Fixing the fairings.........with pics

[ctandc]

Well, I've been sick that last couple of days. Felt halfway decent this evening, and since it warmed up, figured I'd work on the spare fairings I've accumulated. Plan is to get these fairings in shape, prep and practice with my new HVLP gun on 'em.

The LH fairing I'm working on is in good shape. A spot with some small cracks, and of course the big hole (I was informed it was a CA bike with the cooling fans for the carbs?)

So I popped some 120 grit discs on my trusty Ryobi orbital....

And it didn't do much AT ALL. I think I may have to go to 80 grit to get the "paint job" that's on these fairings sanded off. Looks like housepaint..

Damaged spot after 120 grit



The hole I will fill up (plastic welding material from a trashed fairing I have)



The paint I'm dealing with



After 120 on one part of the fairing




So...is 80 grit going to get this done or not?

IS there a plastic safe paint stripper I can use or not?

I'll update this thread as I go..

[Cheriff]

Can't help as I am a newb to this stuff. But I can feel your pain as I am in the middle of sanding and sanding and sanding and...

[Astro4x4]

Yikes, 80 is so harsh. Are ya wet sanding so paper doesn't clog and cuts fast? Not all sandpaper is created equal either. No need to go all the way down to plastic, just sand down into the base or the primer and paint away

[ctandc]

Well tried again tonight

Looks like the PO of these fairings used LATEX HOUSE PAINT!!!!


It peels off with sandpaper like a layer of plastic / rubber. After you get the layer of paint coming off, it sands easily to the lighter blue color underneath, then plastic if you go further.

80 grit made a SLIGHT dent.

I'll try 60 grit later this weekend...

Even tried it wet sanding...looks like 'lacquer check' until you get the blue paint coming off, then it sands normally.

I'm afraid of trying to paint over this stuff at all. So I'll keep at it I guess.

Any plastic-safe paint stripper out there I should try?

[md86]

I recall someone saying something about some kind of stripper on plastics ..... :

[Kreylyn]

Every paint stripper I know of will bubble the plastic as well. Sorry to say, sanding is your best option.

I also recomend staying higher grit than 180 anywhere near the plastic... if your set on using a rougher grit sandpaper for the old paint, switch as soon as you get past that layer.

Krey

[Astro4x4]

Ya, any paint stripper will eat plastic. Mojoe sand blasts them and that might be just the trick if ya got some funky latex or something on them.

[Irish]

Sanding

If your not carefull and hit the plastic with 80 you'll spend more time sanding out contanimated plastic.Denatured alcohol may be safe on plastics.It's safe on some plasticsIt won't remove paint but will prep for painting.
If it doesn't work let me know good luck

[ctandc]

Every paint stripper I know of will bubble the plastic as well. Sorry to say, sanding is your best option.

I also recomend staying higher grit than 180 anywhere near the plastic... if your set on using a rougher grit sandpaper for the old paint, switch as soon as you get past that layer.

Krey

Unfortunately...180 or 120 is NOT getting the outer layers of paint off.

Right now it's a dark blue outer, then a light blue, then what appears to be the original royal type blue.

I'm going to 60 grit. Once the outer paint comes off, going back to 120 will work fine. No sense in putting good product / time on top of this lously paint...

Once repairs are made I'll sand the entire panel in 180, then 320, then prime, then 400 wet, then base / clear. Rather spend the time now, than have to redo it later..

[GregS]

The plastics can take quite a bit of heat, you may be able to carefully use a heat gun. Sounds like the paint is the "one coat" type used by the "quick" and "cheap" paint places.

[Kreylyn]

The plastics can take quite a bit of heat, you may be able to carefully use a heat gun. Sounds like the paint is the "one coat" type used by the "quick" and "cheap" paint places.

Heat gun could very easily heat a spot up to around 400 degrees in a short time, which will make the abs soft and easily deformed.

There is a good chance you will mess it up doing this, unless you have had practice. The time added to "be careful" in using this would not save you any time.

Sanding is still the best option.

Krey

[ctandc]

FINALLY some time to work on the fairings...where did I leave off..oh yeah..

Well 60 grit by hand got it done. Turns out it was some type of clear coat. Unfortunately they painted right over previous sanding scratches..looked horrible. So I knocked down all the bad spots and most of the rubber like 'paint' is history. So tonight I figured I'd try my hand at repairing the fairings...this is great practice, since I've not got a nice, complete set that I can go to if these don't turn out..

So I ended up with a OEM LH fairing obviously from a CA bike...with the nice factory hole in the panel.



So I tried my hand at plastic welding. So I cut a piece to fill the hole from a scrap fairing



Shaved it down with the Dremel until it was close...



Hit it with the soldering iron, 'tacking' it in place so as not to work one spot too much, then keeping it going until it was solid and 'stitched' and melted together



Then did the same thing on the back side



While I was at it I welded a couple of cracks in other spots




Then after that was done, I applied some ABS cement on the back side of the repaired areas and set it out to dry.

Next up, sanding the repaired areas down and using some filler to make everything smooth before the primer..

[ctandc]

Well finally got some more time to work on the fairing prep...


Got the area around the patched hole filled in with Evercoat...as well as the other spots I welded together. Got it all sanded down to 360 dry, and it looks like I need one more skim coat of putty on one spot. Otherwise I'm VERY pleased how it turned out. We'll see what it looks like after primer and a guide coat..

Here's the LH fairing with the piece grafted in...



Here's the spot where the tab was almost broken off. Welded it up (both sides) backed the repair with ABS glue, sanded down, added putty and sand......



Gettin' ready for primer...on this piece anyway





I also fixed the broken original RH fairing. It busted off an entire piece at the top corner where the windscreen bolts up. Ended up finding the piece cleaning out my garage. Plastic welded it together, back the weld with some ABS cement, and roughed the paint side weld down with 80 grit in prep for some filler work.





Also had a couple of cracks and deep rash that I welded up..smoothed the front side with 80 grit in prep for filler work...again, reinforced the backside with ABS cement



Here's the entire fairing. This is the one I used a Preval to lay some Omni Silver base coat on... (no clear) just to see how the Preval worked..



Gettin' there....

[wyzat520]

Looks good, Ive done 3 bikes in the last two months. You should use 80 grit or anything less than 220. Ive been prepping everything with 320 if it was really rough, but mostly I just scuff with 500 then base over it. No need to go down to the plastic. You just need to get a scratch into the existing paint to adhere to basically.

I read somewhere up in the thread something about one shot cheap paint or something. Thats called single stage paint. Its not cheap and its got its pros and cons to basecoat/clearcoat. I personally think single stage paint looks deeper for solid colors.

anyway keep posting pics looks good.

[md86]

Damn dude , you make it sound so easy . I've been thinking about just taking all my plastic bits to someone to have them do for me . I SUCK at that sort of thing .