For You Paint/Body guys (89 MJ) (Lots of Pictures)

[collkid]

So, Most of you don't know but I bought this right after I sold my other Jeep from troy at a pretty cheap price. (Less then $1500). She has 214k miles but runs just fine (I've put about 200 miles on it) and so now I'm looking to get it painted. I'm pretty sure I'm going with Macco's $350 paint job so I'm doing most of the prep work myself. just wondering, what should I do and where should I go?

The day I brought it home.

Passed emissions just fine, but the guy FREAKED when i took a picture of MY car...

Here's the terrible paint. (probably going to do the 97+ Front end)

Here's a door I would consider done?

Thoughts?

The roof was the worst. Used Airplane stripper to take off most the paint to get to bare metal because of the rust. What should I do now?

Make the whole thing Care Metal and primer? or Sand down really well and primer... (I've been using 60 grit, probably need to go over a few times? 150 - 1000 - 1500?)

Finally. What do I do about the small rust spots all over?

And then this door that still have clear coat?

Ultimately, is it worth it for me to keep sanding? And then what, do I get a spray paint can of primer before going over to macco?



Thanks, Jeremy

 

[time2getdirty]

the more prep you do the better.

 

[YELLAHEEP]

I wouldn't have taken it down to the metal personally, but yeah, you're going to need to limit the exposure of the metal and primer isn't a sealer so you should probably hit the metal with 800 or better grit, then seal it, then prime it before the paint shop gets it.

Exposed metal that's crusty/rusty needs to be cut out (like that spot around the fuel filler door) but light rust can be sanded away and sealed with a rust-inhibiting product.

The paint job it has now (blue over OEM white) is likely a MAACO/Earl Scheib kind of job. Those areas where the blue peeled away and you can see white...... that's where prep wasn't done. Those kinds of areas - corners, pinch seams, folds, etc - need hand sanded so the paint has something to stick to. MAACO will tell you the pre-paint prep spray they use has an adhesion promoter in it that "ensures" paint will bond to all surfaces...... B.S. That's their time saving measure to ensure their prep guys don't have to spend hours working on the little, hard to get at areas.

Also, removing any trim - particularly the rubber stuff around windows - will help keep the painted edges from peeling over time. Anywhere masking tape gets used to border the edge of paint generally results in a place for peeling to start.

Also, be prepared for your front firewall/radiator, engine compartment, and lots of the underside (shocks, springs, chassis, fenderwells) to get over-sprayed. I'd encourage you to spray those areas with cooking oil like Pam just before you take it in for paint so the overspray doesn't stick as bad. I was SO pissed when I got HeepII back from it's color change to yellow to find that all of my lift components had a nasty coating of overspray.

 

[collkid]

Well, I figured I had to go to metal. I didn't take a before picture but if you remember it was all kinds of terrible rust up there.

I'm a noob but whats an example of "sealer" Like does it come in a spray can at auto zone?

 

[Joe94xj]

I am no expert here but you might want to call who is going to paint it. You want to find out what product they are going to use. So you can use a compatible product so you dont have any issues later. My advice and what I do is swing it buy a local auto body paint supply shop and have them look at it. They will give you the answers you need.

 

[jimgrms]

the roof on my red xj was all pitted and i had the macco on santa fe and the 470 do it it was a good job.i also would ask them and let them prep the top,

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Good helpful guys at Painter's Supply down off Santa Fe near Oxford.

 

[in4aride]

Im sticking my nose in this thread just to get advice. the xj is gonna get bodywork and paint so good to have info...

 

[collkid]

Well, I probably could have spent a few hundred hours getting this ready for paint, but I think I put about 12 hours into it. Its not at all perfect, but at least its not an eye soar any more. Troy has seen it, its "okay".

I'll post more pictures soon enough. This is darker then I wanted but I like it.

 

[jeepfreak1020]

Hey troy how did you get the overspray off? I have overspray from painting my halo and am pissed. It's just spray paint though.

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Hey troy how did you get the overspray off? I have overspray from painting my halo and am pissed. It's just spray paint though.

Mostly Acetone and a terry cloth rag to get it off the shocks and coils. The fender wells/axles got repainted black.

 

[jeepfreak1020]

So would that work on my paint with the spray paint?

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Depends on how thick the overspray is. If it's just a dusting, it'll wipe right off with Acetone. If it's thick enough that you can't see much of the white paint under it..... probably best to use 1000 grit sandpaper and wet sand the overspray off, then polish.

 

[collkid]

How it sits now.

 

[willi2ds]

Been thinking of doing this exact same thing. Looks good man!
So did you end up going to Maaco? If so which one?
Which package did you end up going with?

 

[collkid]

Ya macco in Littleton. The cheapest of the cheap!

 

[willi2ds]

So is that their single stage enamel paint?
How long did it take them?
How much did it end up being in the end?
Sorry for all the questions but as soon as I get my 97+ swap done I'm probably going to do the same thing. Thanks

 

[collkid]

Ya I was going to do the 97+ swap too, but it takes a little too much Coin for me to do it. (looked to be about $350)

I did the sanding (to save $150) so it only took them 2 days to paint it. Ended up being $447.53. THeres a few little fews they don't really tell you about. but I'm not complaining.

I thought I got more of a Gun Metal color, but it turned out pretty close to black, which I like anyway.

 

[in4aride]

How does it look in.person? are the door jams and such done well or??

 

[willi2ds]

Cool, thanks again. Looks good from here,lol.