The side fairing panels for Project 38, a 1986 VFR750, are back from paint and are in need of reassembly before they are mounted on the finished bike. Shown at right is the OEM heat/sound foam mat. The original mats have dried with age and usually crumble to the touch, well past their use-by date. I remove them in any case for the painting process. There's no replacement from Honda, so I use a modern foam/foil self-stick mat cut to fit.
(Below) I begin with a paper template, cut to shape, and punch out the fastener holes with a hammer and homemade punch. Those spring clips are difficult to remove (gently but forcefully pull upward with a pliers) and sometimes the plastic pegs they attach to break off. No worries, between the remaining pegs and the sticky backing, the new pad will be secure. Here, the center peg is missing.
(Below) I begin with a paper template, cut to shape, and punch out the fastener holes with a hammer and homemade punch. Those spring clips are difficult to remove (gently but forcefully pull upward with a pliers) and sometimes the plastic pegs they attach to break off. No worries, between the remaining pegs and the sticky backing, the new pad will be secure. Here, the center peg is missing.
Next I'll install the plastic ducts, which screw into three fragile plastic towers using expanding brass inserts. If you're very lucky, the securing screws broke free and left the brass inserts intact, but more likely the screws are corroded in place and broke the inserts loose, cracking the towers in the process. One approach is to fill the towers with JB Weld or similar, drill out a suitably sized hole into the filled tower and use a sheet metal screw to secure the duct. In this case, I chose to reuse the brass inserts by doing my best to repair the cracked towers (prior to painting), separating the screws/inserts, and installing the inserts with a few dabs of JB Weld. Once it cures, the original screws can be used to install the duct. This panel is just about ready for the bike.
But wait, there's more….
While I'm at it, I'll need to refurbish the fairing stand-offs. These came in two styles for the 2d-gen bikes; these elegant billet aluminum posts the more common. They were originally black, but we've decided to brighten them by going with the polished aluminum look.
Trouble is, that black can be either paint or anodize. We had one of each, so I would first need to remove the anodizing. I do this by soaking the item in spray-on oven cleaner for about 30 minutes in the warm sun followed by a rinse with water. Next, I screw an allen bolt into the open end to allow chucking in a hand drill, then polish with a strip of wet/dry sand paper, 400 to 800 grit, depending upon the condition of the aluminum finish. A quick hand or wheel polishing completes the process. I like to coat the finish with Sharkhide sealant to preserve the shine.
While I'm at it, I'll need to refurbish the fairing stand-offs. These came in two styles for the 2d-gen bikes; these elegant billet aluminum posts the more common. They were originally black, but we've decided to brighten them by going with the polished aluminum look.
Trouble is, that black can be either paint or anodize. We had one of each, so I would first need to remove the anodizing. I do this by soaking the item in spray-on oven cleaner for about 30 minutes in the warm sun followed by a rinse with water. Next, I screw an allen bolt into the open end to allow chucking in a hand drill, then polish with a strip of wet/dry sand paper, 400 to 800 grit, depending upon the condition of the aluminum finish. A quick hand or wheel polishing completes the process. I like to coat the finish with Sharkhide sealant to preserve the shine.
What remains for the fairing preparations are to install the headlight and tail light assemblies into their respective fairings and we're ready to make Project 38 look like a motorcycle again.
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