My Suzuki has been stripped right down to the bare frame. The frame has been sand blasted and powder coated and all the original nuts, bolts, brackets, spindles, springs and other components have been cleaned and restored. This means that I cleaned them up by lightly sand blasting, followed by more cleaning using a wire brush attachement on an electric drill cleaning them to a smooth, shiny steel finish.
Finally I had them zinc-silver plated.
You can see how they looked before, and the finished results in the photos below
Suzuki GS850G - as purchased
View of the engine, not bad considering
Stripped right back to the frame ready for sand blasting and powder coating
The frame after sand blasting and powder coating
Nuts, bolts, fixings as they were when removed.
After light sand blasting and cleaning with a wire brush before zinc silver plating
More parts after cleaning/sand blasting and before plating
Nuts, bolts, brackets, spindles, springs and other component parts after sand blasting, wire brushing and zinc-silver plating.
The engine restoration is still a work in progress.
Originally, I sent the cylinder head, block, sump plate, and oil filter cover to be vapour blasted in Bristol. While it looked improved, the quality wasn’t up to the high standard I was aiming for. Areas had been missed, and the finish lacked detail and consistency.
That disappointment gave me the motivation to invest in my own vapour blasting cabinet. Now, every part of my engine receives the same meticulous level of attention that I offer to customers.
Finally I had them zinc-silver plated.
When restoring an engine, I always take the following steps:
Preparation: All oil-ways and ports are sealed to prevent cleaning media entering the engine.
Blasting: Surfaces are vapour blasted with the correct media for a smooth, even finish.
Final Cleaning: Once blasting is complete, everything is washed and blown through with compressed air to ensure the engine is perfectly clean and dry.
This process guarantees a finish that’s not only clean but also reliable and long-lasting.
This is a photo of the engine straight after taking off my bike
Another photo of the engine before starting any cleaning
This is how it looked after being sent away for vapour blasting. From a distance it looks OK but take a closer look!
When I took a closer look at the engine I was really disappointed with the quality of the detail work.
Looking really closely, you can see that the lack of attention to detail.
The surfaces have a matt finish and I knew that a good, shiny surface could be achieved with more time and attention to detail
Another example of the poor attention to detail
A really close-up look at one of the areas of the engine. This really highlights the decidedly average quality of the work.
Another close-up look that shows poor attention to detail
Just look at the mat finish, indicating poor quality work
After I've vapour blasted, the aluminium shines like new
Taking a closer look - very clean and shiny
Taking a closer look at the poor quality work
This is after I've Vapour Blasted the block and a couple of parts. The nooks and crannies are clean and the aluminium has a nice shine to it, just like new
A closer look at the fins showing a totally clean block
The lower crankcases were prepared with extreme care:
Con rods were masked to protect the crankshaft and bearings.
Wire brush attachments and hand sanding were used to clean without damaging the structure.
After preparation, the cases were washed with acetone to remove every trace of dust, grease, and dirt.
The finish was built up in layers:
Acid etch primer – to prepare the surface.
Heatproof engine paint – for protection and factory-correct finish.
Clear two-pack diamond lacquer – to seal and preserve the look.
I also removed the casings and oil filter cover before blasting and polishing, preventing overspray and leaving a flawless result.
Finally I had them zinc-silver plated.
Bottom of engine cleaned and wire brushed
Bottom of engine painted
Another view of the painted bottom of the engine
Cleaned, wire brushed and with port ways blocked off
After painting
Another view of the engine before painting
And after painting and lacquering.
Waiting to be painted
Looking like new after painting and lacquering
Another view after painting & lacquering.
Ready to be painted
After painting and lacquering.
