TOOLBOX TIPS
BY: JOE W. KOURY
RATTL-IN THE CAGE Well, it’s not really a cage, more like a makeshift paint booth for emptying rattle cans. Now I’m no formally trained painter by any means but I have figured out how to positively adjust my racing budget by refurbing the bodywork on our motorbikes in-house. Here are some tips on how to do your own (not if, but when the time comes) paint and bodywork conveniently and economically. I painted my first motorcycle fuel tank back in 1970. The US Army Full face respirator and head sock had just drafted one of my best friends and before he departed, he left me his Triumph Trophy TR6C. It needed some paint and I did the best I could at the time. Enough said. Fast-forward to modern times when I attempted to shoot the tank on my 350 Sportsman bike the night before leaving for my first AHRMA race. The build lasted until the eleventh hour and I barely had time to make it look decent. I sprayed it in a newspaper-lined corner of the garage. After the last coat was done, a bug flew right into the top of the tank. But even without bugs, there are still contaminants that will find their Glazing putty, applicator and way into fresh paint. I decided sanding block to figure out a way to eliminate this anguish. I built a 4 X 4 X 7 cage using 2x2 lumber and wrapped it in 4 MIL plastic sheet, sealing the edges and seams with duct tape. The door has a two-inch wide extended flap along the edges that acts as a secure seal when the door closes with the fan on high. The fan is under the bench/shelf on the right; the filter is on the left, up high on the opposite wall. I place two lights on either side of the shelf and there are a few screw hooks in the ceiling to hang freshly painted parts if I’m shooting multiple components. This apparatus eliminates 99% of the trash that might otherwise float into the wet paint. Painting is the easy part of the process though. Surface preparation is the key to a decent finish. Dents, cracks and flaws are part of any race bike rejuvenation. I use fiberglass mat or cloth and resin to repair cracks in fiberglass, Kitty Hair Bondo to fill larger dents in the fuel tank and Bondo Glazing Putty (only 30
WWW.AHRMA.ORG
Primer, base coat paint and clear coat
AMERICAN HISTORIC RACING MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION
Plain and simple paint booth
Coveralls
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
