Hello, I have a 2001 Monster 900 and I was going to get the engine cases powder coated. Do any of you guys know what gaskets and other misc parts Ill need to swap everything back into place once the pieces are done?
Thanks,
Ben
Ducati changed from case gaskets to Threebond at some stage. Cant remember when. Someone will chime in with the exact details.
Chéers.
IMO, just paint it.
You can do that with the main cases still together.
Powder coat you're going to strip the cases bare, get them coated, and then put all new parts in.
A lot more cost, and a lot more work.
But if the motor is run out or broken, not a big difference.
I'll admit to being a spray can VHT enamel engine case paint kind of guy. ;D Mask up areas carefully or only remove outer cases while painting and fitting a light flywheel, etc. Less hassle imo.
Hmm, that sounds tempting but I was hesitant to try that, unless I can get a step by step tutorial from one of you guys. Im assuming its a bit more involved than just taping off and spraying on. I didn't think that getting the cases pulled off and powder coated and replaced would be prohibitively expensive. BTW, Im only talking about powder coating the outer cases. Not sure what you mean about replacing all new parts. Sounds like high Temp paint might be the way to go though.....
I think the seals and bearings in the outer cases get trashed by powder coating. I removed the outer cases and taped up sensitive areas before lightly sanding, prepsoling and spraying for a pretty good job. Others with more patience do a better job than me. ;)
Any links to those seals and bearings I would need to replace if I pulled of the cases? Its looking like I might just sand, tape off and spray some hi temp paint on there now, if its that much of a pain/expense.
Ducati Omaha have an on line parts list that people here use.
Quote from: brecchi on March 19, 2016, 10:50:22 PM
Any links to those seals and bearings I would need to replace if I pulled of the cases? Its looking like I might just sand, tape off and spray some hi temp paint on there now, if its that much of a pain/expense.
If you're just pulling the side covers for paint, you'll only need threebond or similar.
No to thread jack,( I hope) but are you changing the color of the outer cases? If not, what paint did Ducati use on them? I need to do some touching up or repainting on mine and I would like to keep them the same color as stock.
Quote from: SpikeC on March 21, 2016, 12:00:08 PM
No to thread jack,( I hope) but are you changing the color of the outer cases? If not, what paint did Ducati use on them? I need to do some touching up or repainting on mine and I would like to keep them the same color as stock.
No codes listed. It's just some generic silver engine enamel.
Thanks, I guess I will just cruise the hardware/auto parts stores!
Im just wanting to powder coat the outer cases a matte black. There was some slight cosmetic damage from an old leaky battery acid from before I picked up the bike, and its a 900 Dark, so I think it would look pretty mean going that route.
In regards to changing the engine side case covers paint color (alternator and clutch covers):
I used to get that request a lot when doing custom work in SoCal. Well, after a beer or two one night, I quoted the labor for that ridiculously low. So low, that when the customer did request the work be done, I blew my own mind with what I had said.
(See, it seems like a little thing to remove, mask, paint & re-install. But, there's a LOT of labor in cleaning off the three-bond, draining the oil just a touch so it doesn't leak out and the ilk.)
So, in an attempt to cut a corner, I did the following:
I removed all the side cover bolts, cleaned everything thoroughly, masked everything off, used VHT engine paint (accept no substitutes!) and painted them WHILE STILL ON THE BIKE....
The result?!? It looked great! Literally, just as great as the ones I had done the month before which ended up costing me even more than the regular quote I gave. I still lost my a$$ on the $ front with this job, but I had created a viable short-cut. Customers from that point forward, got a lower $ figure than before.
[thumbsup]
Next time I do this, I will leave the cases and bolts in place and swap bolts after painting with a stainless bolt kit for an even shorter cut.
Stuart - long time! You worked on a Ducati Monster 900 several years ago I picked up for a song in Las Vegas. I came out to your shop in LA and you walked me through a full service on the bike. I ended up riding it back to the east coast, and its currently with me in Washington DC.
Im pretty sold on painting it on the bike now. Any particular method you use to clean and prepare the cases before paint?
Thanks,
Ben
Quote from: brecchi on March 22, 2016, 09:49:51 PM
Stuart - long time! You worked on a Ducati Monster 900 several years ago I picked up for a song in Las Vegas. I came out to your shop in LA and you walked me through a full service on the bike. I ended up riding it back to the east coast, and its currently with me in Washington DC.
Im pretty sold on painting it on the bike now. Any particular method you use to clean and prepare the cases before paint?
Thanks,
Ben
I remember you... (in a good way.)
I just used simple green to remove the grease & shmutz. Just be sure to get the simple green all the way off because it leaves a film (lots of water will do this.)
Thanks Stu - Ill shoot some pics over when its finished. Hope things are good in AZ!
Hey Stu,
After removing the bolts, taping it off, and cleaning, did you spray multiple coats on, and then just run the engine to cure it? If so, how long to wait between coats, and did you use any kind of primer to help the paint adhere to the cases? If you wouldn't mind walking me through what you did in that regard, Id appreciate it. I'm only being this nitpicky about it because a few years ago, I painted my headers black, and the paint burned off and disappeared in a week. I guess the Hi Temp paint I used wasn't rated high enough.
Any advice on header painting would be appreciated as well. I plan to do that in conjunction with the cases. Im assuming Ill need higher temp paint for that. Id like to pick some up in a store ASAP, so any brand recommendations would be great.
So, Im thinking of doing multiple coats on the cases and the headers at the same time (removing the headers first of course) Then letting everything dry overnight, replacing the headers and starting up the bike and running it to cure the paint.
I cleaned and scuffed the original paint to help the VHT engine paint adhere. I put 2 coats on and then let the bike sit outside to dry. I put the bolts back in and then fired it up (don't want an oil leak) to let the engine come to temp.
Header paint? Hahahaha..... Never paint an exhaust system. ONLY take it off and send it out to be ceramic coated. Anything short of that is a waste of time and money. Anything.