Painting Help... Aluminum...

Hey guys, I hate to just give my ideas away ( ) But, Im going to try and paint my swingarm. Part because it is scratched (fkin doofus who had it b4 me) and part because it will bring the bike together, instead of having a few parts still looking stock alum. Anyways, have any of you painted aluminum before? Got any tips for me? I plan on sanding it down with a fine paper and shooting it with rattle can. Im going to use a primer first (of course) then my color coats, then probably try an enamal on top of that, think it will work?

Also... Should I attempt to pull my swingarm off before I paint, or should I pull the rear wheel and what little bits I can, and then tape the rest. Either way its going to suck, cause Im not sure how to pull the swingarm... I know Ill have to tether the bike up so as to keep the rear end off the ground without anything else to hold it up...

ANY, and I mean ANY painting tips (or swingarm removal) will be GREATLY appreciated. thanks for any help


Chris

bring it to a pro. personally i wouldnt touch the swingarm. looks beautiful already

I agree... I like the un finished look. But if you don't, I understand changing it. That's a cubic butt ton of work just to spray a little paint. I'd take it to a pro because aluminum, or any metal for that matter, needs to be finished properly and treated so the paint will stick right. I mean... it'd suck to do all that work and watch it flake off in a year.

i wouldn't even attempt to paint it myself. and it definately needs to be removed before anything is done. hit up TRGcoating on here or look through the threads devoted to them. they have quoted people $85 for a swingarm. IMO, thats a cheap price to pay to ensure it gets done right.

That still leaves taking the swingarm off... I dont have a place to store my bike minus a swingarm while its out... And the reason I want to do it is to get rid of the scratches. i would love to re-do the whole bike, but thats a lot of work/money. 85 bucks doesnt sound too bad, how would I ship somethin like that? thats nuts... anyway, thanks for the replies guys


Chris

You can`t rush these things mate, you`ll end up having a half assed job and want to redo again. Find a friend or relative`s place where you can store the bike. And take the swingarm off, shortcuts are just that shortcuts, you`ll end up seeing unpainted surfaces left and it`ll crack you up. I`d also consider coloured powder coat, you can get some really nice finishes these days.

If you have rearsets that don`t fold up like the originals an easy way to store the bike is to get some A stands and put one under each peg. This will raise the rear so you can get the swingarm out and support the bike while the swingarm`s off.

dude you totaly need to powder coat your swingarm. it would look sick also ive seen how they powder coat metal its a crazy process and its alot stronger than regular black paint.

OK... Now... what happens if I dont have the money to send it off to get powdercoated? Im in the middle of trying to get out of this hell-hole of a town, and Id like to save as much as possible (hence the do it yourself approach to begin with.) What do you guys think about the paint-in bed liners for trucks... think that'll work? Only thing is I think thats like 50 bucks a quart... sooo... would be worth it prolly to actually send it in and get it powdercoated... but like I said, i dont really have anything I can store my bike with without a swingarm. I might be able to jimmy-rig something in one of our sheds to hold it... but man... How long does it take to send it and get it back... do you guys know? Thanks for all the help so far, sorry im such a pain in the ass, but Im kinda tight on money now, but I just cant stand looking at those scratches. They arent bad, but I KNOW they are there, you know?

anyways, thanks guys, any and all help is appreciated

quote:

ORIGINAL: BlindLOKI

OK... Now... what happens if I dont have the money to send it off to get powdercoated? Im in the middle of trying to get out of this hell-hole of a town, and Id like to save as much as possible (hence the do it yourself approach to begin with.) What do you guys think about the paint-in bed liners for trucks... think that'll work? Only thing is I think thats like 50 bucks a quart... sooo... would be worth it prolly to actually send it in and get it powdercoated... but like I said, i dont really have anything I can store my bike with without a swingarm. I might be able to jimmy-rig something in one of our sheds to hold it... but man... How long does it take to send it and get it back... do you guys know? Thanks for all the help so far, sorry im such a pain in the ass, but Im kinda tight on money now, but I just cant stand looking at those scratches. They arent bad, but I KNOW they are there, you know?

anyways, thanks guys, any and all help is appreciated

just totally my one sided opinion. i would not do it unless you have the time, money, and place to do it right the first time. scratches add character. they suck but it obviously isn't affecting the rideability of the bike. i say leave it alone for now and wait to do it right the first time. and you can always contact TRGcoating (or any other powdercoating company) and ask them how long it would be from shipped to received. i would also recommend new bushings for the swingarm. and that will only add more money to the job. and stay away from that truck bed coating stuff. i use it on my footpegs on my atv. it looks like crap but its like a rubberized coating. so non slip surface. and you dont need that for your swingarm.

thanks for the advice nine... I should prolly wait... I just wish it was done, lol. there are so many things that if I had the $$$, I could make it look soooo tight, but I dont, so i sit and ponder and come up with this stuff lol.

anyway... why new bushings? should I do the same for the front at the same time? are they going bad already?

Powder coat it. You can buy a kit for around a $100 and just bake it in the oven. Don't get caught by the wife though. Something about motorcycle parts in the oven upsets most girls.

quote:

ORIGINAL: BlindLOKI


anyway... why new bushings? should I do the same for the front at the same time? are they going bad already?

no. they shouldn't be bad but i would replace them while its off. then it would be that much longer before they do go bad. go with all new stuff and eliminate the possible problems down the road. not necesary but something that i have always done.