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My 1st MJ


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I will be taking them all off for the next primer coats and paint job. I started to remove the left rear flare but broke two bolts--they were rusted very well, and decided to just spray the bed as is. I'm hoping the bolts aren't specialty bolts and I can replace them.

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A few things I've learned regarding painting vehicles:

 

If you can leave paint on, DO IT. Taking paint off is not a good idea. Leaving paint on allows ease of adhering paint to the body in the future. Thinner paint also means quicker rust showing through (especially in Michigan). The more coats the better!

 

The heat gun and sanding approach would have been my choice for the decals. If you don't have a heat gun, wait for a sunny day and then go after the decals with a razor blade. This should work OK, just try not to cut into the underlying paint.

 

SAND things down before you prime. If you have ANY bare steel showing through, you need to cover it with a self-etching primer multiple times and sand it (wet or dry) before you apply paint to it. Hopefully you used a self etching product when you painted the bed white and sanded things down prior to painting it. If not, you might as well redo the work, it won't be too long and everything will start to chip off.

 

You can only paint on a warm (60 deg F or above) day. Anything colder, you should find something else to do. This factor again regards the ability for the paint to bite into the underlying steel or paint below it.

 

Finally, more expensive paint gives better results. Always apply a tack-coat (you should be able to see through this coat) of paint first to give the next layer of paint something to bite into. After this layer is tacky, more paint can and should be applied. If you let the tack coat dry, lay another one down before you start to spray heavily.

 

Hope that helps. The first time is always a learning experience...

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Forgot to use self-etching on the bare metal spots. I'll sand it down on those spots and use a self etching then re-prime. I did sand the rest of the areas thoroughly prior to priming though, so there won't be too much re-do-ing of the primer job. I'm definately not going to use the chemical stripper for the front decals... I'm getting a heat gun and going that route with it.

 

Thanks!

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Here's a few photos of my oil catch-can setup. First one was a temporary (as in a few hours) one to see if the oil was still leaking... it was.

 

 

3475218486_1864737cda_b.jpg

 

 

The next few are of my new catch-can. I wanted something that was visible so I could see how much oil was being displaced, something that was easy to re-pour the oil back into the engine, and something that would house my drain tube and breather filter in one. I think it's fairly well accomplished! :banana: :banana:

 

Oh yeah, these uhh.... custom catch-cans are for sale, of course! :D

 

 

3475220388_c6f4e45500_b.jpg

 

I used clear RTV to seal around the tubes on the lid.

 

 

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I cut the drain line connector at an angle so as to decrease the likelihood of blowing the oil into the breather tube.

 

 

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The final installation. The lower zip tie is loosely placed around the jar to help keep it in place. The upper zip tie has an S-hook attached to it just below the lip of the jar. The S-hook is hooked on one of the metal water hose sections just above the vacuum canister. The S-hook allows me to 'unhook' the jar, and pour the oil back into the engine. The two-piece lid is essential as it allows me to remove the jar without twisting the lines up.

 

Thanks!

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Thanks for designing my oil catch jar!

 

I think I'll base mine on a plastic peanut butter jar.

 

I highly recommend the plastic peanut butter jar in terms of holding a seal, I have one on my vacuum pump for brake bleeding, and unlike the pos plastic canister you get with the pump it never leaks

 

not sure how it would hold up to the heat though, I guess if you ran enough house and mounted it closer to the fender you would be good to go

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:smart: The glass jar is designed for canning food which you boil the contents anyway. And if you think about it, glass only breaks when subjected to drastic temperature changes (such as hot to cold or cold to hot) in a short period of time. The engine bay will gradually heat up and cool down, so no problems! :popcorn:

 

I drove 60 miles today interstate for 40 miles and backroad for 20 with no problems. The outside air temp today was 80 degrees as well. :banana:

 

Thanks all!

:cheers:

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NICE!! Lol, looks better than mine does, mines a 1gal coolant jug, but hey short of the rear main seal, I don't have oil puddles anymore :clapping: . And it's funny b/c you were on the interstate, I've yet to take mine on one yet, I think the alignment might kill me, plus all the idiots around here not sure if the truck is ready for it yet.

 

-Cody

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  • 2 weeks later...
I'm wondering if that oil catcher setup would work on a 92 4.0 HO. thanks

 

 

It should :thumbsup: but I wouldn't recommend using glass. I use a gallon-size windshield wiper fluid bottle in my 88. :D I once had a smaller bottle, but it'd fill up too fast and make a big mess. :(

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