[194]

Some of you may recall some of my past post concerning a 1982 GL500 Silver Wing rebuild project. If you are one of them then you will know that the project is entering its 4th year. Yes, I have a lot of unfinished projects but the GL500 is starting to move again.



14 months ago the task of getting the frame repainted was started. My initial thoughts were to have all the black parts blasted and powder coated so everything would match. The parts included the stands, engine mounts, swing arm, fairing mounts …. you get the idea. And so the search for a blast and paint shop started. Since I work full time the search was agonizingly slow. Months into the search a fellow forum member started describing why powder coating the frame could lead to problems and suggested DuPont's Imron instead. Hummmm....



The search for someone that could blast and spray Imron proved to be even more difficult then looking for a good powder coating shop. It seems the paint is toxic, is tightly controlled by the EPA, is expensive, and requires someone experienced to spray it. After 10 months of searching I found a shop that was not only extremely reasonable concerning cost, but also a motor sport enthusiast. To keep cost down I ask for no special turn-around time. I would be happy to get it back this year.



I am happy to say the parts are starting to be returned and I think they look great and would like to share the results. Each part was blasted and then primed using Imron. The parts were then cleaned up again and then painted with two coats of black imron so the finish should be tough. The frame is still in the shop but should be finished before the end of November.



What do you think?



Before:

After:

Additional photos are can bee seen here. Click into "Imron Paint" located under "Frame"



The paint shop is called "Whitney Painting" and is located in North West Ohio.



Terry

 

[Slimandduater]

those look great...

 

[SteveinPA]

I repainted a Ford Model A with Imron back in 1974, and it really held up over the years. DuPont IMRON was originally produced to paint airplanes with if I remember correctly. It uses a hardener that is basically super glue. Lots of painters got sick before they admitted a charcoal filter mask did not protect the sprayer. You need a supplied air hood etc. Looks good what has been done so far.

 

[AggieGL650]

Looks great. I cheaped out and did Rustoleum spray cans. If you look at it just right, you can scratch it without even touching it... I didn't realize that was so hard to get done (the Imron, I mean). I though LRCXed did an Imron job in his back yard...

 

[194]

mr. softie – you are correct. Imron is an industrial paint used to paint airplanes, trains, buses, or basically anything that needs to be durable. Dave from Wisconsin is a very convincing advocate for imron.



My search for someone to shoot imron went nowhere when I was looking for a motorcycle or auto paint shop. The breakthrough came when the search was expanded to include Tractor Trailer paint shops. Google searches turned up a surprising number of folks that paint large farm equipment with imron.



The frame was ready this morning but there was a problem with the pinned tag located on the right side. The tag was supposed to be removed during the prep work but I did not articulate this well so they simply painted over it. They will remove the tag this week, prep the frame again, then re-shoot it giving yet another coat of imron black.



When I have the frame safely in hand the shop will start the fairing mount, radiator housing, foot pegs, and the battery bracket. Other items may follow as needed.





Fairing & Peg mounts.

Terry

 

[194]

The frame, swing arm, fairing mount, engine mounts, stands, foot peg mounts, and all the misc frame parts have all been painted. Next on the to-do list is to paint the engine and resolve the mono shock problem.

Sorry about the poor frame photo. I think I left my flash in the camper!