Painting and plating
On the premise that you now have a bike broken down to its component parts, you’ll presumably be wanting to crack on?
At this juncture the VJMC would respectfully suggest that you take stock of what you have in boxes, bags and strewn all across the shed floor. If anything is worn out, broken or badly repaired it’ll need sorting before the rebuild begins. Start a list now of what’s likely to need attention. Inspect the frame of the bike carefully and make sure it’s not corroded badly to the point of being dangerous; most frames are fine but a few can rot out badly. If anything needs to be replaced this is a job for experts, not your mate down the pub who happens to own a welding machine. Your life depends on the integrity of any welded repairs so use an acknowledged specialist who you know can do the job properly.
If we make the leap of faith that nothing is too badly damaged then it’s time to start farming out the jobs that are beyond your skill set. A decent paint job is the making of a restoration and any bike painter worth his salt will have a waiting list. Before committing to any one painter ask around, check out forums, speak to fellow owners and get a feel for the quality of several people’s work. If your bike is finished in candy paint confirm whether your chosen sprayer is comfortable with this type of finish. Most who spray older Japanese iron are fine with candy, but the guys doing the more modern classic may not be. Get the panels and whatever else you want painted boxed up and to the man that can all in one hit; if you drip feed the work you run the risk of the panels not matching. Agree both a price for the work and a return date, then stick to it. If the job overruns get a commitment as to when you’ll get your receive your freshly painted parts or demand them back and look elsewhere. Do not accept shoddy work, mismatched colours, misplaced graphics or orange peel paint; you’re paying for the work and it needs to right. Once it’s safely back home, store it well out of harm’s way until you are ready to fit it.
Japanese motorcycles were made down to a set price to ensure commercial viability, and many of the fixings used had but a cursory flash of protective plating. A lot of this on the earlier machines was done in cadmium, a finish now outlawed due to environmental and safety issues. Now, the normally accepted alternative is to opt for zinc plating and it’s what 99% of the top restorers go for.
Again, get expert input as to who is the best at plating bolts, washers and the like. It might come across as anal, but many a potentially good resto has been ruined by poor plating. Some platers will strip and prepare the parts for you while others will expect you to do it. If it’s the latter, then a gentle immersion in some brick acid followed by a rinse in cold water then a session with a rotary metal brush should do the job fine.
Always double check brackets etc. are steel via a magnet, or risk seeing your rare parts fizz away to nothing… this columnist once nearly lost vital brackets to a rash assumption!
Platers who fit bike parts as part of commercial work are probably best avoided. Such businesses won’t really worry too much if they lose the odd bolt for J. Bloggs and Co. who can easily replace them, and the same mindset will apply to your irreplaceable parts. Ideally you want each of your fixings individually wired for zinc plating, but some firms will use a process known as basket tumbling. As long as you get everything back it really isn’t too much of a worry. Make sure you itemise everything before handing it all over, and check it all in when it’s finished.
The top-end platers will even ask you if you want the various parts coated in various different finishes post-plating. It’s nice to have the option but make sure you know what you’re asking for, i.e. bright zinc, yellow passivate etc.
And now to the most expensive and potentially contentious part of any restoration… chrome plating. This process generally has the longest lead time so get all the items off as soon as possible. Some chromers will, for a price, repair dents in silencers and the like but many don’t want the extra work this entails. If your chromer won’t sort out the road rash on that silencer you may have to get it de-chromed, repaired and then ask him to plate it. If this is the case discuss what he wants to plate over; normally it’s weld but some will plate over brazing. Be sure to explain you still want to see the manufacturer’s markings on bolt head, silencers etc. if this is important to you. Once something has been polished away it can’t be recovered. Once done store safely ready for the rebuild.
In next month’s column, we look deeper into frames and fittings.