Up and running again..

C

copperhead

Member
Finally got my '79 back together and out on the road again. Never expected to end up doing all I did. My plan was to put some new tires on and check all the other stuff over. Yeah...Here's what I ended up doing. New tires/tubes, new chain, new tapered steering bearings(what a difference), new sprockets, new brake shoes, new clutch disks & springs, new points & condensor, new engine and plug guard, "new" heel/toe shifter, painted rims and case covers. Haven't added it all up yet..not sure I really want too.:eek:

The biggest thing I did, which I never intended to do, and probably will have some of you cringing...I rattle canned the whole bike using various rustoleum enamels and high heat paint.. Rims and cases got VHT wheel paint. I did some fairly detailed prep and masking...and closely matching the original colors helped. It's far from perfect, but I'm happy with how it came out. It's only going to be a rider for me anyway. I had some rust I wanted to address, and I just couldn't get the bike to clean up very well. IMO it looks a heck of a lot better than it did. First day out already drew a lot on attention. We'll see how well the paint job holds up. Few more things left to do..new rear shocks, rear rack, changing out signals and a some other odds and ends. Anyhow...here she is..

IMG_5362.JPG IMG_5363.JPG
 
6

69ST

Well-Known Member
Oh yes...the ever-popular "mission creep". Every true gearhead understands this concept. Looks very nice. As for the cringeworthiness, I'm not seeing it...or envisioning it. Fact is, it's possible to get some outstanding results using single-stage enamels, as long as the prep is good. The later (K3-up) solid colors are restorer-friendly. And, paint has a saving grace that many do not realize...it can be removed & redone, pretty much any time and multiple times.

Only thing that sorta jumps-out, visually is the wrinkled HL ear. That's an all-too-common issue with the K3-`79 bikes. If you keep a can of the same yellow paint you used, you can always respray another HL ear, if you find one that's intact. Or, you could one day restore the existing set. Either way, a fully-repainted frameset is within reach without having to redo the entire fraemset.
 
C

copperhead

Member
:LOL:
racerx said:
Oh yes...the ever-popular "mission creep". Every true gearhead understands this concept. Looks very nice. As for the cringeworthiness, I'm not seeing it...or envisioning it. Fact is, it's possible to get some outstanding results using single-stage enamels, as long as the prep is good. The later (K3-up) solid colors are restorer-friendly. And, paint has a saving grace that many do not realize...it can be removed & redone, pretty much any time and multiple times.

Only thing that sorta jumps-out, visually is the wrinkled HL ear. That's an all-too-common issue with the K3-`79 bikes. If you keep a can of the same yellow paint you used, you can always respray another HL ear, if you find one that's intact. Or, you could one day restore the existing set. Either way, a fully-repainted frameset is within reach without having to redo the entire fraemset.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comments..but hey! that wrinkled headlight ear IS restored..:LOL: That thing was pretty mangled. I knew it was beyond my capability to really fix it, so I just "manipulated" it enough so the the signal stalks were somewhat straight. Doubt I'll be able to snag any good real ones, so I'm looking at other options down the road. I may just pull them again this fall and attack them again with some body filler. As to the body paint, I probably tried about 8 different OTC yellows trying to match the original. The winner based on my old eyes ended up being Rustoleum gloss enamel "Tuscan Sun". Here's a picture of the rear fender I used for matching. About 1/3 of the left end is the Tuscan Sun..the rest is the original.
fender.jpeg
 
OLD CT

OLD CT

Well-Known Member
Looks good copperhead. It doesn't matter now but did you try school bus yellow before choosing? Ford Grabber yellow would be another choice.
You blacked out the 70 in the main frame decal. Must be for keeping it under 50ccs? LOL!
 
Gary

Gary

Well-Known Member
Never add anything up- it may be used against you, there is no statue of limitations :D. Paint looks nice. Rattle cans can do a good job. Many many years ago a buddy of mine brought home a can of yellow from work everyday in his lunch box. Did his VW bug
 
C

copperhead

Member
OLD CT said:
Looks good copperhead. It doesn't matter now but did you try school bus yellow before choosing? Ford Grabber yellow would be another choice.
You blacked out the 70 in the main frame decal. Must be for keeping it under 50ccs? LOL!
Click to expand...

LOL..Was wondering if anyone would comment on the blacked out "70" I used electrical tape. Yes, that's exactly why I did it. There are so many moped/scooters running around my area now, I figure I can blend in. :yellow70:

As to the paint..school bus yellow was the first yellow I tried based on info I read here. My bikes yellow may have mellowed over the years do to time and other factors. But even when I compared SBY to the real "virgin" paint on the underside of the seat, it was not even close, at least to my eyes. My choice does appear to be slightly more subdued than the original, but I actually prefer it to the brighter yellows I tried.
 
OLD CT

OLD CT

Well-Known Member
When I looked at SBY there are a few different shades on feebay, which sucks. You did a great job. It really is a great feeling tackling every part of the build, including the paint. That paint job will last. Dax 50 side badges would be the hot ticket, and something to think about.
 
6

69ST

Well-Known Member
I've repaired mangled HL ears on a couple of `78 & `79 models. Probably would have made more sense to have an unmolested one 3D-scanned, then CNC machined from a single piece of stainless steel (although 3D printing might be a better option, now). It's the single most difficult restoration chore I can imagine on a CT70 and some details cannot be retained/restored. $200 is a stiff price for an NOS HL ear but, consider that there are only 2 per bike...and it's the side you need. That's "one and done".

FYI, nice thing about rattlecan (airdry) enamels...given several weeks, or longer...they can be easily colorsanded and polished by hand to a show-quality finish. What they lack in durability they more than make-up for in user-friendliness.
 
C

copperhead

Member
Thanks OLD CT..just ordered up a set of those labels..(y)

racer, got to draw the line somewhere..If buy that ear, then it will look better than the other one...and we know where that will lead..sad thing is a year from now, that NOS ear will probably be a deal if you could get it for $300...
 
OLD CT

OLD CT

Well-Known Member
Probably best to wait till riding season is over and send them to someone who knows ct70's and bodywork for the best results at a much better price than finding new ears. I had my 79 front end ears repaired and they look great. That's one item I have to send off to a pro if they are bent.
 
6

69ST

Well-Known Member
copperhead said:
Thanks OLD CT..just ordered up a set of those labels..(y)

racer, got to draw the line somewhere..If buy that ear, then it will look better than the other one...and we know where that will lead..sad thing is a year from now, that NOS ear will probably be a deal if you could get it for $300...
Click to expand...

That falls under the heading "executive decision"...a.k.a. the person who writes the checks to pay for everything.

Repairing this type of HL ear, with hollow/welded construction is a nightmare among nightmares. It does depend upon the extent of the damage, as well as the location. Bent is one thing, crumpled is quite another. Being that they are stressed, you're pretty well limited to metal for the actual repair, and any plastic filler must be kept to a minimum...since it has no real strength.
 
Top