GT 750 engine emblems?

[T350guy]

On my recent purchase a 77 , the engine emblems are blue with the misspelled Q.
I had a look and only found new ones with the wrong Q.
I did find a site from the UK with the correct Q but black back ground.
Well I figured my 77 in 78 had black back ground so what the heck.
Today they arrived and they are not emblems but stickers.
Foil body unlike the originals.
Just had a look on E Bay and they are the wrong Q and most say they are stickers.
Who sells the original thick wrong Q emblems
Has anyone tried to paint theirs?

[GT750Battleship]

Hi,the correct original "Liquid Cooled" labels were tin foil,with a black background,the tail of the "Q" was in the middle of the "Q" on the right,I have two of the original black labels,that I was given years ago. The ones that you get from Suzuki today are a very dark blue,with the "tail" of the "Q" at the bottom,the badges are still tin foil with a peel off backing.I have seen labels that are a lighter shade of blue on eBay for sale,also with the more modern form of the "Q"
The best ones I've seen on a bike,have been specially made,they read "F..4 STROKES,
I found this rather amusing.......& yes they can be restored,repainted,panel beaten if you have the skill? I have seen the early liquid cooled labels come up from time to time on eBay..

Regards,
GT750Battleship.

[jabcb]

Which one is the best at staying in place?

[GT750Battleship]

:l

Which one is the best at staying in place?

The secret is getting the surface of the barrels really clean of old adhesive,grease,oils etc,before you apply the label...& a little pre bending of the label to the shape of the barrel,+ a little additional adhesive that can handle some heat....should stay stuck for years!
Cheers,
GT750Battleship.

[yeadon_m]

A good restorers tip or two here, even specifically mentions those engine emblems. Enjoy
Mike
ps: apologies to those with SOH failure. So sue me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxb3z1nTw0w" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[T350guy]

I think I'll try and save mine and wait for some originals to come up on E bay.
One of corners on the end is lifting, any idea what adhesive will work to hold it in place?

[Suzsmokeyallan]

Ian they can be restored and you should use a 3M brand double sided tape for best adhesion when fitting them back on. To remove them sit the barrel on its end side in a shallow tray of gasoline, after about an hour that emblem will begin to come off with a bit of help if you use a dull flat item like a butter knife going CAREFULLY under it on the cylinder side of the adhesive.

You can also get the originals with the correct Q from the Kettle Club in the UK but they are sticklers for only selling to members blah blah blah.

Remember the aluminum is clear anodized so don't sand on it or use a wire brush. If you do you will remove the coating and then it will have to be lightly sanded to give the embossed sections a brushed finish and then clear coated to protect it.

Heres an old thread on the restoration for some I did from my 76 Buffalo in Canada.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=6846&hilit=+restoring+emblems" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[T350guy]

Thanks Allan
What a great thread...Also a great idea on a gas soaked towel and rub emblem over to remove paint.
I'll take some photo's and If I'm successful at the restoration I'll post them.
Ian

[jabcb]

Am going to put the emblems on when I put the bike into storage for winter.
Won't see any thermal cycles for a few months.
Am hoping that helps.

[T350guy]

I had an attempt on mine.
I tried to straighten first, then primed,let dry and wipe off using gas on a strip of carboard.
Then a coat of gloss black, wipe and ooops learned leason here.
take 1500 grit and lightly sand the black area carefully trying to avoid the raised area.
re paint and let dry for a few hours.
Using a small strip if card board with gas and the corners lifted up to avoid contact to the lower area.
Not Perfect by any means BUT much better than what was on it..lol

Thanks Allan for posting your thread on the repair.

Ian

[Suzsmokeyallan]

Thanks for the photos Ian, a successful restoration of the badges and worlds better than how they were. Did you locate the 3M double sided tape for the back portion?
All the badges I've seen are always dented in some area or another, I often wonder what were the causes of the dents over the last 40 years or so.

I had another set of the crossed Q badges to restore but I lagged on finishing them. The main reason was one side was scraped a bit so I undertook to lightly sand it lengthwise on the lettering which then required some clear coat to seal the finish on the aluminum.
Now I have one stock and one slightly different in appearance, so what I'll do is to infill the black on the clear coated one and see how it looks. The results on that one will make me decide on what to do with the other badge.

[jabcb]

Not sure which 3M double sided tape you are referring to. Do you have a link?

[Suzsmokeyallan]

I simply bought a roll of it from either Auto Zone or one of those places. Its 3M Auto Advanced Super Strength molding tape, stock number 03616. Its 7/8 inches wide so its fits the emblem great.

http://3mauto.com/3m-scotch-mount-moldi ... 03616.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[T350guy]

The only double sided 3m tape I could find anywhere was at Canadian Tire and it's just 1/2 wide and is similar to the old scotch tape you use to tape presents..lol

I'll try the local Napa dealer

Edit
Tried local auto suppliers BUT can only get it 20 yards..So I head to our local auto body guy , show him what I needed eg 3M tape and he gives me 1/2 tape. so I just need to 2 strips on a emblem instead of 1.
Should work just fine I think.
Efit
Just did a trial fit and realised the tape is too thick and holds the decal out from the recess.
Allan..How thick is your tape? mine is about approx 1/32

[Suzsmokeyallan]

The tape I have is one millimeter thick and dark gray in colour. The plan is to fill the complete size of the emblem with the tape on the back so the badge has no recess around the edge.