WNC_MJ Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 So about two weeks ago I traded my Jetta for an MJ and have been happy with it every minute since. I will post photos and descriptions of the progression of my MJ on here (as is the idea with this section, right?). Thanks! Items completed so far: Fixed warped rear bumper - left side had been twisted upward from past low-speed impact. Replaced valve cover gasket - was leaking oil tremendously. Degreased and pressure-washed engine, firewall, undercarriage, and, well, whole truck! Cleaned connection points with coil pack - thought it went bad on me, but was just dirty. Installed new stereo - ran new speaker wires front and back, kenwood deck with kicker speakers. De-Redneck-ified wiring... everywhere! Took out gobs of useless and rigged wiring from inside dash and engine bay. New headlights - much needed. The List: Too big to type up. Here are my priorities: Performance, Comfort, Looks. Photos of when I first got it: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeser Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 nice looks better already than the craiglist ad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WNC_MJ Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 Ahhh... so you ran across it??? I'm surprised at how many members here are near or in NC! I'm hoping to start body work soon with the mechanics close to being taken care of... I don't want what little surface rust spots are on it to get worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComancheKid45 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Great starter.....Glad to see another MJ with a loving owner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drahcir495 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Wow, everything about that MJ looks real good :thumbsup: . I love the blue interior - and not just because mine is blue :brows: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpdocdave Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 very nice, i like the color Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89eliminator Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 welcome to the addiction :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WNC_MJ Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 Thanks for all the encouraging words guys! So, lately I've been thinking about body work and paint. The truck really needs some cosmetic help, but I do not have a lot of money to pay a pro to paint it, and it's not going to be a show truck... it's my DD and I use it for work... so that leaves myself. I'm considering olive drab paint in a semi-gloss finish with black accents (fender flares, handles, trim, etc). Thoughts??? :hmm: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casper2000 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I think i have seen one in olive drab before and it looked tough. Why don't you look at like a gun barrel bule color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WNC_MJ Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 I'm not sure I've ever seen that color on a vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500 MJ Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I'm not sure I've ever seen that color on a vehicle. I have, its the color your truck is now :yes: Looks like a fun project! If you are concerned about the clearcoat issues you have going on, a simple sanding off of the clearcoat will allow you to keep your base blue paint. Then all you need to do is clearcoat back over it and it will look great. Like Wade said, welcome to the addiction :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasheeryfo Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 lol why does the picture of the interior have snow on the windshield?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WNC_MJ Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 I'm not sure I've ever seen that color on a vehicle. I have, its the color your truck is now :yes: Looks like a fun project! If you are concerned about the clearcoat issues you have going on, a simple sanding off of the clearcoat will allow you to keep your base blue paint. Then all you need to do is clearcoat back over it and it will look great. Like Wade said, welcome to the addiction :thumbsup: What about the 'sportruck' decal? I want to remove it. Also, this truck has been painted before, overtop the original blue. I'm assuming it's a cheap Macco job because it's very thin and flaking off. I wouldn't mind keeping the blue, just am worried about the decal removal and stuff. I've never painted a vehicle before and didn't know you can just take the clear coat off... interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WNC_MJ Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 lol why does the picture of the interior have snow on the windshield?? Because when I was talking to the previous owner about buying it he shot that photo of the interior for me. It was one of the last snows of the season here.. or rather in Burnsville, NC where the truck was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camjeep3 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 hey two more guys close to me. especially reeser. whats your mj look like? and i vote for blue as well :clapping: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 1989 MJ Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Congratulation :clapping: Nice & straight truck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codycobra84 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Nice lookin MJ man, I looked at that thing like a dozen times on CL, but didn't have the cash to pick it up. Yeah we've got a handfull of us in the area, there's a few MJ's runnin around town but never catch anyone parked so I can try and get them on the site. But you've got a great truck to start out with, did you check your floors for any rust yet? I picked mine up on the NC/SC state line, hauled it home and riped the carpet out to find some lift rust. I think it's Jeff that always says to pull the carpet before it's to late.....those are some words of wisdom. :yes: But most of all.....WELCOME TO THE CLUB. :waving: -Cody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WNC_MJ Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 Nice lookin MJ man, I looked at that thing like a dozen times on CL, but didn't have the cash to pick it up. Yeah we've got a handfull of us in the area, there's a few MJ's runnin around town but never catch anyone parked so I can try and get them on the site. But you've got a great truck to start out with, did you check your floors for any rust yet? I picked mine up on the NC/SC state line, hauled it home and riped the carpet out to find some lift rust. I think it's Jeff that always says to pull the carpet before it's to late.....those are some words of wisdom. :yes: But most of all.....WELCOME TO THE CLUB. :waving: -Cody I actually lucked out with this truck: I was able to trade a Jetta for it flat out. The truck's owner was a 18 yr. old kid who just got it from his dad who hadn't owned it long. From the documents left in the glovebox I know that it had been in Burnsville, NC since 1993 so that gives me some hope. The spedo/odo doesn't work and from my calculations the motor COULD have about 215k+ miles on it, but there are some clues indicating the motor has been out of the Jeep before. I'm actually working on the body work as of today. I'll post some photos with info in a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WNC_MJ Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 So yesterday I started on body work on the MJ. I hope to get the bed primed today. I pulled off the rear bumper and found it's been eaten by rust a lot more than I thought. I'll probably stick it back on in the mean-time, but have now added a bumper to my list. I wouldn't trust it to tow anything. My primer is Rustoleum Metal Primer. It was $9 for a qt. at Lowe's. I'm going to thin it with Acetone (as directions indicate) and spray it with my gun. Hope it goes well!!! Below are a few photos from yesterday's work on prepping the truck for primer. I am going to get a spray on stripper today to finish the decal. I found that the right-rear bumper bracket was bent... that stinks. Add it to the list! The tailgate. The 'Jeep' decals were a friggin pain to sand off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfpdm Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Nice work. :thumbsup: I would not use a stripper for the decals. Most on here have used a heat gun or magic eraser. Reason being, if the paint is adhered well, which it looks like it is, you don't want to break that bond to expose the bare metal. Most strippers I know of will do just that. I used a heat gun and then sanded once they were off. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSimon Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 looks good!! I highly recommend removing the flares and doing the same prep underneath them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88XJSport Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Lookin good. don't forget to add a rear CCV line from your orfice to the manifold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codycobra84 Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 looks good!! I highly recommend removing the flares and doing the same prep underneath them. Ditto on the flares and I had the same issue with the bumper, but I lucked out and found a chrome bumper that has just a light dusting on the inside but is good and strong. Trust me when the plans start comin to ya you're gonna start remembering all of those Jeeps that you'd seen in all those junk yards over the years....there's like 2 or 3 down the road from me that have been in the yards for years lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WNC_MJ Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 Well today I primed the bed completely. It's only my first spray of at least 3 coats of primer. I went with the Rustoleum Oil-based metal primer and it worked fantastically! This was my first time ever using a hvlp sprayer and it after adjusting the air volume/paint mixture ratio it was a piece of cake to use. Before another coat I will be taking the fender flares off the truck, I just didn't have time this weekend... I use this truck during the week for my PT home-repair job and needed it back on the road for Monday and it's suppose to rain tomorrow, Sunday, so today was it. The inside of the bed will soon get a coat of bedliner protectant so that's why it's not primmerd. Below are some photos I shot of today's results. Too late, used stripper. Worked wonderfully, though. I really like the white primer over the usual 'primer gray' kind. Seeing the Comanche this way almost makes me think of painting it white... but I haven't decided on a color yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WNC_MJ Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 Well it's been raining here off and on all day. I just went outside to check on the primer job and it still looks good. I was hoping that it had enough time to dry thoroughly yesterday. I can't wait for next weekend and (weather permitting) getting to prime the rest of the truck! :clapping: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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