May 9, 201610 yr Hi all Presently restoring a TR77 that has been in bits for 15+ years. The crankcases were painted a silvery colour and I had this all vapour blasted off today. The casings underneath look superb, and the alloy (at this time) shows no signs of corrosion. As they are sand-cast, I assume that the alloy is pretty good quality. Were they painted originally other than on the green TR77's? I'd rather leave the alloy bare if it doesn't corrode. Was there any reason for painting them? I'd appreciate your experiences with unpainted cases Thanks Adrian
May 9, 201610 yr It was fashionable at the time. There is no downside for unpainted cases if you clean the mud off after riding.
May 10, 201610 yr Author It was fashionable at the time. There is no downside for unpainted cases if you clean the mud off after riding. Thanks. I know some early Jap alloy was so prone to corrosion that it was painted or lacquered, but the Ossa casings look much better than this. Saves me buying some paint... :-)
May 10, 201610 yr On later bikes especially Japanese what was a fashion was also a money saver for the factory as the casting and alloy content could be of a cheaper quality, not a problem if any markings in the cases as they were going to be painted. ACF 30 is a good protection for blasted cases. Being nosey what sort of price was the vapour blasting ??
May 10, 201610 yr Author On later bikes especially Japanese what was a fashion was also a money saver for the factory as the casting and alloy content could be of a cheaper quality, not a problem if any markings in the cases as they were going to be painted. ACF 30 is a good protection for blasted cases. Being nosey what sort of price was the vapour blasting ?? I have some ACF30 and will use that. I don't like paint if it isn't needed. Re Jap alloy, my '67 T20 Suzuki alloy furs up if a cloud passes overhead! No wonder they lacquered it as standard :-( My BSA A10 casings though, polish like mirrors if I buff them once a year... Re Vapour blasting - it wasn't cheap. I took in the head, barrel and cases. All were painted and had sat covered in ***** for 15+ years. They soaked them all in paint stripper, then washed in solvent, then blasted them to get all the crap off. I was quoted 60 quid plus VAT for the job on the assumption it would take an hour. It took nearly double that, and the woman doing the bits was very concerned to get it done really well. The company was West Country Windings (based in Essex between Harlow and Bishop's Stortford) who can be found here: http://www.westcountrywindings.co.uk/ This company eat, sleep and think bikes. Happy to support them. :-)
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