Silver on '69 tank?

A

ak67sd

New Member
Hi, I had a 69 Z50 back when I was 8, in around 1980... I now have found a barn fresh project bike, it's blue and silver...mine was yellow...so I'm looking to do a colour change. The original paint is faded but otherwise the bike is clean and complete. The engine has an oil leak and the forks wobble, but it's rideable!

Im trying to do some reading before jumping into the project...but what is the silver on the tank? Is it also cloud silver?

cheers, this is fun reliving my childhood!

ak
 
6

69ST

Well-Known Member
If you're going to repaint the tank, then you'd simply mask the areas to be let in silver while you apply the candy midcoat...then clearcoat the entire tank. IOW, it's the silver basecoat used beneath the color. As for whether, or not, it's the same "cloud silver" used when these bike were...it very well may have been one in the same. That said, it'd be mistake to try replicating that with actual Honda cloud silver, as sold in dealerships; that paint is very different...not to mention incompatible with many currently available paints. Lacquer is now ancient technology.
 
ez50

ez50

Well-Known Member
Researching Cloud silver, I have found that it is as simple as choosing the brightest, cleanest silver you can get from a color guide.
I've searched for silvers for work and it has a limit on how bright it can get.
My suspicion is the old CS was just sprayable lead. Talk about ancient technology.
 
A

ak67sd

New Member
Maybe to ask the question a different way, to restore a '69 did Honda use the same silver on the tank as the wheels and engine covers? Is that how people have restored them?

Thanks!
ak
 
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