Hollister56 wrote:
Nice work on your restore.
Who did the paint? It looks really well done.
How did you clean the engine cases and cylinders?
Thanks! Cases, cylinders and heads were bead blasted. Make sure the cases are completely dry with zero oil so the blasting media doesn't stick inside. After that, blow out with compressed air thoroughly to make sure nothing is left inside the cases. I used fine steel wool over the external cases to have a decent looking finish otherwise they look dull. Cleaning the nuts and bolts is a real pain in the rear and time consuming but had to be done.
The paint matching was done by a local paint store but took numerous trials before I call it ok. They were probably glad to get rid off me after that. It was just color coat and clear coat approach. Someone on ebay is selling the purple H2C paint (also color coat and clear coat) for $180 and that may be the way to go. I traced the decal pattern myself years ago and had the local decal shop make them for me.
I know I am not the fastest and I am sure it took me over 100 hours of labor so far. If you can get someone to do a frame off restoration (assuming a cheap hourly labor rate of $50, not counting parts and paint job) for $5000 that would be a steal.
I do have another H2C that is in good condition and I am thinking about doing a total restoration on it as well since I've gain some experience now. I do have too many bikes to restore and I am very concerned about not having enough time -- not getting any younger.