1. With the primer seal dry,...
1. With the primer seal dry, Casey and Andrew started by prepping all the bodywork and the frame, Milwaukee Iron fenders, and the SGV gas tank. After the filler and bondo, it was sanded so that the surface would be smooth and clean for paint. The frame was easy, but the sheetmetal needed a lot more work.
If you remember the Blah, Blah issue, we customized all the sheetmetal on our '99 Softail. Now it's time for some paint -- not just a plain paintjob, but a custom one. We got just what the doctor ordered. We checked in with Buck, the owner at BuckWild Designs in Covina, California, to get this made-over bike painted. We told him what we were looking for -- a custom job that would fit the look and shape of the new sheetmetal. Since we had the bike sitting there with no skin and a silver powdercoated frame, we felt it would limit the paint schemes. We also didn't want one that would date the bike and be out of style in a year or two. We had a long talk, and it was decided that a real retro-looking paint scheme was just what we had in mind. The one thing that we wanted to do was show how it was done back in the day. So it was stripped down to get some paint.
The only thing we were worried about was that as soon as it was done and seen on the street, this style would start to get popular, and then this custom would not be so custom. Before we could get started, everything was sent out to the sandblaster to get a good beating from a sand gun and high-pressured air. As soon as the frame and sheetmetal were back in the city of Covina, the crew wasted no time getting it covered in a primer coat of PPG DP-90 sealer so that everything would stick and keep it from rusting. As we go through the steps of this paintjob, now that all three pieces of sheetmetal and the frame have been treated to the same work as the gas tank, remember, we can't show everything.
2. The tank needed to have...
2. The tank needed to have all the welds lines filled then sanded smooth. All the mounting tabs on the bottom of the tank were filled and made to look as if the tank was free of all welds.
3. Before any of the bodywork...
3. Before any of the bodywork was done to our rear fender, we took the time to weld a set of bungs that we could use to insert a sissy bar. Then the rear fender was treated to the same love as the tank. We could go on with more bodywork, but hell, bondo one fender and you've seen them all. So let's get on to the good stuff.
4. To get the color we were...
4. To get the color we were after, everything was first covered in HOK sealer as a black base to add depth to the metalflake. After a nice, even coat of sealer was applied, two medium coats of clear were sprayed. This would allow the flake to lay down flat and even.
5. Next, Buck mixed up the...
5. Next, Buck mixed up the first batch of flake. The blue metalflake was mixed with the clearcoat.
6. Buck started with the first...
6. Buck started with the first coat of flake, which was sprayed on heavy.
7. Coat number two...
8. ...then coat number th...
8. ...then coat number three...
9. ...then the last coat of...
9. ...then the last coat of blue metalflake was sprayed over all the sheetmetal and frame. You can see how much the tank had lightened up with all that flake. Three additional coats of clear were applied over the flake to provide a smooth base. Everything was given time to sit, dry, and harden. Before any graphic could be applied, everything was wet sanded with 800-grit paper to allow the solvent in the clear to harden and shrink. Here was the starting point for the graphics.
10. After everything was allowed...
10. After everything was allowed to dry for about five days, the surface was cleaned and Buck started to lay out the panel graphics on our tank with 1/16-inch fine-line tape.
11. The front and rear fender...
11. The front and rear fender were also fine-line taped in a similar pattern.
12. Next, transfer tape was...
12. Next, transfer tape was squeegeed over the sheetmetal.
13. Buck showed where he cut...
13. Buck showed where he cut out the panels that would be sprayed with a custom mixed color of bone white. The same went for the fenders.
14. Once the bone white was...
14. Once the bone white was dry, Buck trimmed back about 1/16 inches of the tape in the area that would get the next color.
15. Then, the first of three...
15. Then, the first of three shades of blue were airbrushed along the tape lines on the tank and fenders. Oriental blue was the first blue sprayed along the trim lines.
16. Next, burple and a mix...
16. Next, burple and a mix of cobalt blue were used for a deep blue edge.