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?? I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I really like the 37 year old paint. Ed

NapalmZ wrote: well, im glad i haven't pressurized anything but the tires.

the more i look the more it looks like im going to need a body shop. ill be calling for quotes on Monday.

let's see, 12 after beer o'clock. hmm.

well, dry ice, a computer cleaner held upside down, a heat gun, and some hot glue were used in my ventures to no avail. hot glue got one dent after 2 hours and 6 sticks. my next venture was to be a manual hydraulic rod extender... but i decided that 5+ gallons of hyd oil exploding at work into an oily fragmentation device would not be healthy for my employment. or me.

i didn't try to press the dents out from the inside after watching youtube vids. the paint damage i saw scared me off of that idea.

650ed wrote: BTW, the guy that told you to use air isn't in your will is he? Ed

good point, ill be contacting my lawyer and get that fixed. damn you Matt, you just wanted my sweet as hell nerd computer and the 12 terabytes of... empty hard drive space

Don't be too hard on Matt. Jus let him know that nice try getting you on the Darwin Awards Show. I would have a go with painting your tank yourself. It is therapy and can be done with the basic of skills. Colorite has the correct kits and videos to give you a good idea what to do. Give it a try. Sides the only pressure is on you and wats in the can...

38 years of paint damage. if it weren't for the paint damage, the bike is gorgeous. the paint looks sexy as hell imo right after it gets a bath... if you ignore the damage.

i plan on joining a vintage bike club and i dont want an all original bike showing up with a butchered paint job.

planning on one of these if i decide to paint it. www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/air-comp...ompressor-67696.html

anybody know how who sells oem equivalent paint?

if i do paint and i cant find a perfectly matching color, ill put a sharp black and throw this on it before i clear coat for a high gloss finish.

www.fastdecals.com/shop/images/detailed/...image_32503_2860.jpg

www.colorrite.com/

HBKwaka wrote: www.colorrite.com/

could not find anything pre 1986. ill keep looking though.

thank you.

EDIT: been looking at how these bikes are painted. 4 coats of different colored translucent lacquered paints. the touch up work just seems too difficult for me. keeping it stock will require me to send it to a shop that specializes in lacquered paints for a strip, paint, and decal. i can do the prep but im not experienced enough to do the paint. however a high gloss black with custom decals under the clear coat seems like something i can do.

considering a poll thread. i dont want to butcher the paint but i have layers showing through that dont pick up on camera very well. i personally like gloss black and would love something that screams "this is mine" all over it. the good thing about paint is that it is always reversible. however oem decals will be hard.

so question of opinion, start a poll and ask the mob, strip and paint a custom sharp black gloss or metallic black gloss with tasteful decals, try to send it out for touch up, or strip and send it out to be completely redone as close to oem as i can get it.

as original as this bike is i still need to replace the tach, 2 damaged pipes, and the seat to have it tits. was planning on a corbin seat and trying to purchase pipes 1&2. the tach will be hard because i want to match the mileage.

all i want is to have the seat and paint aftermarket. my preference.

Damm Ed! that 650 is NICE!
Makes me miss my old one.
Sell me that tank!!!
Got any more?

When pressurizing something I use a air pressure regulator so you can control the pressure applied precisely!
It works great for finding leaks in turbos, boost tubes, intercoolers, and heat exchangers.
Would not recommend it for a gas tank.
Try the paintless guy first.

Don't chop up desirable models, it's just stupid.

gearheadmm wrote: Don't chop up desirable models, it's just stupid.

dont intend on chopping anything. between the paint damage, mismatched existing paint job, and the dents, im just considering scrapping the paint for something more to my style.

I would still use a second body set to make it your style, that probably isnt mismatched for some crazy reason a lot of kawasaki paintjobs dont match perfectly. You can set a few of the same model and color next to each other and they wont match. Go on the 2 stroke sites and get the debate of what color blue is right for an H2...

And yes, if I pressurize a tank to pop a dent out it's hooked up to a self bleeding pressure regulator and set to 5-10psi and safety measures taken (face shield etc in use) might be able to use an inflatable bladder to pop the dents out from the inside as well, but like I said KZ tanks are thick

gearheadmm wrote: Damm Ed! that 650 is NICE!
Makes me miss my old one.
Sell me that tank!!!
Got any more?

Don't chop up desirable models, it's just stupid.

Thanks for the kind words. Can't sell it; it's my "just in case the unthinkable happens" backup. Sorry I don't have more.

I agree 100% about not chopping up desirable models. To me, it makes more sense to buy one that's already been molested if you plan to cut on it. There are more of those available than there are survivors, and there's not much harm to be done if you modify one that has already been attacked with a hacksaw. Ed

650ed wrote:

gearheadmm wrote: Don't chop up desirable models, it's just stupid.

I agree 100% about not chopping up desirable models. To me, it makes more sense to buy one that's already been molested if you plan to cut on it. There are more of those available than there are survivors, and there's not much harm to be done if you modify one that has already been attacked with a hacksaw. Ed

im confused as to the term "chop up" i could understand its use for a modification such as hammering in the emblem mounts, but a new paint job seems to not fall into that category in this case simply because the paint has 20 years of sitting in a shop getting beat to hell which is the same reason the tank has dents.

floivanus wrote: I would still use a second body set to make it your style, that probably isnt mismatched for some crazy reason a lot of kawasaki paintjobs dont match perfectly. You can set a few of the same model and color next to each other and they wont match. Go on the 2 stroke sites and get the debate of what color blue is right for an H2...k

one of the original side covers fell off and was destroyed, the replacement came off a green bike and the set were painted an off brown. the covers do not match the rest of the paint at all.EDIT: this is evident if you look closely at the pictures.

Pressurizing the tank will distort it. The sides will want to fold out. I tried that method once on a tank and it was a nightmare.

I had a little success with one of those Harbor Freight dent removers on a 76 KX tank, but I was fighting a slight crease so it was never perfect. There are other paintless dent removers available that are more professional.

You can also send the tank out to someone who specializes in motorcycle tank dent removal.

But the air method is no bueno.