12. Framed, well, partially anyway.

If you have been following my forum thread you know I have been on the hunt for a good KX green paint match. A few years back PJ1 quit making it, why? Surfing over to Color Rite I did a spit take when seeing the 30 some bucks for a spray bomb of just the paint, they do recommend the clear coat also. I didn't stick around to check out the price tag on the top coat; I will bargain the price lower for a car, but not on a can of green paint.

A few weeks back while at Skunks Auto Parts looking for the Duplicolor handlebar paint I noticed their engine paint in a similar shade to KX green. I filed this tidbit of info into the brain box. A Home Despot was not far away, so a quick run into the paint section for a hand full of green paint chip samples was in order. Back at home I sifted through the chips matching them up to the frame, not the faded sun bleached portion, but a nice hidden section so that I could get as true a reading as possible. After finding the right match, it was back to Skunks.

Now the difficult bit, someone had sprayed a bit of the Duplicolor Grabber Green on a nearby shelf, so out with the chip for a match up. It was close, not 100%, but 98%. The $7.00 price tag was a bit steep for the budget build, so more hunting was necessary. Quite fortunately there are five auto parts stores within one block of each other and a quick rounder of them found the Grabber Green at Hapa's for $5.25.

As can be seen from the first two photos of the sub frame there is a bit of oil and dirt, and even a touch of black paint overspray. So, as with all parts before and every part from hereafter a good scrubbing was needed. A closer look will also find a slight bend to the upper left stay (far lower left in the photo). A steel block and a four pound dead blow hammer made short work of straightening that problem.

After a couple of knocks with the hammer it was time to strip the old paint off and prep for the new green. From here on out, most, if not all painted parts on the bike will get a clean, strip, and paint. A number of other items will also receive paint as well, such as triple clamps, hubs, wheels, and any other bits I think can be tastefully incorporated into the finished project.


Out to the patio I headed with the palm sander, nylon bristle brush, and a clean straight sub frame. Some forty or fifty minutes of sanding and brushing gave way to a bare aluminum frame, which I then hit with dewaxer degreaser. While I let the frame dry I needed to prep my spay area, which I did by backing the car out of the carport. Digging up two lengths of bailing wire I had the frame suspended and ready to prime.


Ready for the first squirt of primer.













Hung and ready to go. Notice my custom spray booth.













Soon black then green.


















Primed.













Now only a few days to wait until the green is laid down.












Duplicolor Grabber Green.













Looks pretty close to me.













Came out very well.













I let the paint cure for a week and then four coats of clear were applied. So far I am pleased, now waiting for the clear to cure and then, a scratch test.