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CB360t Revamping Fender and Tailight - What should I do?

5K views 38 replies 9 participants last post by  Prairie 
#1 ·
Not sure if this falls under this "Mechanical Issues" category, but oh well.

OK I need opinions on the next step forward on my rear CB360t fender. The way that it is set up, it has many holes drilled in it for the taillight wiring, frame rail support, and the taillight/license plate mounting bracket itself. I HATE the stock taillight and I bought a "cafe racer style" taillight with combined plate bracket on eBay. I planned to chop the fender to maybe 2/3 of its original length and powdercoat. As all things, I discover it is easier said than done! First off, without the frame-to-fender rail support, I imagine the fender will bob up and down anytime the bike would hit something larger than a peanut on the road. Secondly, I do not know if I can plug up any of these drilled holes before powdercoating. Lastly I noticed that the curvature profile on the new light is way off compared to the curvature of my fender.

First thought was to fab up a rubber "base" to fix the gap between the fender and my taillight and chop off that third of the fender like I always wanted. That is all well and good except it runs into the problem of how to support the fender from bobbing on bumps as mentioned before.

Second thought was to keep that support rail and mount the new taillight lower on the fender, but it leaves me with unsightly holes that I don't know how to cover up.

I really don't want to have to use the stock taillight assembly, but I guess I can go back to it if I NEED to. Pics to follow shortly...
 
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#27 ·
OK I got the taillight holes drilled in and the taillight fits as well as it can. I am finding an old mousepad to cut up as the base mount for it, and I got word from NewEnough that the turn signals have left the warehouse. I will try to saw off 1/2 the fender tonight and post some pictures for you all.
 
#30 ·
SSCR said:
I have a rear fender off my 1975 you can have in case you screw up, not jinxing ya though. :)
Naw I'm good. I'm an engineer so I measure 6 times and cut once. :lol:
BTW GB I KNOW! :lol:
 
#32 ·
Yeah so total lie about that cut once part, the scroller saw I have in the basement can only cut so straight, and I broke one of the blades on the thick section, so I had to go around, leaving the highly uneven edge. Nothing a couple minutes on the grinder can't fix!



With the mouse pad "base" and invisible screws!


Oh yeah and I have not yet determined what angle to cut off the sides, so I left them pretty thick to give me some margin in the future.
 
#34 ·
Newbe here...will the bar go through the taillight without using the bracket? or will the round bar weld to the taillight then powdercoat the whole thing? The metal thickness of the three pieces may be a problem.

Does sandblasting work on chrome?

That is a awesome looking job on the blue bike!
 
#36 ·
ol55 said:
will the bar go through the taillight without using the bracket? or will the round bar weld to the taillight then powdercoat the whole thing? The metal thickness of the three pieces may be a problem.
Can you explain what you mean? I am having difficulty understanding the question.
ol55 said:
Does sandblasting work on chrome?
I was told by my powdercoat hookup that it does, it is just more of a pain to do:

"Pitted chrome needs to come off, the pits will ruin the powder finish during curing. Only way is to blast it off, at least down to the copper layer underneath so its smooth and can be coated properly. Chrome is electroplating, no stripper will touch it and sanding it off(if possible) will leave an uneven surface that could show in the powdercoating. I probably should shoot a powder primer on the copper first, that's the right way to make it last when not coating the bare substrate and using the copper base. Rust will blast off also."
 
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