SR500 Lacquer Paint

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For very little money you can do your own custom lacquer paint job it's just a matter of knowing the correct steps and finish procedure. If you live in the USA you can buy acrylic lacquer in a spray can it's made by plasti-coat and is available in many different colors. I picked my paint up at Walmart in the automotive section. I decided on Universal Black with Standard Red as the accent color and finished the edges with 1/8" gold pinstripe tape (note: metallic paint colors are available but the paint is usually mixed thinner and is a bit more difficult to work with). I started the project by draining all the gas out of the tank removed the gas cap and fuel petcock then set the tank outside for a couple of days to completely dry out ( make sure the tank is completely dried out before proceeding). I removed all the decals by warming them up with a heat gun (hair dryer may work) and pealing them off. Next I wet sanded the tank with 240 grit wet and dry sand paper (the original paint is compatible with lacquer so stripping the original paint is not required). Fill all nicks, chips and dents with bondo or spot filler as required then wipe the tank down with prep solvent or paint thinner (not lacquer thinner) to remove any oil from the tank, be careful not to touch the tank after wiping it down as the oil from your hands will contaminate the surface. I used a spray can of plasti-kote spot filler & primer (this is heavier then standard primer) to build up 4 coats of primer then wet sand it with 400 grit wet and dry sand paper to remove all orange peel. Note: lacquer primer sands very easily so don't over do it and go easy on corners and edges, lacquer can be shot outdoors when air temperatures are 65 degrees f. or higher.

#1. Showing tank primed and wet sanded. Clean tank again with paint thinner or prep solvent to remove oil from the surface and then build up 8+ coats of colored lacquer (allow the paint to tack off between each coat). After the paint has set off hard (one to two days) wet sand with 800 grit wet and dry sand paper, sand just enough to remove orange peel, be careful on edges and corners.

#2 Showing the tank and fender masked for accent color. After I color sanded the base coat I masked off for the accent color, I start with 1/8" 3M plastic tape (available at auto parts stores) then finish with 1/2 wide masking tape and paper. Next I build up 8 coats of red lacquer and then remove all masking tape 1 hour after painting while lacquer is still a little soft. Allow the accent color to set off hard then wet sand with 800 grit wet and dry sand paper, sand just enough to remove orange peel.

#3 Showing the tank after polishing and pin striping. After the accent color has been wet sanded I allow the paint a few more days to harden off before polishing. I start hand polishing, using a damp soft rag and rubbing compound (red in color) after the shine starts to come up I switch to polishing compound (white in color) to finish then apply the pin striping tape. I personally prefer not to use clear coat as the straight color to me looks more natural and is easier to repair future nicks and scratches. Allow the paint 60 days to completely harden off before applying wax.

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