07/27/2004 | 01:03:57 | xtern0
Speedmaster Tank Mod...
Uhg...been doing the old bondo boogie all day.
Just have to vent.
Note to those thinking about cleaning up the lines of your bike by removing the console: It’s a hell of a lot of effort for something only a Hinkley Triumph owner (most likely yourself) will know was done. So far, I’ve had to solder and a$$emble an essentially new wiring harness from the old one to install the Drag Specialities speedo with built in idiot lights. This was somewhat annoying, but not overly so.
Then, I negotiated a tank trade with someone while I did the body work. This consisted of ordering an aircraft "flush" bung hole and cap, chemically stripping the tank (yum, yum), then having a chop shop weld the new bung hole in and weld a cover over that tachometer indent in the tank. As many of you know, when you take a torch to metal, the results are usually not perfect and require a bit more work.
Then the fun started...man, I’ve been told I do good body work, but I’ve also been told I dig a really good ditch. I despise both tasks, and every time I have to do body work, I am reminded that there is a d*mn good reason it costs so much bloody cash to have it done (read in: done well) by someone else. Maybe its because I’m so obsessive-compulsive, but I swear, I spend weeks sanding, smoothing, priming, and doing it all over again.
It ain’t helping that my wife comes out occasionally, looks somewhat confused, and asks "So what was wrong with it before? It ran fine, didn’t it?" Uhg.
All I do know is that after all this work, I am d*mn sure going to get one insane paint job on that cleaned up tank!
Anyhoo, here’s my question: Someone this afternoon told me that a good way to spot "low points" when doing finish/prep work, is to spray on your standard gray primer and let it dry, then, do a really light, quick coat of black primer over the top. Use a sanding block with some 120 grit and proceed to remove the layer of black paint. After a couple swipes, you should be able to see any low spots that your eye or hand couldn’t spot. So what does everyone think of this theory? Is it worth giving a try, or was this individual talking from where they should be crapping?
X
07/27/2004 | 07:54:34 | Moe
Wet sanding will reveal high/low spots as the water allows a temporary ’gloss’ to exist on the surface. Two colors of primer may allow you to see imperfections as well, yet primer overlap may give you a false sense of highs or lows. I have always just wet sanded and re-primed and/or used glaze, primed then wet sanded again. Primer will fill in the shallow lows. The sand paper will grab high spots and slide quickly over low spots. When the surface is wet with water your bare hand should be able to feel areas that need attention. I would stay away from 120 grit! When determining lows at your stage of the job, i.e., almost ’there’ use 400 grit or higher paper.
The tank is not flat so a sanding block will not rest flat on the surface either. At the almost there point I’ll freehand a piece of wet sand paper...
Hope this helps!
07/27/2004 | 09:17:50 | FriarJohn
That’s the process I use but I think I use 400 or 500 grit. Wet, like Moe says. Anything deep enough to require more filler than just primer you should be able to feel with your hand. Tanks are expecially fun because of the compound curves.
John
07/27/2004 | 09:21:02 | FriarJohn
"expecially"!?! Where’d I learn to type...
07/30/2004 | 06:37:06 | kentamcoli
I’d love to get rid of the console and install the Thruxton gauge/light package.
07/31/2004 | 00:53:52 | shakey
Too bad someone doesn’t make a mustang tank with a single
cap for the TBA. Yah, a 4.5 gallon mustang painted cardinal red
with gold graphics, that’s the ticket!
08/02/2004 | 11:49:19 | Greybeard
I’ve heard that the Thunderbird tank looks and fits decent on the America/SM frame.
08/03/2004 | 00:34:06 | xtern0
Ugh. I believe the bondo nightmare is complete. What a PITA. All those friggin’ curves, slopes, etc., made it a heck of a lot harder than a normal bodywork. The warping sucked (as usual, man I HATE working with welded sheet metal). Wet sanding is the least of my worries, my main worry was just getting the thing to look like a smooth gas tank!
In hindsight, I think I should have gone with someone more experienced welding body panels, etc. There was some nasty warpage around the bunghole, which tells me the guy ran a bead all around instead of stitching the new bunghole in like you’re supposed to do when welding body panels. Then again, a gas tank is a tough weld, so maybe he did stitch it in.
Lot’s o layers of bondo had to be put on getting this thing perfect. I know it’ll look good, but I’ve never put that many "layers" of bondo on something getting it perfect. Makes me nervous as hell.
Anyone got any guesses as to how long it’ll last before it starts to crack? When I lived in Washington, the crappy weather usually had bondo cracking in about 4-8 years. Usually, that was because it was impossible to get a really hot, dry day to do the work, so moisture would almost always work its way in while you were working. Flash rust nightmare up there. Wonder how the extreme Texas heat treats it? I don’t think I’ve ever seen bondo cracking down here, so I’m thinking the lack of rain (relatively speaking, that is) helps it to last. Here’s for hoping anyhoo...
Hopefully, by the time that happens, some really smart dude will start making custom tanks for the Bonneville America and it won’t be an issue.
Anymore advice before I start sanding the primer and getting it prepped for painting?
X
08/03/2004 | 00:41:13 | xtern0
"I’d love to get rid of the console and install the Thruxton gauge/light package."
Me too. But if you can live without a tach, just get a Drag Specialties Speedo. P/N: 1908-6840
http://www.dragspecialties.comCan be purchased (in stock) at:
http://www.jpcycles.comJP Cycles P/N: 730-448
JP has a pretty neat mount for it too that’s a lot better than the crap that comes with the guage.
WARNING: Try using the Thunderbird tank or similar. Otherwise, get ready for a lot of work. If I had to do it all over again, I would have just lived with the stock tank and console until an aftermarket tank came along. Although, with the recessed gas cap my tank should look pretty darn cool after its all said and done.
X
08/04/2004 | 17:21:56 | 52
Me too. Do you have any idea how it would hook up? Also how much $ for the new Tacho, I figure the Speedo is the same, I saw a Factory Trump. kit made for a Bonnieville. I’m just uncomfortable looking all the way down at the gas tank while unleashing the big dog. I’m not as quick minded or as bulletproof as I was when I was 16, but I do have a little more money and a lot more intell.
52
08/09/2004 | 02:01:27 | xtern0
I would imagine it would be no problem to simply take the tach wiring from beneath the console (if the TBA has it already) and simply break out some wire and a soldering iron to lengthen everything so that it would reach up to the bars.
