It's Just another jeep..

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

That's what i keep telling myself..

Alrighty... I've come to the conclusion i want to paint my 5.9 ZJ..

I have a parts ZJ with an immaculate body. and my 5.9 is starting to really show its age in the paint(nearing 200k) and since it's seen its share of trails.. I am thinking about swapping the front fenders, and drivers door, to rid of all the dings and dents..

I have some experience, after a week of sanding and and heavy preparation I painted my XJ with KRYLON Camo green, and i loved the turn out, I was really impressed with the turnout, No extreme swirls, no inconsistency's..

But with the 5.9.. i just dont want to "Rattle can" it.. i have the paint scheme picked out.. and i am ready for the Prep work... But i think i want to get a cheapo Paint gun and go that route..

What does painting with a gun consist of? How does the gun work? is it pressurized from an air compressor? (have one) Will a harbor freight gun do the trick? reviews?

If i go that route.. lets face it.. there are like 500 shades of Olive green.. I'm being really picky with the vision of the turnout. The color i have Chosen, is AJP-WWII from armyjeepparts.com (same as overlandXJ) but even with THIS part i have a few questions..

Will a Gallon do the whole job? I plan to do the lower portion Semi-gloss black, Will i need a reducer with this paint? or is that a gun dependent thing?


alright.. I've rambled on long enough.. lets see what you have to say

 

[OverlandZJ]

LMAO... :laugh3:


I used just shy of a gallon on OverlandXJ. Also used a Harbor Freight HVLP gun with air compressor. You need to use a water seperator as well.


Gillespie Coatings paint is a synthetic enamel, and you need a synthetic enamel reducer mixed in. (I made a few pints at a time) and filled the gun as needed. I was able to source good compatible reducer at NAPA.

I ended up with a "texture" to my paint job on the XJ... which i was fine with. However, living next to wooded areas and sitting under trees at the house the texture tends to hold dirt in.. espescially on top of the rig. This texture was no doubt a combination of my inexperience with setting the proper air/paint flow through the gun and my technique. But i was happy with it..

If your looking for a smooth finish you'll want to experiment on an old fender or something first. Then mark the gun settings.

Are we in a race for the OD ZJ now?

 

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

I have spent hours looking at reviews for guns, I think i will be trying out
This one seems to have great reviews..
http://www.harborfreight.com/high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-66222.html

But i like the idea of this one, except they say the smaller gun has a useless tank fitting (threads strip out)..
http://www.harborfreight.com/professional-automotive-hvlp-spray-gun-kit-94572.html
I read that the Gillespie coatings enamel works best with a 2:1 ratio of paint/Enamel reducer..

Personally, I am looking for a consistency with the paint, Weather its got a slight rough texture (easily filed down with 400/800/1200 wetsand) or not, As long as its consistent from the Right rear, to the left front.. Witch is next to impossible with a rattle can..
I love the way my XJ turned out, but i spend $130+ in rattle cans (paint/Primer).. And it's just not up to par for what i want with the ZJ..

I have thought about Primer aswell, I normally just primer area's that i have sanded all the way to bare metal, Should i plan on primer for the whole vehicle? I dont need to hide a dark base.. as the ZJ is silver. Would it be best to Spray primer with the gun, or would a couple of sanded down rattle can spots be okay?

With your HF gun, what did you use to clean it, and were you cleaning it minutes after laying paint?

 

[OverlandZJ]

I believe thats the same HVLP gun i have. I cleaned with thinner sprayed through it.

I laid two coats down, cleaned the gun and let the Jeep bake in with heaters on for two hours, came back and laid another two coats. Then a fifth for the hell of it.

I think the 5th coat is where most of the texture came from.. i backed off on my spraying distance and just laid down the paint i had mixed to use it up.

I wasnt worried about a smooth texture.. just no thin spots or runs.

I used spray bomb primer over the bondo and bare spots from sanding. I think i went heavy with 6 coats or so and just sanded till it was as smooth as the rest of the rig. I sanded the whole Jeep with a DA and 400 grit. My clear coat was fine and wasnt lifting.

My paint has held fine for several years now.