The down on its luck 89 Kona Explosif

[Spanky22b]

Got to say a big thanks to Mark for offering me this 89 Explosif so that's the 89 ticked off the Explosif wanted list.

Well,just look at the thing it's a shadow of its former self isn't it but it's in good hands now back at the Kona sanctuary to be brought back to life again.

This is going to be a build where i'm going to have a good ponder on what to do because i love the splatter paint Konas and always if possible would like to keep them that way,only original once and all that. But back in 89 and 90 you had the option to custom paint the Explosifs,you could maybe have other models done like that but i've only ever seen Explosifs custom painted.

So do i strip the black and silver off and hopefully reveal good paint and hopefully original decals or make a custom one of one 89 Explosif that no one has

Here's a a couple of pics as it is now with all the parts i've been hoarding,for when i found one.

 

[SFP]

Something special about the pre-92 Explosif's IMHO.

Beautiful.

 

[SFP]

IMHO it deserves a professional repaint.

 

[gtturbo]

Try some nail varnish remover in a test area. I had a Stumpy that had been repainted and did part of that to reveal the original decals. Do it somewhere well ventilated and if I remember the key to the nail varnish remover was one with acetone. That said that may all contain acetone. I put some on a cotton wool pad and gave it a scrub. Took a while but once it started comming off it got easier. Nothing to loose and once you know what the paint is like underneath that will make the decision for you as to repaint or not.

 

[swannymere]

I really like it as it is, tells a story.

 

[Dr Dremel]

I mean it can´t stay like it is now, can it? Looks like the paint is peeling all by itself, so worth a shot with a mild paint stripper to save what´s underneath.

 

[XTSTIMAN]

Still looks better than the '91 on Ebay at the moment!

 

[27motorhead]

100% worth a go in several areas to see how easy the paint comes off and what the state of the paint is like underneath.

I'd try both tricky and easy areas and make your decision based on that.

 

[HuskyDinoBomber]

Ya strip it and see what’s under there. Worst case scenario it’s a repaint which you’ve shown you can do with great results. Definitely can’t stay the way it is so kind of a blank slate at this point.

 

[Spanky22b]

So after reading through the comments i decided to start with using some nail polish remover around where the stickers should be and it's brought some interesting results on the driveside.
Some areas revealed bits of stickers which were badly worn like the headtube and toptube and others revealed nothing where the toptube K is and the Explosif sticker on the downtube.
I'll do the same on the other side and see what it reveals.