Sportster Paint

[mrbigcarp]

I've been in a heated discusion about the early two tone paint jobs on 57 & 58 Sportsters. I'm convinced the Birch White Panel was painted before the solid color. My disagreer says No the solid was painted first. Any coments from anyone on this?

[Robert Luland]

White was first. If you shot color first and then white over it would show though. Then again that would all depend on how many coats you want to shoot. If you look at a lot of the early sixty tanks on the frame side panel were the paint is crappy you can clearly see the white was shot first. Bob L

[dlxl66elxl]

White was first. If you shot color first and then white over it would show though. Then again that would all depend on how many coats you want to shoot. If you look at a lot of the early sixty tanks on the frame side panel were the paint is crappy you can clearly see the white was shot first. Bob L

I can tell you for a fact that all of the original paint white panels (59,65,66,67) I have examined were shot OVER the base coat. Check the litature and you will see that bikes could be ordered without panels. The factory paint was Du Pont baked enamel so no bleed through was experienced. I have judged and examined lots of original paint tanks attempting to verify this for myself and and the white is always over the base coat. The 57 Sportsters are tricky because of the panel was available as a flip to the base coat. I have been told that the 58 big tanks were white under base coat but have been unable to personnally verify this. I examined a 59CH Hi Fi red tank with some others who make the base over white claim and suprise, the white was applied over the red.

Also, my painter works for Du Pont setting up color matching systems and he checked into the codes in Bruce Palmers book. The tints used for those codes are discontinued so Du Pont can no longer supply those colors.

[murph]

The birch white panel was shot over the base color. I have had quite a few original paint sportsters in my stable to verify that.