Paint vendor recommendations

Hey everyone,
looking to see if anyone has a recommendation for a paint shop to have a tank and other pieces done up that you would recommend?

 

Look for a body shop/collision repair near you; they are in the business of shooting paint. Go in and talk to them.

 

Check with your local community college or trade school and see if they have an auto body shop program. Are you looking for show quality paint or a less expensive alternative?

 

Hi @dazed - I'm also curious about what your goals and budget are. This is one of those things that can range anywhere from some guy with rattle cans for cheap all the way up to an art piece for thousands. It all depends on what you want.

Also keep in mind that in our current inflationary environment, the price of paint and related materials has gone up with everything else. There are even some colors you can't get.

 

Hey @Dan Gardner,

I would like the bike presentable but not show room. Tank leak killed my paint, I want it done right by a professional, but not something I need to take a loan out for.

Really looking if someone has a good experience with a vendor having theirs repainted, and also if they had any feedback.

 

My thoughts on the trade school/auto body school vs auto body shop is the folks doing the work there are supervised by the experienced pros and have to do a respectable job to pass. You can often get the job done for the price of the supplies. Still not inexpensive but at least not paying for the expensive labor of prep time.

 

@dazed - what was the fuel leak? Does the tank need some repair as well as paint?

The idea of trade/paint and body school doesn't seem like a bad idea - if there is one in the area and they are willing to take on the project. I would think they would be always looking for projects, but I have no idea.

Finding a "pro" in the area is fine too - just like finding something like a plumber, you need to look around and find somebody feel comfortable with. I think you would need to find someone who is somewhat of an enthusiast that would take it on as an interesting project since the size of the project is probably not going to move the needle for any shop financially.

What model bike is it?

 

Its 83 xj900, the fuel petcock seized and created a mess, and also had an area rust out that had to be repaired. I was mostly looking if anyone had shipped off their parts to get painted and had good results to recommend them.

 

The 900 is a big job - lots of panels to try to match, or do the whole enchilada so they all match with fresh paint.

 

Check with a couple local automotive paint supply places for recommendations.

Alternatively, a lot of auto paint shops can custom mix colors in an aerosol can and sell the Spraymax 2K Glamour clear which is solvent/paint resistant and comes in an aerosol can as well.