[manimal]

My demo isn't really going to be marketable for sale because of the slice in the downtube that my old bike rack put in it. (the slice was repaired by a NASCAR company and isn't an issue anymore but who would by a "fixed" dh bike right? )

so anyway, i want to paint it but i'm not really concerned about a professional powdercoat job or anything...everything i do is "budget minded" i'm painting my shuttle car, '94 subaru legacy wagon, with olive drab (military green) paint and putting a white star on the hood and on the front doors so that it resembles an old military jeep and i was thinking of using the same paint scheme for the demo.
so....now that you know my plan, my real question is this. once i remove all of the parts, do i have to remove all of the pivot bearings or can i just tape over them? i'm obviously going to cover the holes in the frame but what about the rear end? i really didn't want to take them all out if i could carefully tape them off.

remember, i don't plan on this looking like a professional paint job by any means, i'm going for more of a , "hey...that must be tubby's demo...'cause it doesn't look like any of the other 500 demo's at this race" i just don't want to screw up the important moving parts in the process oster_oops:

 

[RhinofromWA]

I would polish it. *drool*

I polished my old GT RTS in college and was suprised how well it turned out.

I even bought an OEM sticker kit after I was through and it looked great.

 

[RhinofromWA]

BTW that picture cracks me up. It looks like you are running a 29" erar tire and a 12" front. That rear rotor is HUGE!

lol

 

[Westy]

I've got to see that Subie paint job when you are done. Normally I would recommend not going for weird paint jobs as it attracts attention and you might get pulled over more but I don't think thatis a problem this time around.

 

[Robusto]

When I painted my bike I just taped over the bearings, but be very careful that you cover the entire thing, and let the paint cure for a few days before you take off the tape. If you don't it will just peel the surrounding paint off.

 

[fred.r]

I'd take apart the linkage before painting. It's a good excuse to both check all your bearings and do a good job painting the bike.
BTW, I don't know what's more "marketable," hideing something the buyer should know w/ a ghetto paintjob, or keeping it stock color w/ the fix in plain view. Are you selling the bike? Or is this purely personal?

 

[Robusto]

Yea, definately take the linkage apart, but what Im saying is that you dont have to take all of the bearings out, just tape over them.

 

[sriracha]

you might as well take the bearings out and drop new ones in while you're at it.
either that or just leave the bike completely built and paint everything olive drab.

look into getting engine enamel paint, also. that stuff is more durable and adheres better than normal rattlecan. engine enamel rattlecan paint has ceramic impregnated in the paint, to resist high heat and chipping. the only issue is you have to do each coat of paint 30 minutes apart, then let it dry for 7 days.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

3 words: rattle can it


That is all.

 

[bikenweed]

Nice lookin spring on there! The 500lb feels pretty good on my new Demo now that I've got everything set up right.

I took the rear end apart and painted the pieces individually. Masking tape over all the bearings, pivots and interfaces, then went through with a utility blade and got the tape trimmed up so there wasn't a lot of weird edges. Definitely get a can of clear laquer and do a ton of coats with the clear stuff, it adds a lot to the durability. I used Rustoleum primer, paint and some Krylon clear coat.

 

[manimal]

ha, that's what i'm talking about bikenweed! cool, so you didn't have to take out the bearings...i'm glad.

one more thing...do i need to sand it at all or will the use of primer take care of it?


fred r. - sorry if i was unclear, i'm never going to sell the bike since no one in their right mind would buy a cracked/repaired dh rig....i know i wouldn't. i've put the bike through it's paces since the repair and i know that it's fine but i'd never sell it with that kind of blemish. the paint is purely personal.

 

[manimal]

BTW that picture cracks me up. It looks like you are running a 29" erar tire and a 12" front. That rear rotor is HUGE!

lol

haha..that does look funny. i had a xc front tire on a rhyno lite, the lightest set-up i could muster for when i did the Helen Fat Tire Fest XC race on it this summer. i recommend NEVER doing that on a demo, no matter how many "double-dog dare you's" you get i didn't get last that race, but the guy who did get last had a mechanical about half-way through and i didn't pass him until the last mile...and he was walking

 

[muddy beast]

BAHAHAHA I love that picture man.

Im considering sand blasting my bighit frame just for the hell of it, and having my brother do a custom black flame pinstripe job on it or something *hes an artist, and only 16...but AMAZING*

 

[BIRDMAN111]

My demo isn't really going to be marketable for sale because of the slice in the downtube that my old bike rack put in it. (the slice was repaired by a NASCAR company and isn't an issue anymore but who would by a "fixed" dh bike right? )

ill buy it for 900 bucks

 

[manimal]

ha..i'll keep that in mind when the time comes

 

[gastro]

After seeing the repair firsthand, I would have no reservations about buying / riding that bike.

 

[manimal]

ha, it is a purdy weld isn't it, and it's not in a high stress area. but i'll just keep it for at least one more season but probably two before i hand it down to some up and coming young ripper who can't afford a decent rig.

before

after

 

[Fulton]

did you re heat treat the frame?

 

[pinkshirtphotos]

how the hell do you do that with a bike rack on a dh bike?

 

[Robusto]

You definately want to sand the frame atleast some. Scuff it at least. If you have access to an air compressor and some air tools try and use those, it makes it alot easier. At first I was using an electric household sander, but that took forever so I took it into my dads bodyshop and went to town on it. Afterwards, be sure to clean it off with some lacquer thinner or rubbing alchohol.

 

[jvnixon]

it was a rear rack i believe and an incline. They didn't go well together

 

[manimal]

how the hell do you do that with a bike rack on a dh bike?

it was a rack like this

and the demo obviously has some frame compatibililty issues with that design but i rigged it to fit. the problem was that the way i had it rigged made the front tire hang pretty low and when i pulled into my mom's super steep driveway, the front tire hit the ground and forced the frame up onto the squared metal edge of the rack and cut the frame. there's a whole thread about it here somewhere from when it happened earlier this summer.

 

[manimal]

i took her apart today and got her ready for the makeover. sanded her down, gave her a bath and put her in the stirrups

front end sanded and ready to go

primer and first coat of green, i hope it dries a little darker b/c it doesn't match the color on the cap yet and seems a little too light....time will tell

one of the rear end pieces hanging in my dirty garage/paint shop

i'll throw on another coat tomorrow night after work and the clearcoat and/or a third coat of paint if it needs it on thursday. then comes the white star(s) and of course the "tubby" stencil
i decided to do it this week b/c it's supposed to rain all week so hopefully, by the time it dries up outside, my paint will be fully cured as well.

 

[muddy beast]

nice, I dig the paint job so far...looking good.

I dont know if I would have the ballz to do that to a demo, but at the same time...it was cracked.

 

[manimal]

i think i would have done it even if it wasn't "fixed" i can't afford a new rig for this season so why not spruce up the old one.
i think i'm going to buy a can of the textured paint that is just a bit darker than what i have and "dust" the frame with it for a bit of a rough shimmer look to it. it'll be like the paint that was on the '05 P series; a little more scratch resistant

 

[manimal]

almost done, just waiting on the "Tubby" and "USMC" stencil in the military font.

the paint dried to just the right color.

question: can i clear coat over viny stickers? i think i'm just going to have stickers made instead of trying to paint over a stencil. they'll be the good burly vinyl ones but can i clearcoat over them or should i just stick them on when it's all done?

 

[skatetokil]

i've seen it done both ways.

 

[Bicyclist]

Turned out good!

 

[blue]

Awww, vinyl? I think a stencil with a clearcoat over the top would look far more gnar for USMC and the like

 

[MTBSully]

looks sweet man. makes me wanna paint my demo 8

 

[manimal]

i spoke with a buddy that has a sticker business, he says that the clearcoat over the vinyl works well and makes it stand out a bit. i had him make the stickers for me today, will place them and clearcoat tonight...pics afterward

so what should i do for the headtube badge?

 

[Secret Squirrel]

so what should i do for the headtube badge?

Bullet casings. Seriously.

 

[skatetokil]

get one of those keychains at ranger surplus and grind it in half. that way you get the bullet too. i guess you could just open a shell up but i'm always afraid it will blow up in my face.

 

[Monkeybidnezz]

Nice job, looks great. A little "minty" for my tastes, but looks sharp.

 

[coma13]

get one of those keychains at ranger surplus and grind it in half. that way you get the bullet too. i guess you could just open a shell up but i'm always afraid it will blow up in my face.

awesome idea!!!!

 

[bikenweed]

Looks almost as fast as an orange Demo8...

 

[escapeartist]

I can send you a bullet stencil Tubby. I have one that I made on my comp.

 

[manimal]

dangit, i wish i would have read this sooner...the bullet idea would've been cool. but i kept it to my theme instead. i was trying to commemorate my old unit in the corps and was going for the look of the helicopters that we flew. i obviously don't have enough canvas to go crazy on but i kept it simple. at the last minute i found a small usmc sticker and clearcoated it on as the head tube badge...it looks sick! i did about 3 or 4 coats of clear acrylic so i'm curious to see how it looks in the morning. going to the LBS to pick up my new cranks tomorrow....will give it another full day before i start to build it back up though, don't want to take any chances.

i still can't believe it only cost me about $20 to do this i'm also glad that i'm much more patient than i was in my youth, every other time i've wanted to "rattle can" something i just taped everything off and went to town...and of course, it came out looking like crap. i think this is actually going to be cool :bananna:

camera 1

camera 2

somehow this shot came out really cool, looks almost like it was in a dark studio or something

and yes, monkeyb...it does seem a bit "minty" in these pics for some reason but it's much darker toned in person.

 

[HenryTheHammer]

ha, that's what i'm talking about one more thing...do i need to sand it at all or will the use of primer take care of it?

Look for an etching primer and you wont have to sand. Give the bike a good wipe down with acetone to remove any oils and you will be good to go.

 

[coma13]

Look for an etching primer and you wont have to sand. Give the bike a good wipe down with acetone to remove any oils and you will be good to go.

I guess you somehow missed it but he already painted the bike....