[nowlan]

So ive decided that instead of getting a new frame this season, im going to do a major suspension upgrade to my 07 Socom w/Slacker dropouts and paint it.
It doesnt really 100% need paint, but I think the newish feel will keep me happy.

Ive never done anything like this before. I have an idea what has to be done. Ive seen amazing DIY jobs and ****ty ones and id rather not be the ladder.
So where do I start? Obviously stripping it. I wont be removing the bearings either.

Feel free to add pics of your projects and what you think you could have done better.

Thanks.

 

[WhoRyder]

you and i are on the same boat.... with the economic times the way they are i don't wanna invest another 2500+ on a new frame....

Instead i plan on sending my boxxer to push and my shock tp push industries.......

 

[NJHCx4xLIFE]

I'll say that even the "professional" paint job I got on my bike just didn't hold up. I was in your same position last year. just strip the frame and leave it raw. My raw finish held up great for 2 years. if you want to get wild spend all winter polishing the **** out of it.

 

[gonefirefightin]

best thing to do on a budget is to use aircraft paint stripper from your auto parts store, get all the paint off with out scuffing the aluminum (pressue washer) and then use a mothers powerball and polish it, or rattle can with a flat/matte color, (easy to touch up)

 

[blackohio]

search for powdercoating places. Alot of them are needing the business and offer good deals right now. Anodizing is another option for you as well. Should be able to get either done for well under $200

 

[Banshee Rider]

You should really remove the bearings from your frame. The stripper will eat the bearing seals if uncovered, and eat through whatever you tape them up with, then still eat the bearing seals. I've stripped a half dozen frames, and regretted the one time I tried a shortcut and left the bearings in. It only takes alittle while to remove them, its worth the time. Plus, you'll have to remove them if you powdercoat it anyway.

The only powdercoats I've had hold up are ones I had clearcoated. The clearcoat is tricky to work with from what I was told, and half of the time you could see the imperfections if the painter wasn't very skilled. (orange peel, runs, etc.) I recently used a wet-apply clear protective tape, and have been really impressed with how well my (very very white) frame is holding up. Like new, every ride. If I could go back in time I would have done a straight powdercoat on my old bikes, passed on the clearcoat, and used the clear tape to keep it looking good.

 

[Kanye West]

Get the frame masked off appropriately, and take it somewhere that will spray it with Line-X bedliner. I'm completely serious.

 

[blackohio]

Anodized and links and powdercoated frame.

held up really well. I anodized ALOT of little stuff like brake mounts, stem spacers, handlebars, derailleur hanger all the dw-link parts, some bolts and the headset cups. That was like $220 for all that (because i did 2 runs) and I paid $100 to powdercoat the frame and he masked it off perfectly. and all this was at Cali prices.

 

[zdubyadubya]

Get the frame masked off appropriately, and take it somewhere that will spray it with Line-X bedliner. I'm completely serious.

awesome idea. i tried it, but used rhino liner. added 5 lbs to the weight of my frame. I'm completely serious.

 

[buildyourown]

You can get decent results with rattle cans. Buy the best paint you can. If you want a funky color, go to an auto paint store and pay the $30 to have them put any paint in a can for you. Or, get the Disposable paint gun systems (Prevair?) It works ok.
Tricks: Warm the paint in warm water to reduce orange peal if you can't thin it out.
Use a sandable primer and sand between coats w/ 600 grit paper.

Wash the frame really well and treat with a phosphoric etch. (negligble on alum but it makes the paint stick better.)

Mask everything really well and cut the tape in with a knife before you remove it to get a crisp edge.

I've done several paint jobs under $15 and all said and done, the look damn good for the money.

 

[Kanye West]

A thin coat of Line-X should be around 1#, and will be far more than enough protection for the frame. The Rhino liner should be about the same unless it's applied in tons of coats. I could see it being 5# that way.

I'm just trying to imagine how long it would take to spray out 5# of that stuff. Had to have been multiple coats, or just one super slow unnecessarily thick coat.

 

[1901]

The Line-X isn't a bad idea, a guy around here had it done to his frame. Considering you have a Socom, I would advise picking up a Go-Ride.com down tube protector and stripping/ polishing the frame. Having owned one I can tell you it looks fantastic and is relatively durable. The tubing is fragile on the Socom, so I would definitely get some sort of protection at least for the down tube.

 

[dropmachine]

If you know what you are doing, home paint jobs can be fun.

CAN BE, but mostly they aren't.

 

[slowmtb]

If you know what you are doing, home paint jobs can be fun.

CAN BE, but mostly they aren't.

That actually looks really good . Love the subtle use of the pink flower petals on the ground, very professional

 

[Craig Quik]

Anodized and links and powdercoated frame.

I now want my linkages anodised!

 

[nowlan]

Thanks everyone, the anodized linkage looks amazing.
My bearings were replaced a few months ago and taking them out and replacing them is going to add un needed wear on the frame if it doesnt need to be done.
I also like the idea of leaving polishing it.
Does a polished finished require up keep though?

 

[1901]

Thanks everyone, the anodized linkage looks amazing.
My bearings were replaced a few months ago and taking them out and replacing them is going to add un needed wear on the frame if it doesnt need to be done.
I also like the idea of leaving polishing it.
Does a polished finished require up keep though?

Depends how shiny you want it. If you just want it to have a bit of sparkle to it you only have to hit it with some polish every couple months or so (depending on how much you ride) but if you want a completely mirror finish it will require a bit more upkeep. Mothers Powerball is your friend their mag wheel aluminum polish works pretty well for polish and upkeep, it leaves a coating that seems to last a bit longer than other brands I used.

 

[nowlan]

Depends how shiny you want it. If you just want it to have a bit of sparkle to it you only have to hit it with some polish every couple months or so (depending on how much you ride) but if you want a completely mirror finish it will require a bit more upkeep. Mothers Powerball is your friend their mag wheel aluminum polish works pretty well for polish and upkeep, it leaves a coating that seems to last a bit longer than other brands I used.

Thanks man.
I recall seeing a pic on the net floating around of a polished Socom that looked pretty unreal. Ill try to dig it up.

 

[SylentK]

Dude, how tall are you? I thought that I was the only one to have a high seat post on a Sunday!

I used to fly the battleship grey colored Sunday too! Was that a crap paint job. I got my frame repainted last winter. I sent it to a place in Colo Springs called Spectrum Powder Works. They stripped, painted and applied a clear coat. They did a great job. Even asked me if I wanted to fill in the dents.

Hmmm seatpost looks pretty low/normal. Must've been in gnar-gnar mode...

 

[blackohio]

ahahah, I didnt actually ride with it that high. I just had it up as I was pedaling around my neighborhood. There was a brief time when I rode the sunday everywhere, XC, DH, Climbing - so i'd have the seat way up then drop it at the top. It was a hell of a workout pedaling that beast around.
Here's my riding seatpost height.

 

[essenmeinstuff]

Thanks everyone, the anodized linkage looks amazing.
My bearings were replaced a few months ago and taking them out and replacing them is going to add un needed wear on the frame if it doesnt need to be done.
I also like the idea of leaving polishing it.
Does a polished finished require up keep though?

Hey man, couple things, for anodizing there cannot be any other metal other than aluminum, so if the bearings are in the parts you want anodized, you'll have to take them out.

Either way if you want to do the job properly and not have it look half assed on close inspection, you will want to take the bearings out

 

[nowlan]

Hey man, couple things, for anodizing there cannot be any other metal other than aluminum, so if the bearings are in the parts you want anodized, you'll have to take them out.

Either way if you want to do the job properly and not have it look half assed on close inspection, you will want to take the bearings out

Ya I get that part.
What im trying to say is that the bearings have been changed in my frame 3 times now and each time you do a bearing job their is a little bit of wear and tear on the bearing housing. Its already happening to my frame and it was a suepr pain in the ass to fix. Im thinking I might just strip the paint off it and polish it.

 

[smoke brakes]

put her in a heavy contractors plastic bag , 1/2 gallon of strip- ease , let set about one hour , hose off , clean raw bike , little effort , clear coat if to your taste
i have found that -baked enamel- works amazing , most old school metal shops have this process , un like power coating it actually has to be painted on (spray gun) power coat attaches its self , weighs 1/4 the weight - power coats do get heavy quick
any way the baked enamel is super strong , and will cost ya a 6 pack at the metal shop



bearings out fo sure ,

 

[essenmeinstuff]

If the bearings get a wee bit wiggly just use loctite 680 retaining compound to seat them, that what literally held the bearings in place on my old session 77, the frame broke before the bearings came loose

I still have that tube kicking around if you need it dude.

 

[MrPlow]

Go onto Rotorburn.com and search "How to paint frames Plow style" See if my thread there helps.

 

[nowlan]

If the bearings get a wee bit wiggly just use loctite 680 retaining compound to seat them, that what literally held the bearings in place on my old session 77, the frame broke before the bearings came loose

I still have that tube kicking around if you need it dude.

Thats what I used actually, seems to be working perfectly. I think im going to just strip the paint and polish the aluminum so taking the bearings out wont even be an issue.