tips for cleaning and removing paint from engine?

[bteeuwen]

The previous owner did a shaddy job on painting the bike, it looks like he went over it with a spray can. i was wondering if anyone has any tips for cleaning and removing old paint from an engine ?

[Mudflappus]

How much work are you wanting to put into it? To get all the nooks and crannies you'll have to drop the engine out of the frame. Then you can either scrape the old paint off with some quick goop paint remover crap or you can tape off all of the holes and fittings and have it bead blasted. I spoke to a guy that did the later and he swore that if the engine is taped off good enough that you won't wind up with a case full of glass dust.

[bteeuwen]

well i dont wanna go super crazy with cleaning it, i wanna basically have it in a situation that if you removed the motor there would be any unpainted spots missing. This is my very first motorbike, im taking it as a learning experince. right now, i just dissambled some of it.

i took off the front fender, the seat and the tank. and the side covers. working on the rear fender right now. I want to strip this bike down. repaint it custom colours and ressamble it. many might say my bike isnt worth it, but i like doing things like this.

so that goo stuff should work pretty good i take it once i removed the engine. (if im brave enough to remove the engine.

[CrackiN]

I used Easyoff Oven cleaner on my bike and it did a pretty good job....Be careful though it is pretty strong. You don't want it on your skin or in your eyes....

[dorkpunch]

looking at the pictures (nice bike, eh? whereabouts in alberta are you from?), it looks pretty clean! If it were mine and i were planning to be ridding it a lot, i wouldnt worry a whole lot about cleaning it up more than that. what i'm doing with a couple of mine that wont get ridden much is wire wheeling it, cleaning any rust spots thouroughly and scuffing up the paint, and then put a new coat on. i've gotten pretty good with rattle cans- the trick is to heat the metal up a bit. best to do it in an uninsulated (read, HOT) garage in the summer so the paint will cure faster, but you heat the metal with a torch until you see the moisture evaporating from the metal. doesnt take much heat. put a couple of coats on and then re-heat the paint. Be VERY carefull, doesnt take much heat to burn the paint (or depending on the kind of paint, light it on fire!) good luck, and have fun!

[alucard100]

I use aircraft stripper on all my engines. It does a great job and is available at any local automotive paint supply store.

[Mudflappus]

I use aircraft stripper on all my engines. It does a great job and is available at any local automotive paint supply store.

Does it leave any weird residue on aluminum cases?

[alucard100]

No, this stipper was designed to remove paint from all metal surfaces. It doesn't tarnish or leave residue on the alluminum at all. It's actually pretty cool to watch it work, the paint starts to bubble only seconds after the stripper is applied. After about ten minutes the old paint can be wiped or washed away with water. Be warned though that this stuff is pretty toxic, wear rubber gloves and use in a place with good ventilation. The stuff I but is made by Klean-Strip and costs about $30 bucks a gallon.

[roadcam]

most hardware stores carry cans of " ZIP-STRIP " ... chemical paint remover like the others, brush it on, hose it off ... in quart cans, more than enough for a coupla engines ?

[smiti105]

I would go with the aircraft remover for getting off any paint from the engine. Be carefull because this stuff will leave burns wherever it gets on your skin. I used this product to remove paint from the rims on my streetbike and it literally works in seconds. But like any stripping job it is a pain in the butt and have to be carefull of anything else on the bike that is painted because it will take it right off. Also watch out for your plastics because it will deform them too. Good Luck!