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Changing tank color.

By qwaster,
in DRZ400/E/S/SM

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qwaster

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Since I was not able to locate an original white tank I have decided to get my spare black tank either painted or powder coated. I got 2 estimates to paint tank for 400 and 450. Still waiting on estimate for coating tank. Will powder coating be a better way to go? At 400 I will take a weekend and paint it myself but I hate to paint.

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Grand Master

DrD

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Since I was not able to locate an original white tank I have decided to get my spare black tank either painted or powder coated. I got 2 estimates to paint tank for 400 and 450. Still waiting on estimate for coating tank. Will powder coating be a better way to go? At 400 I will take a weekend and paint it myself but I hate to paint.

Sounds like a rip off. Black is pretty universal I would think a few body shops have some extra black paint kicking around. Try Macco or earl shibe you can get a whole car painted at those joints for around $500

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Grand Master

Signman606

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Since I was not able to locate an original white tank I have decided to get my spare black tank either painted or powder coated. I got 2 estimates to paint tank for 400 and 450. Still waiting on estimate for coating tank. Will powder coating be a better way to go? At 400 I will take a weekend and paint it myself but I hate to paint.

 

I had mine sandblasted, then powder painted and it held up great. Sandblasting is the only way to get rid of the clear coated decal they put on at factory........ ?

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Grand Master

ohgood

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Sounds like a rip off. Black is pretty universal I would think a few body shops have some extra black paint kicking around. Try Macco or earl shibe you can get a whole car painted at those joints for around $500

 

 

$500 is a LOT of rattle can and 1000 grit sandpaper. i would go for the more expensive krylon paint for $6 and spend the remaining $494 on tires and gas. but that's just me. 

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Stuwy123

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Or just spend that money on buying two tanks!

They come up on craigslist, kijiji (canada only, I believe) and ebay regularly.

Save your money.

$450 is a lot of money for aesthetics.

Got even cheaper and just get a white-out or black-out tank sticker.

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sa-botage

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Why not try some vinyl wrap or plastidip?  I tried to vinyl wrap mine and it was a pain in the a** so I went ahead and gave the plastidip a shot.  For $8 a can you cannot go wrong, and you can always just peel it off if you don't like it.  I plastidipped mine and it came out pretty good and is holding up pretty well so far.  If your going to try to vinyl wrap it it's going to cost more, especially if you mess it up.  There are companies that vinyl wrap professionally so that's another option.

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raimondi1337

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Why not try some vinyl wrap or plastidip?  I tried to vinyl wrap mine and it was a pain in the a** so I went ahead and gave the plastidip a shot.  For $8 a can you cannot go wrong, and you can always just peel it off if you don't like it.  I plastidipped mine and it came out pretty good and is holding up pretty well so far.  If your going to try to vinyl wrap it it's going to cost more, especially if you mess it up.  There are companies that vinyl wrap professionally so that's another option.

I plasti-dipped the tank on my SV650 and it didn't last 3 months. If anything rubs on it ever it starts to peel.

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Grand Master

Signman606

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Going to just prep and paint myself. I'll have some time off soon. Probably finish it in 2 days. Thanks for the input.

 

If you're going to paint yourself, I would sand enough to get the ghost of the decal gone, prime with a really good automotive primer, spray with white that is also automotive paint, but lastly, and maybe most importantly, I would spray it with at least 2 coats, 3 would be better, of a U.V. automotive clear coat. Let it cure for at least 3 or 4 days before putting back on the bike. Gas is extremely hard on paint finishes.....just sayin, but if you only want to do this once, that's what I'd do. I still think powder painting would be better, but if you can save some money spraying yourself, then go for it. Good luck and post some pics of your finished project...........

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ToadKilla

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I know these might not be adequate for some, but I've developed a simple way to get an all black or all white tank.

 

My Tank Blank films cover the stock graphics creating a one-color look. It's meant to cover the stock graphics, but can also be used to change the color of your rank (at least partially).

 

Once applied, they almost look like paint.

 


Edited by ToadKilla
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Grand Master

Signman606

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Well decided to powder coat tank. Here it is stripped. On to the powder booth.

 

Nice! Glad you opted for this, you won't be disappointed. The next consideration is whether to paint in gloss or satin. I opted for satin because when I ride in the dirt I sometimes have a death grip with my knees on the tank, and I was concerned about ruining the finish with my heavy nylon pants. With the satin, nothing ever showed......with the gloss, not so sure. So, having said all this, if you ride street only, maybe your choices are different. Please post up a picture after you get it back, would love to see what you decided on..... ?

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qwaster

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What are you using for an oven? Been wanting to build my own powdercoating oven for a while now

Just using an old stove for now. Was looking into larger but the cost goes through the roof fast with modifications needed to put in garage. Anything larger than the oven will need to be done with i/r lamps. Can't justify cost for a hobby.

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Gsxrstuntdrz

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Just using an old stove for now. Was looking into larger but the cost goes through the roof fast with modifications needed to put in garage. Anything larger than the oven will need to be done with i/r lamps. Can't justify cost for a hobby.

I hear ya. I was going to build a pregnant oven but never got around to it. Buddy of mine gutted a few ovens and used the elements to build his own oven complete with a sliding rack big enough to do quad frames in, also invested in a 50 gallon drum of this acid that strips paint clean off. He's making more money from powdercoating than his real job

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