Topic: DIY Jeep painting and color matching

[alandchris]

Greatwhite...
Would it be 'advisable' to first primer/sealer the jeep before putting on the base color - or maybe it does not matter if you are staying close to the base color on the re-spray ?

I considered trying the 'roller' method, but I can't find a decent color.  Also I see that Maaco has a special going on right now - 1/2 off the presidential special - so about 350 bux.  But that's for a stage 1 enamel.
Al

[Jeffy]

Hmm, why would you need to primer when there is already paint on the metal and most likely a primer under the paint already.   If the paint is in alright condition, ie., no rust or open patches of bare metal, then you should sand down the paint to give the new stuff something to hold onto.  Greatwrite already mentioned doing this in an earlier post.

[alandchris]

Jeffy -
 
Sorry if I missed the earlier post from Greatwhite - I must have been in a rush while reading thru the posts... - I had heard conflicting explanations recently from other body shop guys - one being that it's advisable to do a sealer/primer first before doing the color paint so the original paint does not "bleed thru". 

--- Al 

[Jeffy]

Jeffy -
 
Sorry if I missed the earlier post from Greatwhite - I must have been in a rush while reading thru the posts... - I had heard conflicting explanations recently from other body shop guys - one being that it's advisable to do a sealer/primer first before doing the color paint so the original paint does not "bleed thru". 

--- Al 

As long as you doing the same color or a darker color on top of a lighter you shouldn't have any problems with bleeding through.  It's when you do a lighter color, like white over a dark color, like black, that the color get a bit muddy.

[Greatwhite]

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Jeffy is right, as long as you are going the same color there is no need to prime over the existing paint. Sealer is typically used to provide better coverage for the paint, for instance if you are changing colors you can seal the areas first, sealers are usually tinted to the color you are painting.  This is done because sealers are typically cheaper then base coat, so it allows you to use less base coat to get the coverage you need, but you wont have that problem.  If you break through the original paint in any areas, edges or where chips were, it is a good idea to primer those areas as just painting over bare metal is never a good idea.  As long as your paint is in good shape for the most part and isnt peeling or starting to fall off  then just sanding it so there are no "shiny" spots will be good enough.  A good paint job is all in the prep work so dont hesitate to spend some extra time on this step to make sure that you will have a good surface for your new paint to stick to.  hope this helps.

[chrisfranklin]

The paint I ordered was delivered yesterday.  I have to admit it is pretty sweet that, these days, you can order a factory paint color, have it put in spray cans and then shipped right to your door.   Great idea!


When I was first thinking about this, I was probably just going to do a little sanding and then go with a Rustoleum Auto gloss/flat black combo.  And, I was planning to just do the hood/ front fenders.  But I was thinking that the color matching might end up a little off versus the existing, 13 year old factory black paint.   

[wrangler387]

go to www.autobody101.com for information on painting, prep work, finishing, etc... A lot of people do recommend sealing before painting, to seal off the old paint and give a new fresh even surface for the new paint to stick to. Its not needed, but as mentioned you can get it in a color close to what you are painting to help. If you have any metal showing make sure you apply etching primer to those areas.

[chrisfranklin]

Taking my time on this.  Haven't started painting or anything.  Went ahead and bought a "used" YJ tailgate (factory black) to replace my dented original.  Going to have to pull the spare and swap the locks to get this on.  Contacted a bunch of Jeep yards about buying an old tailgate.  Getting quotes for around $250 before shipping.  I ended up buying one off "everyones favorite auction site" for $120 including shipping. 

I know I am going to paint this thing all pretty, then probably lift it and roll it on some nice rocks.  But, what the heck.

[chrisfranklin]

Pulled all 4 stock wheels off last night, then cleaned, sanded, cleaned again, primed with rustoleum primer and sprayed them with the Duplicolor Silver Argent Wheel spray paint I picked up from a VW Bug restoration outfit.  Finally hit them with the clearcoat. 

The results are decent if you take your time with it: ie.  hold the can 10 inches away and keep the coats light.  The 13 year old wheels basically look new (course, we are only talking the stock steelies)

I followed the directions on the cans using the primer and clearcoat.  Was directed to basically just do light coats and every 10 minutes apply another.  Thing is, it didn't say anything about the clearcoat application.  I didn't know whether to let 10-20 minutes elapse and then do the clearcoat or whether I was supposed to hold off for 24 hours or so before applying it.  Naturally, I took the 10-20 minute approach.  But, it seems like everything hardenened ok today. 

[Greatwhite]

Sounds great! Lets see some pictures of you hard work 

[chrisfranklin]

Here's a couple of post-paint photos of one of the wheels, GreatWhite:

[attachment deleted by admin]

[chrisfranklin]

Done the front bumper, rear bumperettes, & wheels already.  Now we get to the body: I've got to sand, clean, mask, spray a bunch of coats of the DX8 Black + light sand + clean, clearcoat.  May even bang out a hood dent and spring for some Everclear (mean Evercoat  ) before all that. 

Attached is a photo of the dark side of the moon - my hood:

[attachment deleted by admin]

[alandchris]

How is this for Rattle Can painting:
1) do all body work
    if any metal comes thru sanding - do I etch prime and then use bondo to get the bondo area even with
    the existing paint level
    sand with correct grit paper
2) prime entire jeep with primer (not etching type?)
    do I need to sand the primer after applying
3) paint BC about 5 - 6 coats for thickness
    do I sand every 3, don't sand at all, or sand the final coat with 1000 or 1500 wet sand
4) clear coat it

ps - of course clean car after any sanding etc.

I guess the bondo and when to sand is my biggest questions.
Thx

[JeepManMarc]

All of this for a JEEP?  An offroad utility vehicle?  I will be curious to see how well it turns out though, sounds like you know what you are doing,
best of luck,
-Marc

[chrisfranklin]

Yesterday I went ahead and removed paint from couple of areas on the hood and fender that had dents.  Didn't really want to get in to body work on a Jeep that is just going to get banged up again.  But, figured if I am going to got the trouble of spraying it, I might as well spend an extra few hours and go all the way.

I'm using Evercoat (which, versus Bondo, apparently doesn't produce as many pinholes that you have to go over with another filler).  Its lightweight, decent stuff.

Here's the problem though:  I was using one of those plastic spatula appliator deals and it seemed to flex too much when I applied the filler; rather than leveling off the Evercoat, the spatula seemd to flex in to the shallow dent, essentially not filling it (I'm not sure what I am going to do about this except try to find/buy a stiffer spatual/applicator). 

Frankly, my Evercoat "management" was also a little off and the stuff got all over the place, hood and was dripping off the plastic mixing pallette I bought!  You mix the stuff with the hardener and you've gotta move fast because you have about 5 minutes to apply it.  Even with the hardener, though, the stuff was running all over the place

I'm fixing yesterday's mess this morning and giving it another go today. The Evercoat hardens like a rock, though, I will give it that.