The Hodaka Club Forum

I'm going to be needing to touch up engine cases, footbrake lever, wheel hubs, etc on my Wombat. What type or grade of rattle-can paint would be best? Years ago I remember using a paint designed for car wheels, but I'm not sure what is used nowadays.

Bill,

Paul sells just what you need here on his website

http://www.strictlyhodaka.com/Pewter-Pa ... rpaint.htm

Duplicolor cast coat aluminum

SH does have paint-- my smartphone/browser is showing only thr keft half of certain index pages, so all I saw in that category was"decals" and not paints. I've got that paint wishlisted and wil get some on my next order.

I've heard a recommendation on that Duplicolor paint, as well as a "PT" engine paint. I'll check around, too.

I know Danny Cook uses some kind of bake on finish on his engine exterior parts which is as durable as powder coat. Nice looking too! Ask him what it is. I think he just uses a toaster oven to bake it on the parts! ; D Victor

I use Alumiblast from Eastwood. Makes it look like cast aluminum. Worked well on my Steen project.

Paint brand update: after some poking around I found that VHT High-Temperature Wheel Paint, SP188 "Ford Argent Silver" is a perfect match to the Hodie engine case paint, including the paint used by George Cone on his shift cover rebuilds. This paint is a polyurethane, high-temp paint and should prove very durable.

I like Krylon Metallics #1403 Dull Aluminum for kickstands, Chain guides, new brackets and hardware. It dries quick, sticks, is fairly durable, re-touchable and ready to use in minutes. Not for cases but good for things that you want to be flat aluminum quick. I stopped painting cases on dirt bikes because of chipping. I blast the cases and keep them sprayed with WD-40 between uses. They do look good painted but it's hard to keep them nice. Whether right or wrong, that's how I've been doing it. I guess that would be considered an opinion.

Maxie

Painting aluminum parts on a bike is new to me. On the BMW the aluminum parts-- engine, transmission, final drive, wheel hubs, brake backing plates and fork sliders are all a natural sand cast surface. No paint, they weather to a nice patina. I don't even media blast them.

But the Hodie has these parts painted and one thing I'm wanting to avoid is staining the paint from cleaning solvents-- mineral spirits, brake cleaner, degreaser. I think that a polyurethane should be more durable.

Much of my original hardware-- nuts, bolts, washers-- was resto wire-brushed and the cadmium plating removed. It'll rust soon enough. New hardware plating is too bright and looks odd. Does anyone have experience with re-plating kits like the kind that Caswell sells ?