Speaking Of Paint

It is time to get rid of the ugly chocolate brown paint job on the 74 CJ5. I have been thinking that the best way to go is to take the body off the frame, disassemble the body into its individual pieces, strip them to bare metal and do a real paint job. How hard is that? Is that the way to go? Also, any recommendation as to a liner/under coating for the body? Don't know if I will go with the original color or tan or even a camo paint job.

 

In my ever so humble mind, if your not doing a major resto just sand and paint.
Since you may not change the color much it makes more sense.

 

Unless you want to go hunting in Africa, or declare war on Colorado, camouflage seems kind of silly. IMO it's just a way of camouflaging a lousy paint job. Doesn't appeal to me.

What's the original color? It's pretty easy to take the front clip off a CJ and then you can mask the firewall parts with aluminum foil and tape. Removing the tub is lots more work. Solid colors match well from the same batch even if they are shot separately.

 

I wouldn't recommend taking it down to bare metal. Unless you want the time & expense of a good sealer you're better off going no farther than primer. It's hard to get a good bond to bare metal without a few extra steps. I also think that unless you are doing extensive body work like replacing panels or a lot of other cutting & welding it's ok to leave the tub on. Just my opinion from past experience. I'm "just a girl", not a pro.

 

Go original. My .02. I may be out of my mind but I think even though it was the 70's Jeep had some sweet colors back then. I mean Jet set blue and fairway green are two of my favorites.

 

Oh and another thing I may be alone in this one. You gotta have the black windshield frame happening. IMHO the stock color with the stock black w/s frame is the coolest. Unless of course its '75 or later.

 

I have found that unless you have to do a bit of bodywork you can get a pretty good paint job on a Jeep without body removal. If you have to do body work makes it easier to have it of the frame. I have done several Jeeps I had by painting them on frame. It takes a bit of lableling of wiring under the dash. Take great pains to mask up your wiring, remove guages and dash. I also loosened body bolts and this is a good time to replace mount bushings while the body is up off the frame. Body preparation is very important sanding and sealing primer bare spots. Your prep dictates how good your final results will be. Good results can be had though.

 

well i just did this to my jeep the last yr i have been working on it...I took it all apart, took all the paint off of it to bare metal ( cause it already had two paint jobs on it) did some body work ( replaced both quarters) primed it and painted it with two coats of ppg sublime green and three coats of clear...came out good....send me your email and i will send you a pic.
Sam

 

My Dad alway told me to do the job right (not his exact words but we are in mixed company here). So I guess it will be down to bare metal and back to the original color. Which, if I read the plate on the fire wall correctly is Harvest Gold Poly. Although, Fawn Beige might look nice.

72 Jeep Gal, if I had listen more closely to some of the ladies in my life I would not have made a fool of myself as many times as I have.

 

The pros will paint over a single layer of paint, but usually more than one layer of paint should be sanded down. The overall thickness of the paint affects its durability - too thick and it will chip and peel. If the first layer of paint is still well bonded to the metal, I'd say there's no need to strip it away 100%. The only way you will get to 100% bare metal is by media blasting or chemical strippers.

In this article, http://www.ifsja.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=000051 Carey writes that he prefers a 40 grit disk on an air powered buffer. You could just as well buy a good air-powered DA sander and use 40 grit disks to strip the paint. Using air tools makes the work a lot easier, because the air motor makes a lot more power for its weight than a comparable electric motor. A good compressor will pay for itself many times over.

 

Mine is Fawn Biege.
I love it !

 

If you do decide to go the sandblasting route make sure you find a good blaster. It is hard for a novice to sandblast jeep panels without some warping. Since the panels on jeeps are so straight the warp sticks out like a sore thumb. If you're going the whole way don't cheap out on the "simple" steps.

 

Wiz, you don't say where you are in Colorado, but if you're near Denver, call Blast-Tech at 303-806-9992. He specializes in automotive paint removal for restorations, so he knows what he's doing.

 

I'm in the middle of what your asking about now. I would recommend pulling the parts if you're not in a hurry and want to do a really nice job.

I removed the paint because there were so many spray can jobs done to it. I just used the best paint remover Home Depot had. Spread it on and blasted with a power washer. Went down to nice shiny metal. Been trying body work and getting good at it. Just read everything you can get your hands on. Oh yeah, be ready to spend money and fix a lot of stuff you didn't plan on when the body's off.

I used www.eastwoodco.com for just about everything. They have a good deal going on a 2 fullsize gun kit for $150. right now. Their fillers and stop-rust stuff is excellent. Check out their Rust Encapsulator and Frame Paint.

 

Just my .02 cents, but after having been in the auto restoration field for a while now, it is my experience that while new paint applied over old paint my look great at first, you can have problems with the new paint dulling after a while due to a reaction with the paint underneath. As far as stripping, if you can't afford MEDIA blasting (sand blasting isn't great for thin sheetmetal) buy some aircraft stripper and some good scrapers and have at it. When you are done, sand with 80 grit D/A paper, followed by 180 grit, then a good epoxy primer. 40 grit wil gouge the metal, but is good for removing real thick paint.