how to make my motor look like that KZR bike at the top

I am planning on painting my motor soon. I am going to do gloss black engien paint. My plan is to take the aluminum covers off and polish them, and then paint the case and clyinder head black.

I have been admiring the looks of that motor on that Z on KZR's webpage up at the top. I want to make mine look like that one

How do I make my fins like that ? Ive heard of block sanding the fins - is that what they did on that motor ? The edges look thick - did they sand alot down ?

Also, I've been thinking of finding some chrome engien bolts - my stainless steel ones arent looking that great. Any ideas ?

dan76kz900 wrote:

...How do I make my fins like that ? Ive heard of block sanding the fins - is that what they did on that motor ? The edges look thick - did they sand alot down ?

That's exactly how it's done - start with 220 wet on a block. How much you take off is up to you - you can give it a "fine line" look, or sand 'em back to their full thickness. Once you get to the desired line thickness, go to 400, then 600, then 1000 grit papers - then finish with Simichrome or Blue Magic or whatever polish makes you happy...

The finish on the '73 Z1 inner cases, jugs, heads and valve cover wasn't gloss - it was satin-flat. PJ's sells a hi-temp rattlecan version. And once you paint 'em - BAKE 'EM at 200-250' in an oven for at least an hour - sets the paint and gets rid of girlfriends, groupies and wives in a big hurry as a side benefit... :sick:

you might want to start with a coarse double cut file and get things roughed into shape before you start blocksanding.:whistle:

wireman wrote:

you might want to start with a coarse double cut file and get things roughed into shape before you start blocksanding.:whistle:

That's true, you can, but using *that* kind of artillery, you can get into "oops" territory pretty quickly. Especially if swinging a double-cut ain't part of your everyday existence. Everybody's mileage varies...

I did my covers with metal polish and a buffing wheel on a bench grinder. I painter my jugs and cases simi-gloss black and did the fins by hand starting with 80 grit then i50.
Mark




Post edited by: Mark Wing, at: 2006/05/19 03:21

Oh, so they did sand down alot on that motor in the picture. Hmm.. maybe I'll do it. My idea was to paint first then sand.

Mark: Looks good ! I plan to sand my covers 400, 800, 1500 then hit it on the buffing wheels with tripoli then rogue compound

Any idea for the bolts, anyone ??

dan76kz900 wrote:

Oh, so they did sand down alot on that motor in the picture. Hmm.. maybe I'll do it. My idea was to paint first then sand.

That's how it's done - paint first. Saves a couple of steps...

Any idea for the bolts, anyone ??

Keep an eye on Ebay - there's generally a set of some type of gizmo bolt set listed - and there's always the usual Z1 Enterprises, Ron Ayers, etc...

id get them close first before you paint them,then fine tune afterwards that way you dont have to worry so much about banging up the paint.

Sorry to dig up such an ancient thread, but is it at all feasable to hand paint (with a brush) the fins? Or does the whole thing really need to be taken apart and sprayed? Or perhaps everything else on the bike can be masked up/covered and spray them with the bike on the centerstand?

Sorry, I am fully aware that I am a noob with this kind of thing. Just love the black fin look

Robjb84 wrote:

Sorry to dig up such an ancient thread, but is it at all feasable to hand paint (with a brush) the fins? Or does the whole thing really need to be taken apart and sprayed? Or perhaps everything else on the bike can be masked up/covered and spray them with the bike on the centerstand?

Strictly speaking, sure you can - but one thing to keep in mind is whether the results will be worth it. When it comes to appearance, there's no such thing as a free lunch, and 5 minute shortcuts invariably come out looking worth just about every minute spent in prep/application.

I can think of about a dozen ways to shortcut the process, and a couple of dozen reasons why even if it was done by someone of even moderate experience, it'd start looking like hell in a hurry.

There's sure to be at least half a dozen shorcuts suggested, some of which are even do-able, and even somewhat effective in the short term - but there's reasons why they're shortcuts to begin with.

The biggest problem here is metal prep - aluminum is dodgy enough to get paint to stick to when properly prepped - just slathering it on with a brush is asking to see strips of your new paint peel off in the next breeze.

Learn to do it right, and the reasonable shortcuts become obvious.

Sorry, I am fully aware that I am a noob with this kind of thing. Just love the black fin look

No problem there; everybody starts out like that - but just like decent paint jobs, there's very few *valid* shortcuts to experience.

Well in that case do I somehow need to get the engine out of the frame and I assume I can pull apart the particular fin section?

I guess my worst fear is attempting something like that and unknowingly ruining something

I came across a polishing product called Mr. Buffer. I found it on a Voyager site, and they all swear by it. These Voyager people are SERIOUS engine polishers, and they claim great results with Mr. Buffer.
I couldn't find it in my area, so I ordered a bottle ($12.99 plus shipping) from their web page.
I'm told that if you start with a smooth aluminum surface, that it'll take it to a mirror finish faster than anything. And it leaves some kind of protective coating so it stays shiny.
Here's the link:
www.mrbuffer.com/
Anyone ever try this stuff?