecoat clear is gas resistant (solvent resistant) its durable so a spill wont instantly harm it, but if its fresh yes gas can harm it. and if you let gas sit on it a while it can harm it.

and for durability neither paint can stack up against the original finish, like I said if you take your car through the woods wont it get scratched up? same thing applies here. Dont expect it to be as strong as the original finish, if you want durability you want to have it powdercoated or use an epoxy paint (wich iis hard to get now) or a rock clear (wich is very expensive-bordering on a new tank cost wise) and its not user freindly meaning if you dont know what your doing you can ruin it and be out of alot of money.

you can paint it single stage then let it dry for a week resand and then clear it, what will happen then you can have 2 layers of hard coats instead with basecoat clear, the base being a soft coat and the clear being a hardcoat, its a bit more durable that way, but sometimes prone to chipping.


here you go for paint code
everyone so far agrees this is a good match for the red

martin senour crossfire single stage (can be cross referenced for tech line as well)
58471
MAGMA RED









.
Does that code wok for 81-82Rs also SYKO? Just finished my 82R but it's a shade off. Tried matching it at the paint shop. Mistake.

[SYKO]

its the closest thing I found that works all around, since most of our trikes have newer maire fenders and such, this red is almost spot on. It may appear to be a bit brighter, but after 25 years you think your tank looks anything like it did when its new?

What I have found for colors is the closest general white and red, I had to make this clear in my tank thread that this is not a spot on OEM match but the closest thing, also Its not a perfect restoration. I only want to charge enough to make the tanks look good enough to make an ugly rider look better again, im not going for 100% resto here. Just trying to help out... apparently it seems everyone wants them to be 200% perfect for the price I generaly give out, its starting to become a bit aggrivating.

[thefox]

Thanks for the code Skyco, that is a big help. It not going on a perfect resto, just a nice refresher.

I'm not going to something that is powder coat tough, I was just surprised that the clear scratched as easy as it did (on my motorcycle as well). It still held up better then spray paint and looks allot better but I figured I would check to see if there was something better out there.

The 2 part martin senour worked well on my bike tank and is gas resistant enough for me. I will stop by the NAPA paint store this week and price out / buy 2 or 1 part paint tonight.