From:Jerry Hatfield Electronic:beemer73 -A- sbcglobal.net
Subject:RE: RE: RE: st engine paint? Date:Sat Jan 14 16:35:23 2012
Response to:16814
On second (or maybe first) thought, just aim for the "satin"finish. You might achieve this with light blasting only (not evern very very light polishin).

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Don't polish the aluminum crankcases. Just clean them up with blasting.

The side covers are what I call "satin finish" (very very lightly polished -- and that's two "very" terms on purpose). You definitely do not want a mirror finish on any of the aluminum. These bikes were under great price pressure because of Cushman, Allstate, British lightweights, and Japanese lightweights. So the factory minimized expensive American labor that was competing with cheaper labor in Lincoln, Nebraska and in foreign countries. Check the "Hatfield" collection of photos in the how-to-restore section.

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Bill,
Only the cylinder is painted, any good Hi-Temp aluminum paint will work just fine, I use VHT. The engine cases, covers (both clutch and generator) and the head are bare natural aluminum. All the hardware and levers are cadmium plated. Clean up the aluminum stuff, paint the cylinder, get some new hardware, and you're done.
Mike

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hi, what kind of paint is used on the st engines? it looks like the whole engine is painted is that correct? im working on a 55 165st thank you! bill