Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

I haven't shared this build on the site yet so I figured I would not that I'm getting pretty close to completion.

I picked up this Iowa in what I would call rough shape. It ran but not well. I ended up swapping in a cylinder and piston from another spree that had 52 miles on it. Of course I cleaned the carbs and also had to treat the gas tank as it was coated in rust. Fresh fuel lines, filter, blah blah blah. I blasted the frame and wheels and matched up the paint as best I could. I also cleaned up the motor and put some new tires on it.

I originally wanted to redo it exactly as it was off the line but I just couldn't help myself. I made some changes here and there including the fork color, the belt cover and did the floor piece in black instead of white. I also decided to make custom decals for the sides and front to match my scheme.

As of now I'm waiting for new grips, mirrors and I have to address the rear luggage rack. It's in pretty bad shape so I'll have to have it chromed or something else. I'm happy with the way it's coming out.

Here's how it looked when I got it.



Current state:



I have a bunch of photos located at http://www.motorcyclesymmetry.com/proje ... -iowa.html if you're interested in seeing more before/during shots.

Looks great! Good work!

What kind of paint did you use for the floor piece, since it will get so much wear and tear?

mvanpatter wrote:What kind of paint did you use for the floor piece, since it will get so much wear and tear?

I used a Krylon plastic paint on the floor followed by several thick coats of clear. I used it on my last Spree also and it has held up as well as can be expected. Anything short of a ding or something on the severe side it holds up fine. I've put somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 miles on the other one without issue.

**one note, I did go through the process of thoroughly cleaning and scuffing the floor piece before painting.

For paint in a spray can the Krylon Fusion works really well, looks good, and holds up without peeling really well. Mine has been painted for over a year and it still looks like i painted it recently

I think I just might have picked out my color scheme, looks very nice!

zuphilius wrote:I think I just might have picked out my color scheme, looks very nice!

Well in all honesty, I think I might change the wheel color. I'm typically a fan of high contrast and with the wheels the way they are, they get lost in the "back". I'm thinking either white or a gunmetal gray.

Whataya' think?

White. Most definatly.

With a polished lip? Hmmm...

Well I decided to give the white with a polished lip idea a try. I only managed to get the front wheel done so far but this more than shows what the final product will look like. Obviously it takes more time to polish the lips than to simply spray the whole wheel.

So whataya' think? This ped is sure a contrast to the other one I did. This one looks hoighty-toighty compared to the other one

Very nice! I like it.

Did you paint the whole spree with the fusion paint? Also what kind of clear did you use?

Jeff

goreyboggs wrote:Did you paint the whole spree with the fusion paint? Also what kind of clear did you use?

Jeff

Yes I use the Krylon Fusion paint on any small plastic paint projects. I have it down to a science and it looks like auto paint when I'm done. I do spray auto paint for certain projects but for this and even race plastic it's not worth it.

I do three coats of the paint followed by three coats of Fusion clear. The last coat being VERY thick. I then sand it with anywhere from 600-2000 grit wet before buffing with compound, polishing and then wax. Pretty standard process.

Side note, I use DupliColor for small metal parts. Just found it to be better for metal applications.

Allllmost done. Just need to install the new seat cover with white piping and this sucker is finished. Not real happy with the photos but oh well...

Very nice! Good job on the wheels!