Need advice for removing a decal & paint from engine cases

Okay, I'm about consumate the purchase of the '85 XJ700 Maxim I mentioned in a previous thread. I'll spend time this weekend going through the bike and replacing fluids and filters as well as doing a general clean up.

A previous (idiot) owner thought the bike would look nice if he painted the left side engine case black. He used a spray can so I'm thinking the paint will come off easily. The right side engine case has an ugly sticker attached to it and it appears to have been "baked" on by engine heat. Again, I'm thinking there has to be a safe and effective way to remove the decal but I've never done such a thing.

I also noticed that sections of the engine case are yellowed. I have no idea how they got that way nor does the current owner. Is there a way to clean up the aluminum, or whatever metal it is, on the engine so I can get it back to near factory condition?

 

Decal can be removed with Permatex gasket remover. I don't know if this is safe on chrome. The yellowing I have seen is usually due to fuel spillage. Rickcomatic is hte local guru on engine polishing so wait for his post.

 

The yellowing is the results of time on the factory applied clear laquer coat. Cleaning it off is a messy, time consuming job, but the results are rather nice. As BlueMax mentioned, Rick has a fine write-up on how to do this and polish the metal up to a glaring shine.

 

Re: Need advice for removing a decal & paint from engine cas

Thanks for the tip about Permatex. The so called "yellowing" turned out to be gold paint that a previous owner applied to the engine cases. He also sprayed it on the fork tubes and brace.

Idiot.

I used a brillow pad to remove most of the paint but I still have much more work to do. I think I'll go to 000 steel wool and soapy water for the second and third rounds of cleaning.

On a more positive note this is a sweet bike. It's an '85 with just under 25K on the odometer and in need of some TLC. I can't believe that people don't take better care of their bikes; this one appears to have been stored outside at one point so I have the usual fading of handle bar controls.

One other thing of note is that the starter button sticks. My first thought is to dismantle the right side controls and give the internals a good cleaning. If there's a quicker fix to this please DO let me know!!

Thanks to all that contributed their collective knowledge, info that convinced me to buy the bike, my SO it very pleased with the purchase and looking forward to her first ride. Pics will follow.....

 

I'd soak some terry-cloth in lacquer thinner and try wiping the baked-on decal off.

 

Re: Need advice for removing a decal & paint from engine cas

The Permatex gasket remover worked like a charm. The only thing I'd do differently next time is to use a plastic putty knife instead of a metal one. Regardless of how careful I was the metal knife left a few streaks in the engine case.

Thanks again for the tip!

 

Re: Need advice for removing a decal & paint from engine cas

I've used paint remover/stripper that is made for Epoxy paint.

Your aluminum will have no protective coating after this and will need to be sealed or waxed regularly.

You can hose the stripper off when it' sat long enough. I didn't need a putty knife.

Did use some 000 steel wool though in some tough areas, then used a buffing wheell on my bench grinder with polishing rughe on the scratches