Hitchcocks Forum

Dear Bulleteers,

I scratched my beloved bullets fuel tank yesterday, while putting her away in the garage.

Can anybody recommend a product for restoring the finish? The scratch goes right down to the metal!

It's a 2001 350 Bullet with the cast iron engine. The tank is black with gold stripes and lettering.

Cheers,

Dave

T-Cut

Thanks papasmurf, but will T-cut actually fill in the scratch? I thought that T-cut was an abrasive polish. This scratch goes down to the metal, so I won't be able to polish it out.

You'll need to build up the scratch to the level of the proper finish with body filler or similar, smooth it with the finest wet and dry, then overspray with black paint, blend the finish in with T-cut, and then finish with proper polish. Or, call it patina and say it's part of the bike's history.

Ericpode's way, but with a small bit of primer first into the scratch. Or, as he says, properly. Then... enjoy? the battle-scar.

Humbrol black enamel is a decent match, bit of primer first, touch in with enamel proud of the surface, WAIT til completely hard, protect existing paintwork with tape each side, rub down with progressively fine wet and dry (wet) then polish.

Duck tape? Actually Mark B has it. A polishing mop on an electric drill can reduce the elbow grease required.

Andy

Contact Chips Away, it may be cheaper than you think plus you get it back to as new, they come to you to do the Job.

I would go with Revband`s suggestion. They would restore it to pristine condition. Most paintwork is protected by a layer of clear lacquer (also on car wheels) so read the instruction manual. It might say not to use abrasive cutter/polish as this will damage the clear protective layer, which doesn`t need polishing or only with non-abrasive polish, and you will end up having damaged paintwork which will need constant polishing just like in the good old days.

I’d go the Chips Away route too. Whilst I can do many things, repairing a scratch or dent to be indistinguishable from new isn’t one of them. I have successfully used wax crayons on scratches that haven’t gone down to bare metal; it’s surprisingly effective in some cases, though not on a tank, which is usually the crowning glory and shows up imperfections more than other parts.