Thinking ahead about painting- Disassembly help, please

[phenryiv1]

I am thinking ahead as I get ready to paint the MJ. I will be doing a color change from red to yellow with black down low on the body (think "XJ Sport" model). The yellow is not yet decided, but I will be doing Blitz Black on the flares, lower doors/rockers, grille, bumpers, air dam, etc.

 

At any rate, I am trying to decide how much to take apart to have this look good. Obviously, the door handles, grille, trim, bumpers, flares, wipers, and all of the normal parts will be pulled off. My questions come into play with the windows, windshield, and the bed.

 

I have looked on here and found no "How-to" on removing the bed. Is it really necessary to do so?

 

Also, what about the windshield and rear slider? Should these be removed as well? Any how-to for removing them, if needed?

 

I am not looking for show-quality, but I want it to look pretty good under all but close inspection.

[bigd44889]

yes u need to pull the bed so u can sand and paint back of cab

[phenryiv1]

yes u need to pull the bed so u can sand and paint back of cab

Any links to how to do that?

[Boilermaker]

I have looked on here and found no "How-to" on removing the bed. Is it really necessary to do so?

If you are doing a color change, i'd probably pull off the bed so that you can get to the back of the cab easily. Also gives you a chance to get a good look at your frame rails, clean them up if you think its necessary.

Also, what about the windshield and rear slider?

The shop that is in the process of repainting my truck removed the trim around the windshield, but not the windshield itself. They did remove the back window, because it was a poorly installed and leaking. I don't know if they would have the window was ok.

 

I also pulled the windows and vents out of the doors before they started.

[Boilermaker]

Any links to how to do that?

Unfortunately some of the pictures are gone, but there is a decent explanation of what needs to be done to get the bed off:

http://comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopi ... 29767ab1ee

[bigd44889]

as for a how to try a search in tec there are bunch of bed removal write ups

[phenryiv1]

Thanks for the help so far, guys. I searched (and browsed) the How-To forum, but largely came up empty.

 

I will do a few more searches in here and see what I find.

[bigd44889]

i couldn't find one

take out tail lights

disconect all wires

fill hoses for gas tank

there are 8 bolts to take out look for holes in bottom of frame bolts are in there

i have never done it but this is what i remember reading on here

good luck :cheers:

[shelbyluvv]

For a total color change "I" would completely gut the truck. The drive train included. Nothing looks worse than a engine bay in a different color than the body. I know you can always paint it black but, to me that just looks rushed.

 

Remove all the interior, drive train, all the glass, bed, all lights, and flares.

 

I would leave the fenders, header panel, and doors in place to ensure their alignment is perfect after the repaint.

 

With the interior and all the glass removed, the painters can easily spray the door jambs and get into the nooks and crannys to give a better result.

 

It is a lot more time intensive to do it this way, it will be 1000X better in the end.

[phenryiv1]

i couldn't find one

take out tail lights

disconect all wires

fill hoses for gas tank

there are 8 bolts to take out look for holes in bottom of frame bolts are in there

i have never done it but this is what i remember reading on here

good luck :cheers:

Do you mean to disconnect the hoses?

[phenryiv1]

For a total color change "I" would completely gut the truck. The drive train included. Nothing looks worse than a engine bay in a different color than the body. I know you can always paint it black but, to me that just looks rushed.

 

Remove all the interior, drive train, all the glass, bed, all lights, and flares.

 

I would leave the fenders, header panel, and doors in place to ensure their alignment is perfect after the repaint.

 

With the interior and all the glass removed, the painters can easily spray the door jambs and get into the nooks and crannys to give a better result.

 

It is a lot more time intensive to do it this way, it will be 1000X better in the end.

Interior will be out and I am leaning toward pulling the glass. If I pull the glass, though, I will want to replace it (windshield and slider), and that means I need to save up more money because I cannot afford to do them just yet, although the truck needs paint SOON. I don't know about the drivetrain. I think that it would make a lot more sense to do the underhood areas if I was going to get rid of it some day, btu this truck has been in my family for almost 22 years. I am sure it will still be my lumber- and mulch-hauler until it dies.

 

It would be so much easier to leave it red, but I have always wanted a yellow vehicle but never had the stomach to do it on a daily driver. With the MJ being a project, I like the idea.

 

I don't have to worry about resale, though. For sentimental reasons, I will never sell this truck.

[MrSimon]

I say just leave the engine bay alone ... its an old work truck - it ain't gonna win any beauty contests no matter what you do to it

 

But, you should take your time and do a nice job on the exterior paint. Like everyone always says, its all in the prep work.

 

Some guys may disagree with this, but you don't have to remove the bed if you don't want to. A spray gun will get the new paint in far enough that you won't ever see the red. Sure, if you have the time, space, tools, and desire to pull the bed - its always a good idea - but not completely needed.

[bigd44889]

the 2 hoses that go from gas tank to filler neck on the side of the bed

[glundblad]

I had mine painted by a body shop. They left the engine and the bay alone but everything else except the hood was removed and painted individually. It made the paint job look more factory because the seams between the metal parts were not coated in paint. It allows more complete coverage too. They painted the insides of the doors, door seams, behind those fender flares, etc. Imagine how much better coverage you could get on the bottom of the doors if you removed them.

 

The bed had to be removed for reasons already mentioned and if I recall, the bed holds part of the gas tank up so I would suggest letting the tank run near empty (although those large 3 quart gas tanks they installed in MJ's can't be too heavy completely full :brows: )

 

Oh and keep it colorado red. :yes:

[phenryiv1]

Oh and keep it colorado red. :yes:

Is that the proper name of the stock color?

 

My other option was Chili Pepper Red, but I really want a yellow truck. Of course, CPR woudl be a LOT easier, though more expensive...

[Hawk]

Looking at mine with the bed off, it's obvious that the factory originally painted it with the bed on the truck.

[glundblad]

Yes colorado red was the name. At least it was for the 1987 model year. Click on my link next to my signature. It was a good color for an MJ. That and white Chiefs were always my favorite.

[phenryiv1]

Yes colorado red was the name. At least it was for the 1987 model year. Click on my link next to my signature. It was a good color for an MJ. That and white Chiefs were always my favorite.

I just started de-striping the truck, and I really like that color...that may change the plans for the new color.

 

The truck also looks a LOT cleaner without the hockey sticks!

[shelbyluvv]

I like to color too. I also like the hockey stripes. It keeps that whole 80's feel to the truck.

[jbhill]

the more you take it apart, the better lookin your paint job will be(less likely for over spray or tape lines). hell alot of all overs we do at work, we leave the side glass in, just roll it down. u can leave the windsheild in just remove the trim(with the proper tool ;) ). if you take it some were to have it painted, if they don't have to take anyhting off, its usually cheaper. i can usually de trim a car(handles,panels, all outside stuff that isnt getting painted or taped up) in 3 hours.

[brdhntr]

detrimming is easy and a must. take the glass trim off but you can leave the glass in. it's pretty popular with custom cars to paint the engine compartment black. i would do the compartment in black. as far as the back of the cab or the bed, it would look better to take the bed off. however, if you're not looking for a showroom job, you can probably get the paint in there. the problem is with the prep there. you can use a self etching primer. that will help.

 

taking the parts off to paint is nice to get everything covered. when i do it though, i spray the inners and tight spots, jambs, etc. then i put it all back together and spray the entire vehicle. if you're an expert painter and you finish never varies, doing the pieces individually is ok. but, if you aren't a perfect painter, the finish between each piece may differ. this can all be cleaned up if you're skilled in wet sanding and buffing. the other problem is that you can scratch the panels when you put them back on. :no:

 

anything that can come off, should. this includes the grill, lights, bumpers, fender flares, door handles, and all trim work. while that stuff is off you can clean it up or paint it if you'd like. buy some black spray paint cans. when you're done, use it to spray in the wheelwells and undercarriage that may have some overspray on it.

 

do it once, do it right, and love it forever. :thumbsup:

[glundblad]

Yes colorado red was the name. At least it was for the 1987 model year. Click on my link next to my signature. It was a good color for an MJ. That and white Chiefs were always my favorite.

 

I also found that Krylon Cherry Red is almost a direct match to Jeep Colorado red. The cap isnt close but the paint is. I used it to paint my floor boards. I couldnt believe how close it was.

[phenryiv1]

Like I said above, after removing the hockey sticks, the actual color looks pretty good, and I also like the cleaner look of the truck with the stripes removed. That is making me rethink the idea of a color change. As much as I think it would be cool to have the truck yellow, it would be a LOT easier to leave it red, whether the stock red or Chili Pepper red. Particularly since I don't care about show-quality outcome, I could get away with blending the jambs and between the bed and cab, so long as I stick with a dark red color like CPR. If I went yellow, I was going to pre-spray the inner door skin, the jambs, the "sides"/top/bottom of the doors, and the lip of the fender and header panel in yellow. I was also going to shoot the underside of the hood in black. I figured that that prep work- with some good sanding- would be enough to give me a passable finish.

[phenryiv1]

detrimming is easy and a must. take the glass trim off but you can leave the glass in. it's pretty popular with custom cars to paint the engine compartment black. i would do the compartment in black. as far as the back of the cab or the bed, it would look better to take the bed off. however, if you're not looking for a showroom job, you can probably get the paint in there. the problem is with the prep there. you can use a self etching primer. that will help.

 

taking the parts off to paint is nice to get everything covered. when i do it though, i spray the inners and tight spots, jambs, etc. then i put it all back together and spray the entire vehicle. if you're an expert painter and you finish never varies, doing the pieces individually is ok. but, if you aren't a perfect painter, the finish between each piece may differ. this can all be cleaned up if you're skilled in wet sanding and buffing. the other problem is that you can scratch the panels when you put them back on. :no:

 

anything that can come off, should. this includes the grill, lights, bumpers, fender flares, door handles, and all trim work. while that stuff is off you can clean it up or paint it if you'd like. buy some black spray paint cans. when you're done, use it to spray in the wheelwells and undercarriage that may have some overspray on it.

 

do it once, do it right, and love it forever. :thumbsup:

What about the back glass? How should I handle that? Do I just tape it off really well?

[phenryiv1]

Yes colorado red was the name. At least it was for the 1987 model year. Click on my link next to my signature. It was a good color for an MJ. That and white Chiefs were always my favorite.

I am glad that I finally went to the link- that is NOT my stock color. Mine is a lot darker. The link to the project thread in my sig shows what is left of the stock red. I think mine might be Grenadine Metallic Clearcoat.