1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

A forum for stories, pics and updates of your resto's. Be it a barn find, Grampas hand me down or a bike being brought back to it's former glory.If you are restoring it, show us your stuff!

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toolbox
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#526

Post by toolbox »

BikeMaine wrote:
BikeMaine wrote:
BikeMaine wrote:
But everybody else that I look at, the photos are there. Only problem is when toolbox puts them on, but just his recent posts.

This is what it looks like when toolbox posts photos lately......

no photo.png
Shoot...that's no good :/. I stopped using photobombit when they decided to break the internet...been using postimg.org for a while now (I think someone here suggested using them). Seems to work on the devices I've tried it on...maybe see if you can access the site directly? If not, something is maybe blocking it? Wish I had a better answer :oops:
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#527

Post by BikeMaine »

toolbox wrote:
BikeMaine wrote:
BikeMaine wrote:
But everybody else that I look at, the photos are there. Only problem is when toolbox puts them on, but just his recent posts.

This is what it looks like when toolbox posts photos lately......

no photo.png
Shoot...that's no good :/. I stopped using photobombit when they decided to break the internet...been using postimg.org for a while now (I think someone here suggested using them). Seems to work on the devices I've tried it on...maybe see if you can access the site directly? If not, something is maybe blocking it? Wish I had a better answer :oops:
Not your fault Bud, no worries.
Kevin
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#528

Post by 5speed »

BikeMaine wrote:
But everybody else that I look at, the photos are there. Only problem is when toolbox puts the on, but just his recent posts.

This is what it looks like when toolbox posts photos lately......
no photo.png
I get that every now and then too.
1982 1100 standard. (sold)
1986 Yamaha FJ1200
2000 Yamaha Roadstar
1976 GoldWing. running but not on the road
1978 Goldwing. future cafe project.
2019 Can-Am ryker (boss's new ride)

2002 Shadow American Classic(sold)
1983 Shadow 500. (sold)
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toolbox
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#529

Post by toolbox »

BikeMaine wrote:
toolbox wrote:
BikeMaine wrote:
But everybody else that I look at, the photos are there. Only problem is when toolbox puts them on, but just his recent posts.

This is what it looks like when toolbox posts photos lately......

no photo.png
Shoot...that's no good :/. I stopped using photobombit when they decided to break the internet...been using postimg.org for a while now (I think someone here suggested using them). Seems to work on the devices I've tried it on...maybe see if you can access the site directly? If not, something is maybe blocking it? Wish I had a better answer :oops:
Not your fault Bud, no worries.
Hope it gets sorted out, whatever the issue is... type1
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toolbox
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#530

Post by toolbox »

More to report...
Santa was pretty late this year, but he finally came through...this was sitting out front when I got home yesterday :).

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It got here a few days before I really expected...but I still think it's Stupidpost :lol: . Lid looked really good...I'll bet that Aspy was a pretty nice scoot when it was new.

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Aside from some swirl marks, the paint was actually pretty nice and the original decals were all intact. Almost seems a shame to buzz it all off, but I guess the rest of the bike has already moved on to its next stage in life lol. So, I went out into the cold and dark and got to it. A 40 grit disk will make quick work of almost any finish...

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Cleaned it up with a 150 grit disk, which leaves a nice finish for paint to stick to, without the scratches being deep enough to show through primer.

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Was going to get started on layout for cutting, but I forgot to get the sticky label paper I need :oops: . So, that was it for the lid for the moment...

Moving on to other things, I decided that I wanted to paint the caps for the grips with something a little more durable than the engine paint I'd used on them...I have a couple of cans of black wrinkle paint, and I thought would both look good, and be very tough. When it's oven cured, it's a very durable finish. Sooooo, I took both caps off, and then decided that I would also try and give the leather grips a treatment. I have a can of Pecards leather treatment (forget exactly what it's called)...I thought it would be good to put something on them to give them a little weather resistance. I had a scrap of that stuff I wrapped the grips in, and tested it to make sure it wouldn't lose any "grippiness", and it didn't. If anything, it was more grippy. Anyway, I've used this stuff on boots and my bullwhip with good results so I thought I'd try it here. And yes, I said bullwhip...and yes, just like Indiana Jones :lol: . That what I did for Halloween last year, and I thought "What's the point in having a whip and not knowing how to use it?" So, I bought an old Bucheimer 9' whip...and after watching a bunch of youtube videos, taught myself how to use it :lol: . I can do four different cracks pretty well...was still trying to get the fast figure 8 down when the weather turned and I had to quit for the season.

Anyway, back to the bike...here's the grips before:

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And after...

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They look...richer, maybe? Slightly darker...better I think. The grooves are a little better defined, which is nice and they grip a little better than before. As I was wiping them down, I could hear Ricardo Montalban in my head saying something about the rich Corinthian leather :lol: . Anyway, probably wouldn't hurt to goop them up once in a while just to help keep them from drying out in the sun, and give them some waterproofing.

Moving on to the end caps...seemed simple enough. Warm up the caps, warm up the paint...spray the paint, bake the parts...assemble my beautiful new end caps back onto the grips, and enjoy.

What really happened...first thing I did was lose one of the screws that attaches them...I still have no idea where it went. Well, whatever, I'll get another one. Put the caps on a piece of cardboard, went out front to spray them...literally can't see anything, so I'm making my best guess as to paint coverage. Get what I think looks about right, and bring them in. Carefully put them on the little tray that goes in my garage toaster oven, and bake...
Now, it's worth noting here, that wrinkle paint is kind of fickle. Paint film too thin, and it stays smooth. Paint film to thick, and it won't cure no matter how long you bake it...it just stays this gooey finish you can scrape off with a fingernail...it really wants this Goldi Locks layer of paint to work properly. Well...I couldn't see it in the dark, but this paint film was too small :oops: . Most it was actually ok, but on the side of both of them, I didn't get enough paint...

"Well, it'll be ok...I can just give them a second coat, and it should be fine." Go back out in the dark and give it another go. Oh, and it should be mentioned here, that I always tip the can upside down after using it, because this stuff is super prone to getting clogs...soooo, that's what I did there. Holding the piece of cardboard with my freshly painted parts like some some sort of waiter in a fancy restaurant about to deliver some delicious motorcycle grips, I tipped the paint can up and hit the button...not really paying enough attention to the angle the cardboard was at. So, it probably won't come as big of a surprise to you as it did to me, when I saw one of my freshly painted caps quickly closing the distance between itself and my filthy garage floor :shock: . And of course, the thing hits the floor butter-side down :x . So stupid lol. So, I tried to pick the bits of crap out of the paint, and thought "huh, well...if I blow some more paint on it, maybe it will be ok." Sprayed more on top of it, and tossed it in the oven.

15 Minutes later, they come out...remember that gooey mess I was talking about? Yea...that was my new paint job :lol: . Sigh...things were not going my way. So, got out the paint stripper, and put a big blob on each of the caps. I was surprised at how well it worked at that temp, and it got it off pretty quickly. Ended up having to sand the remains of the engine paint off of them, and that took some time. Here they are ready for paint...

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And here's how they turned out:

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Pretty nice, huh guys? :lol: The can of paint almost seemed to be spitting on my project haha...it just let out this little spatter of paint, and immediately stopped dead with a clog. I grabbed my other can of this stuff, and it wouldn't even start to spray...GAAAAAA!!!

Now might be a good time to put this out there--I don't know if any of you have ever experienced this, but there are times when I'm doing this stuff, and everything just seems to be hitting on all 8 cylinders...the work goes fast, and it goes well. And then...there are times like this :lol: . Nothing seems to go right, and it's just one thing after another. Occasionally, the universe just decides I should be doing something else...I've learned over the years not to question it, or ask why, but rather just try to recognize and accept it so I can quit before something major goes off the tracks lol. The final straw was when when I went to put my reusable earplugs on my bench and dropped one of them into a bunch of stuff on the floor. Spent ten minutes moving stuff around trying to find it, only to discover it five feet away in a spot it couldn't have bounced to if I'd thrown it on the floor like a rubber ball...I'm still scratching my head at that one. Ok universe...I get it. Time to bag it and do something else...so I bagged it for the night.

Did get one other thing done waiting for the paint stripper though...

Image

Sanded the last trim ring down...had to remove a botched paint job from last year. Paint on it failed due to a compatibility issue with the primer on it when I bought it. So, it's ready for paint whenever the weather (and the universe) allow.

An tossed the other painted one on the other side...that was actually the other night, but you probably couldn't see while being...blinded by the light (cue the Manfred Mann :lol: ). Sorry if you just got that stuck in your head :mrgreen: .

Image
Last edited by toolbox on Mon Jun 11, 2018 1:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#531

Post by 5speed »

Man it is nice to know I'm not the only one that has days like this.
I used to dig my heels in and tell myself..I'm going to win..and always ended up in a bigger mess then I was in 10 minutes previously.
Now I turn the light out and go in the house..
I refinished a set of barrels off a Browning citori side by side for a guy a few years ago..
It took 4 attempts before I was satisfied with how they turned out...
Attempt #4 was the day after the first 3 and went off without a hitch.
Then there is Karma...
I refinished a lee enfield for my best friend..and as a joke..I did it in lavender.. :twisted:
when I redid it for him..I forgot the front sight blade was plastic..and well ya..I melted it.
It cost me close to $70 US to find a replacement..and I ended up having to buy the entire front sight assembly.
Plus I scratched the barrel in the process...and ended up redoing it 3 times.. :cry:
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1982 1100 standard. (sold)
1986 Yamaha FJ1200
2000 Yamaha Roadstar
1976 GoldWing. running but not on the road
1978 Goldwing. future cafe project.
2019 Can-Am ryker (boss's new ride)

2002 Shadow American Classic(sold)
1983 Shadow 500. (sold)
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#532

Post by CYBORG »

As I get older, I have a lot more of those days. The answer,......just put it off til a better day. I know what you mean,....do it all the time
1978 custom GL1000
1977 custom with 1200 engine
1985 gl1200
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toolbox
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#533

Post by toolbox »

Glad to hear I'm not alone guys :lol: . I'm kind of glad I've reached the stage where I've stopped fighting it, and just try to know when to throw in the towel...I used to fight it too, and only ended up making more work for myself lol. And I love the Enfield...ended up being kind of expensive as far as practical jokes go, but it looks like it was worth it :lol: . Looks like it started out life as a No.4 Mk1? I've got a couple of No.1 MK IIIs and a couple of those...nice pieces. Handier and faster than what either the Germans or Americans were fielding in WWI (IMO). Actually have a sword bayonet for the No.1...they made them super long to give it the same reach as the longer German 98. It's quite...impressive :shock: .

Also had one more thing to report on the bike... So, now that I'm starting on the replacement lid, and starting on the design of the paint work on the shelter, I think it's finally entered the home stretch of the build... I started to do the layout on the shelter the other night, and here's the most basic (call it V1.0) of what it'll have...(I'm sure nobody here will be shocked by this one :lol: )

Image

Now, of all the things I've done on this bike, this is probably one of the least original...it's been done over and over, and much better than what I'll be able to do. Heck, it's even been done here before (better get your spoons out! :lol: ). But, as soon as I had the basic idea for this fleshed out, that was what I knew was going to happen with the tank, and I never looked back. It's going to be some...challenging...paint work. But, I think if I just take my time it'll probably turn out ok. It was kind of fun looking at a ton of pictures of P40s to get an idea of what the real thing actually looked like.

It was pretty amazing just how much variation there was...it really looks like these things were applied in the field, with whatever paint the maintenance guys could round up, by whoever in the squadron was considered to be "the artist". The designs were literally all over the place...check these out:

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No two of them are alike... Or these:

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The designs were dictated somewhat by the shape of the nose, which changed depending on the model (earlier ones had a smaller "chin" I think). The quality of the artwork is also all over the map...it's funny, but all the restored ones currently flying have these show-car quality paint jobs, and some of the originals look like they were painted by a five year old lol. The luxury of peace and prosperity vs. the expedience and improvisation of wartime I suppose...kind of interesting anyway.

I also found this one that made me chuckle...the expression on this thing looks like that guy put his hand somewhere it wasn't expecting :lol:

Image

Speaking of expression, one of the things I picked up on these was the shape of the eye...in wartime photos, it's almost always a teardrop shape. Modern restorations seem to be a majority of this style:

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They use a straight line on the top edge (well, angled really) to give it a more aggressive look. It's interesting...most of them use that style. I made up a few test eyes in different styles and sizes to see what they would look like...

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It's funny how much it affects the "expression" it has... I haven't decided which way to go yet...either the teardrop, or something different. Guess I'll think on it...

Anyway, I guess this is a milestone of sorts. Lots to go, but a lot more done :lol: .
Last edited by toolbox on Mon Jun 11, 2018 1:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#534

Post by wingrider »

I am voting for the top picture with a little more pupil showing, but the same shape eye!
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#535

Post by 5speed »

wingrider wrote:I am voting for the top picture with a little more pupil showing, but the same shape eye!
I'm with wingrider.
1982 1100 standard. (sold)
1986 Yamaha FJ1200
2000 Yamaha Roadstar
1976 GoldWing. running but not on the road
1978 Goldwing. future cafe project.
2019 Can-Am ryker (boss's new ride)

2002 Shadow American Classic(sold)
1983 Shadow 500. (sold)
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#536

Post by Track T 2411 »

5speed wrote:
wingrider wrote:I am voting for the top picture with a little more pupil showing, but the same shape eye!
I'm with wingrider.
Another vote...
"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

"He that is good with a hammer tends to think everything is a nail" - Abraham Maslow

"If you can't take the time to do it right the first time, how are you ever going to find the time to do it over?" -Unknown

Current Rides:
'Grumpy' - '81 Standard, now fully dressed.
'Layla' - '81 Standard w/dealer installed fairing and Hondaline bags.
'Scarlett' '76 'Survivor' nekkid as a j-bird!

Under Construction:
The 'Jalopy' '78-'79 Mash-up
'Quikie' '81 gl1100I back on the lift, project with the step-son!

In The Shed:
'81 gl1100I barn find aka "Josie, the farmer's daughter." (almost comatose build)
'77 gl1000, roller parts bike.
'82 gl1100I, 'Old Crusty' titled roller parts bike (free!)
'82 gl1100I, My first 'Wing, and an expensive lesson!
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#537

Post by Sundance »

Same as above
type1 https://www.facebook.com/One.Ton.Ron action1
1984 KZ1000 P dresser, SOLD. anim-cheers1
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#538

Post by toolbox »

I guess the club has spoken :lol: . I ran the idea by my GF, and she said the same thing...I guess it's settled :mrgreen: . I kind of liked the idea of using the original style eyeball, just because it would be more true to history...but there's a reason that you see that other style on the majority of planes still flying--it just looks a lot better. So, at this point I'll say that that's what I plan on using :).
Had a little daylight time to work on the bike yesterday, and made some more progress...
After what, five attempts at painting my grip caps, I finally found success...I ended up building this little jig to paint them on, because I kept getting paint pooling at the bottom edge, ruining it...

Image

I'm not kidding, I think I had five different attempts at getting paint on these things, with something going wrong every time...it's funny how much easier it is when you can see what you're doing :lol: . In the end, all they really wanted was a nice, thin, even coat of paint...which they finally got yesterday when I could what I was doing.

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Also had enough of a block of time I decided to start cutting on the lid panel... So, my idea for making a stencil to transfer the hole patterns to the new lid was pretty simple--put a piece of sticker paper on the back, and cut it out with an xacto knife.

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Then, after a lot of measuring, stick it on the new lid...

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I made one for the altimeter hole too...

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Immediately after sticking that on there, I had the thought that it would be a lot easier to fill that depression before I cut the hole, rather than trying to deal with it after there's a gaping hole there. So, new sticker came off, body filler went on.

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And here it is after the second coat was mostly sanded...

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While I was in the middle of that, I also had the thought that it might be better if I shifted it all up 1/4", in order to hopefully let that one switch on the switch plate clear the bottom bracket...so there's more layout tape and whatnot on there. And then it was time to cut...I used the angle grinder on the sides, and dremmel thing on the corners. I cut it a hair small so I could finish hand fitting it with a file. I think it's actually a little better fit than the first time...

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According to my measurements, it's within 1/16" of square both sides, which is about as close to perfect as I'm going to get it. Then it was on to the altimeter hole... Being (mostly) round, it's difficult to cut it no matter what. Using small flat disks, there's only so tight of a radius you can cut...and I had to be careful not to bugger up the body filler on top too much while I was trying to get to the metal underneath. I got the circle cut out, but not that weird protrusion thing at the bottom left...but it dropped in a little anyways.

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There's still a lot of hand fitting to do, and all of that weird shape to go...but so far so good. By my measurements, it's also centered about as close as I'm going to get it. Here it is with both dropped in...

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I'm off early today, and I should have a couple of hours to play with it before dark. Hopefully at least get the hole for the altimeter finished. Then, it'll be time to cut the hole for the switch plate, and do layout for the rivets...and get those holes drilled. Lid will basically be done at that point (yay!). After that, get serious about layout on the shelter...
Last edited by toolbox on Mon Jun 11, 2018 1:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BikeMaine
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#539

Post by BikeMaine »

Halfway through your last post, your photos started showing up! Wicked strange, but I'm just happy that I can see them again.
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Kevin
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Re: 1982 GL1100 Corpse resurrection...er restoration...

#540

Post by 5speed »

bikemaine..when was the last time you emptied out your temp file folder /cache on your computer. Not sure if it may be the cause or not but worth a shot..
1982 1100 standard. (sold)
1986 Yamaha FJ1200
2000 Yamaha Roadstar
1976 GoldWing. running but not on the road
1978 Goldwing. future cafe project.
2019 Can-Am ryker (boss's new ride)

2002 Shadow American Classic(sold)
1983 Shadow 500. (sold)
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