Hi,

I'm currently trying my best to tidy up my nc30 but every time I look at the engine I know it needs some attention.

It's not too bad , but I'd love it (and feel better) if it was all shiny like new.

I've thought about stripping it and getting all the engine cases powder coated but;

1. I'm not clever enough to take the engine to bits
2. I'm scared any abrasive material from the blasting process may be left inside ( not convinced il get every bit cleaned out) and cause internal damage.

May be a rookie question but if I took the engine out of the bike, taped up as many ports and bolts as I need to would it be possible to blast and powder coat as 1 lump?

I'm not sure if the baking process would damage I internal parts/bearings/seals and there is the other question of the powder coating sealing the cases together if that makes sense??

Just looking for guidance really?

Cheers
Simon

Hi simon

I do powdercoating for work

no you wouldnt be able to leave it as 1 unit, firstly the finish would be ok until you tried taking a side cover or rocker cover off then you would effectively split the coat between the cover + crankcase which wouldnt end up looking nice
also once an item is coated it goes through an oven at 250 degrees, although the actual metal components will be ok you would more than likely kill any rubber seals + o'rings, also even if the oil is drained out there would still be residue which would seep out + ruin the finish
the only way would be a full strip, thorough degrease + clean, powder coat then rebuild
the next possible problem would be the heat
although the powder cures in a 250 degree oven some powders are not heat resistant after curing so that would then mean a heat resistant powder

itz 100% possible though, if you know someone willing to strip + rebuild then I could coat for you or I could strip, coat + rebuild for you
Drol me an e-mail on james.caswell671@gmail.com if you want to talk about it

cheers

My friend Stew has a Buell and has had the engine powder coated whilst it was apart for a new crank / rods and pistons. I have to say it does look great..

Thanks James,
Great info and thought as much, suppose im looking for the lazy option.! where abouts do you live? I'm in West Yorkshire.

I may leave it for the time being as il need to pluck up the courage to take it apart in that case, I wouldn't want to end up with a hand full of bolts after rebuild.

Vtype4 - that's exactly why I'm thinking of doing it, mostly for my own satisfaction... And she is 20 years old next year so she's earnt it :-)

Syeh - I must admit this is something I have been pondering over myself for a future project so keep us posted on how you get on.

I used to live in West Yorks and used N B Coatings in Pontifract to get all my powder coating done back then. I has been a LONG time since I used them, but if you are in that neck of the woods might be worth a call enquiring about the "Heat resistant" powder coat options.

P.S.

I reckon it has ben done before - but yes it would require and engine strip to get a "quality" finish and that is a lot of pieces…



But certainly not impossible with a bit of patience and time… (no they are not mine)

Thanks NGneer- just had wheels, rear sub framed one by them, taken front callipers, stand and various bits to him this week- he did a superb job.

Photo of the engine in bits = scary

Photo of the end result = tempting!

Thanks for the help

How would they keep the engineering surfaces and the internal surfaces from getting the powdercoating on them

If they're anything like Redditch Shotbalst & Powder Coat they'll double mask it with metal type tape. There wasn't a speck of grit in Stews engine cases when he had them back. A very thorough job..

NGneer wrote:Syeh - I must admit this is something I have been pondering over myself for a future project so keep us posted on how you get on.

I used to live in West Yorks and used N B Coatings in Pontifract to get all my powder coating done back then. I has been a LONG time since I used them, but if you are in that neck of the woods might be worth a call enquiring about the "Heat resistant" powder coat options.

P.S.

I reckon it has ben done before - but yes it would require and engine strip to get a "quality" finish and that is a lot of pieces…



But certainly not impossible with a bit of patience and time… (no they are not mine)

To be correct, that orange NC30 engine is not powdercoated. It is painted, this engine rebuild is from a guy overhere, all work was done in mid-'06. Paint colour is near the Lamborgini Diablo orange. Casings are all glas bead blasted, primer based, orange paint and clear coat. Engine popped couple of years later (not sure what he did as far as tuning etc.). This summer he started all over to get necessary engine parts for a new engine rebuild.

Engine after rebuild fresh in frame (mid-'06)


Popped (mid-'10)...

The last pic of the black heads is mine and that isn't powdercoated either! It is VHT engine enamel and all the parts were hot tank prior to painting. The engine enamel gave some nice results except around any fastener which chipped the paint when the fastener was torqued down. Apart from that, it looks pretty good!

The key with any painting technique is prep and masking (especially with as many mating surfaces as an engine block) and from my experience with powdercoating wheels, the masking was fair more challenging than with paint.