”....also, should I powder coat the frame of just paint it?“

We are going in circles here…… it all comes down to money. How nice can you afford to make it look?

 

I like to powder coat mine they charged me $150 to sand blast and powder coat it last year on my AT2  I talked to the owner and paid cash  

That's what I do too, sand and prime as needed, its no problem to leave some original paint , get down to bare metal in rusty spots, otherwise just what is needed to get the primer to stick wet sand smooth 

OK thanks for that piece of advice

I just had my frame sandblasted so I could paint the frame and related parts myself. I wish I did send the frame off to have it powder coated. By the time I paid for the sandblasting and all the "rattle cans" of paint needed to give it the proper coverage, it equalled out to about the same and handing it off to the powder coater, and it would have been a much better finish.

Hello and welcome to the club. I recently tore apart my 69 DT1 and paid $250 for blasting and powder coating the frame and swing arm. That was more than I expected based on other things I’ve had done by the same company. Maybe it was because it was a week before Xmas. Even at $250 it was totally worth it. As as Hackman101 said the cost and time spent on sanding and painting will add up pretty quickly. I also went with powder coating mainly for the durability. I only wanted to strip it down to the frame once. While the frame and swingarm were out for coating, I worked on the other small pieces. I have a small blast cabinet that worked well for the small pieces and a wire wheel on a bench grinder is pretty magical for small things. 

I discovered that it is definitely therapeutic to watch rust and old paint disappear instantly when it hits the wire wheel. I really enjoy seeing the transformation back to fresh shiny metal. 

You will more than likely come up against some difficult challenges along the way. That’s part of the fun. Overcoming the obstacles is hugely gratifying when you finally solve them. Then there’s the pleasure of the first start up after you get it back together. It’s a wonderful feeling when you kick down and it lights off and you get rewarded with that distinctive 2 stroke sound. Enjoy the process. I’m close to finishing mine and I’m pretty sure I’ll have to find another bike to bring back to life. 

Good luck and I wish you the best with the medical stuff. 
 

100% Powder coat the frame, it's a lot less prone to scratches during re-assembly and more durable than paint. They will sand blast it and then coat it.

If powder coating, make sure that all threads, internal and external, as well as areas that take a press fit item (eg head races, swing arm bushes) are masked off. Also, you might need to rub some coating back to bare metal where earthing points are needed.

If I was restoring a high end model ('68 DT1) then I would get the frame sandblasted and paint with 2k paint (not rattle can).
For most other restorations powder coating is fine.
I pay around £150 for frame and swing arm to be sandblasted and powder coated.
To have the frame and swingarm sandblasted and painted I was quoted £350.
Best of luck with your build, look forward to seeing the results.