New Paint?

[bigalpha]

So, if you rattle can your truck and get it looking good, can you take it and get it clear coated for longevity? I'm sure they make UV stabilized clear coating, to help prevent that.

 

I'm restoring mine to a nice DD, so I want something that looks good and will last. Can you get auto paint on the market?

[GirsMJ86]

You could easily go have it clear coated I'm sure. Or if you have the setup you could buy auto paint and just spray it on. Just make sure you have all the settings correct and have it prepped right.

 

~Alex

[bigalpha]

You could easily go have it clear coated I'm sure. Or if you have the setup you could buy auto paint and just spray it on. Just make sure you have all the settings correct and have it prepped right.

 

~Alex

 

I don't have the setup; I don't even have a garage or a concrete driveway; no air compressor or paint guns. Too bad, though.

[DirtyComanche]

Good clear coat is expensive, and/or seriously toxic. If you're going to rattle it and have it cleared professionally, look into the cost first. A full professional paint job could be hardly much more...

[88mjmanche]

 

 

that stuff looks like it is impossible to scratch but will it chip if it is dented and does it come in flat green

[Pete M]

 

that stuff looks like it is impossible to scratch but will it chip if it is dented and does it come in flat green

 

 

Well, I sprayed my old fender as practice before doing the truck. I think I'll go take a hammer to it and see what happens. :D

 

colors:

http://www.zolatoneaim.com/palette.php

[bigalpha]

 

that stuff looks like it is impossible to scratch but will it chip if it is dented and does it come in flat green

 

 

Well, I sprayed my old fender as practice before doing the truck. I think I'll go take a hammer to it and see what happens. :D

 

colors:

http://www.zolatoneaim.com/palette.php

 

Totally do it. I'm curious now.

[Pete M]

Well, I've lined up some tools of destruction, but ran out of daylight so I'll just wait for tomorrow. I've got a hammer, rubber mallet, 3" diameter birch log, and I think I'll whip a baseball at it. :D

[bigalpha]

Well, I've lined up some tools of destruction, but ran out of daylight so I'll just wait for tomorrow. I've got a hammer, rubber mallet, 3" diameter birch log, and I think I'll whip a baseball at it. :D

 

 

You're basically my hero.

 

:bowdown:

[jtdesigns]

Never heard someone whip a bat at something..

 

 

 

I really like that Z stuff Pete.. The website said you can get it at most paint stores, I think I'll look into it.. Well after you whip that fender.. When a problem comes along... You must whip it...... Before the cream sits out too long.... You must whip it........ When somethings going wrong........... You must whip it......Now whip it..............Into shape.......... Shape it up............. Get straight............... Go forward ..... Move ahead..... Try to detect it, its not too late........

 

To whip it.......

 

Whip it good..............

 

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :wavey:

[glundblad]

I would never go to a 'chain' paint shop. Stay local and ask around about quality.

Amen to that!

 

I wasn't trying to be a paint nazi by any means. I know paint work (done propperly), is very expensive. That's why I do it!

I don't make a buttload of money, unfortunately. When I do a 50k resto, that includes parts, materials, and all labor. (including stuff I have to have out sourced.) I was just making the point that you get what you pay for.

 

And to the guy who paid 2000 bucks for a 1 year paintjob, sorry. Shops like that make the rest of us look bad.

 

I understood exactly what you meant. I felt the same way. I wanted my paint job to be as near perfect as possible. I knew I would be keeping the truck for the rest of my life. As far as you being the "Paint Nazi", don't knock it. I sort of like the sound of that. :brows:

[DirtyComanche]

Well, I've lined up some tools of destruction, but ran out of daylight so I'll just wait for tomorrow. I've got a hammer, rubber mallet, 3" diameter birch log, and I think I'll whip a baseball at it. :D

 

 

 

What type of hammer? If it weighs under three pounds, I'll be disappointed.

[Pete M]

Oh, it was a sledge for sure. :D I snapped a few photos (that I'll upload as soon as I find the camera's stupid cable), but the end result is that a firm poking or an impact from a hard edge will scrap bits off. The impact with the big rubber dead-blow caused no damage what so ever to the paint, only dented the heck out of the fender. :D Now, having said all that, I didn't exactly prep this old fender quite as well as I did my truck. I didn't have this type of test in mind at the time, but rather I just wanted to get a feel for how the stuff gets applied before I hit my baby with it.

[DirtyComanche]

So, uh, where are those pics at? :fool:

[Pete M]

Right here... in the camera. The question of the day is, "where' the camera's cable?" :fs1:

[CWLONGSHOT]

Right here... in the camera. The question of the day is, "where' the camera's cable?" :fs1:

Pete, time for a SD camera!!! Pop the lil chip thingie out and with it comes all your pics!!! :shake: :yes: :eek: :D

[philbert001]

I got a PM asking for tips on DIY paintjobs, and I ended up doing a full write up for him, so I'm gonna paste it here too, because some of you guys might find it helpful. I am a professional automotive painter, so this is advise from a pro, not from some hack garage painter. I hope this helps a few of you. PM me if you have any questions, or if I forgot anything.

These instructions are for solid colors. if you are doing a metallic, or pearl color, make sure to finish sand with 600-800 grit, so your sandscratches don't show through your basecoat.

 

Where to start! Ok, first off, it's all in the prep work. You want to make sure to thoroughly sand everything. I would say you need to finish sand, all your surfaces with no courser paper than 400 grit. And don't sand anything with anything courser than 220 grit, unless you are planning on priming it. You should prime anywhere that you cut through the factory finish.(Any where that you go through the clearcoat) You should sand your primer with 220-360, then with 400-600 along with the rest of your surfaces. Make sure to sand all your edges with a scotch brite pad, or some kind of abrasive pad, or your edges will start peeling in no time. Once you have everything prepped and masked, use a mild mineral spirit to clean and de-grease your surfaces. Wipe it on with one clean towel, and wipe it off till it's dry with another clean towel. Then use a tack cloth to pick up any remaining dust, and dirt off the surface. You can buy these at most Napa stores in the paint section for like 2 bucks each. I don't know where you are planning on painting, but don't do it outside. Any breeze is going to blow crap into your paint. Do it in your garage with the door cracked if possible. Do it on a nice 70-80 degree day. That's about the best temp range for your paint to cure best. OK, now it's time to spray! Be patient! You don't need to get complete coverage in 1 coat. Your best pet is to do a nice even "tack coat". That is just I nice light even coat. It'll look really splotchy, but that's fine. Tet that coat flash dry for 5-10 minutes before your next coat. That coat will give your next, heavier coat something to bite into. It will also help to keep from getting runs! Now, you don't have much air flow at 3.4 cfm, so keep your airflow low, and the feed on the gun fairly low. Use a piece of cardboard to get your gun set up good, not your truck! I don't know what you are using for paint guns, but get it setup so your fan is about 6-8 inches high where it hit's the panel, while keeping your gun about 6 inches away from the panel. like I said, light coats are key! After your first, "Tack coat", You want to spray your paint on just heavy enough to look "Wet". like I said, as long as it doesn't look dry, or like it is fuzzy, that's enough. Several light wet coats will turn out looking way better than if you try to hose it on in 1 coat. Give it 10-15 minutes between coats, until you have nice even coverage.(Till you can't see your primer spots anymore.) Make sure to do about 50% overlap on your coats. This means that if you have an 8 inch spray fan, move down 4 inches on each pass, so that each pass overlaps half of the last one. make sure to move across the panel at an even speed, keeping your gun as square as possible, and at an even distance from the panel. (The 6 inches away I talked about.) After you have good even color coverage, Put your last coat on just a little wetter. You can do this by slowing down the speed at which you move the gun across the panel, or you can open up the feed on the gun. (Just like 1/8-1/4 of a turn on the feed knob will be plenty.) If you are using single stage paint, you are done. If you are using basecoat/clearcoat, let your base dry for 20-30 minutes before you clear it. Spray your clear the same as your base, Only give it one tack coat, (You don't need to get full shine on your first coat.) Then give it two even heavier coats, making sure to get full smooth coverage with no dry spots. Make sure to give it 15 minutes between coats. Let it air dry at least over night, and you are done. Let me know if you want to learn how to wetsand and buff, to make it look like glass! I hope this helped, and didn't overwhelm, or confuse you. Let me know if you need help with anything else! Good luck and have fun! Remember, don't rush it!

[bigalpha]

I got a PM asking for tips on DIY paintjobs, and I ended up doing a full write up for him, so I'm gonna paste it here too, because some of you guys might find it helpful. I am a professional automotive painter, so this is advise from a pro, not from some hack garage painter. I hope this helps a few of you. PM me if you have any questions, or if I forgot anything.

These instructions are for solid colors. if you are doing a metallic, or pearl color, make sure to finish sand with 600-800 grit, so your sandscratches don't show through your basecoat.

 

Where to start! Ok, first off, it's all in the prep work. You want to make sure to thoroughly sand everything. I would say you need to finish sand, all your surfaces with no courser paper than 400 grit. And don't sand anything with anything courser than 220 grit, unless you are planning on priming it. You should prime anywhere that you cut through the factory finish.(Any where that you go through the clearcoat) You should sand your primer with 220-360, then with 400-600 along with the rest of your surfaces. Make sure to sand all your edges with a scotch brite pad, or some kind of abrasive pad, or your edges will start peeling in no time. Once you have everything prepped and masked, use a mild mineral spirit to clean and de-grease your surfaces. Wipe it on with one clean towel, and wipe it off till it's dry with another clean towel. Then use a tack cloth to pick up any remaining dust, and dirt off the surface. You can buy these at most Napa stores in the paint section for like 2 bucks each. I don't know where you are planning on painting, but don't do it outside. Any breeze is going to blow crap into your paint. Do it in your garage with the door cracked if possible. Do it on a nice 70-80 degree day. That's about the best temp range for your paint to cure best. OK, now it's time to spray! Be patient! You don't need to get complete coverage in 1 coat. Your best pet is to do a nice even "tack coat". That is just I nice light even coat. It'll look really splotchy, but that's fine. Tet that coat flash dry for 5-10 minutes before your next coat. That coat will give your next, heavier coat something to bite into. It will also help to keep from getting runs! Now, you don't have much air flow at 3.4 cfm, so keep your airflow low, and the feed on the gun fairly low. Use a piece of cardboard to get your gun set up good, not your truck! I don't know what you are using for paint guns, but get it setup so your fan is about 6-8 inches high where it hit's the panel, while keeping your gun about 6 inches away from the panel. like I said, light coats are key! After your first, "Tack coat", You want to spray your paint on just heavy enough to look "Wet". like I said, as long as it doesn't look dry, or like it is fuzzy, that's enough. Several light wet coats will turn out looking way better than if you try to hose it on in 1 coat. Give it 10-15 minutes between coats, until you have nice even coverage.(Till you can't see your primer spots anymore.) Make sure to do about 50% overlap on your coats. This means that if you have an 8 inch spray fan, move down 4 inches on each pass, so that each pass overlaps half of the last one. make sure to move across the panel at an even speed, keeping your gun as square as possible, and at an even distance from the panel. (The 6 inches away I talked about.) After you have good even color coverage, Put your last coat on just a little wetter. You can do this by slowing down the speed at which you move the gun across the panel, or you can open up the feed on the gun. (Just like 1/8-1/4 of a turn on the feed knob will be plenty.) If you are using single stage paint, you are done. If you are using basecoat/clearcoat, let your base dry for 20-30 minutes before you clear it. Spray your clear the same as your base, Only give it one tack coat, (You don't need to get full shine on your first coat.) Then give it two even heavier coats, making sure to get full smooth coverage with no dry spots. Make sure to give it 15 minutes between coats. Let it air dry at least over night, and you are done. Let me know if you want to learn how to wetsand and buff, to make it look like glass! I hope this helped, and didn't overwhelm, or confuse you. Let me know if you need help with anything else! Good luck and have fun! Remember, don't rush it!

 

Wow, thanks for the tips. Whenever I get around to painting, I'm sure this'll come in handy.

[philbert001]

No problem! :cheers: I just started getting on a few jeep forums a few months ago, and Have learned quite a bit. I'm happy to return the favor!

[garmj]

Definatly follow philberts suggestions,as a former paint/body guyhe is on the money. On my truck however I sanded everything with 220 and then wet sanded the entire truck wirh 320 and a scuff pad,washed thoroughly with soap and water ,let it dry ,tack ragged it and sprayed it OUTSIDE. Other than a couple of small animals stuck in the roof it looks great (they will wet sand out).The pics I have are where it was painted.Wasnt looking for a custom job just a presentable one. :D

[Pete M]

Right here... in the camera. The question of the day is, "where' the camera's cable?" :fs1:

Pete, time for a SD camera!!! Pop the lil chip thingie out and with it comes all your pics!!! :shake: :yes: :eek: :D

 

 

there is a card in the camera, but I don't have a card reader on the computer. :dunno:

 

But I did find the cable today so here we go:

 

 

First up is the old fender. I didn't paint it very well since I only wanted to get a feel for how the paint was applied.

 

 

Tools of destruction:

 

 

First up was the stick, which snapped din half after the second blow.

 

 

 

Then we stabbed at it with the sharp end of that stick and were able to chip a piece off.

 

 

Then we hit it with the log and mushed a small flaw where the little stub stuck out of the log

 

 

Then we beat the snot out of it with the rubber mallet, which only dented the fender. We popped it out and hit it some more with the same effect.

 

 

Then we threw a rock and the baseball. the rock made a chip, the baseball did nothing but leave a dent.

 

 

then we hit it with the sledge, and the sledge had no problem squishing flaws into the paint surface.

 

 

In the end, I fear that these tests, while fun, are not completely indicative of the strength of the paint on the truck since I didn't put as much effort into the fender (though I did scuff it up and hit it with primer). I think the cooler temperatures in the morning may have hurt the curing of the paint. :dunno: Someday I might actually get that dang truck on the trail and then we'll really see how the paint holds up. :D

[philbert001]

Definatly follow philberts suggestions,as a former paint/body guyhe is on the money. On my truck however I sanded everything with 220 and then wet sanded the entire truck wirh 320 and a scuff pad,washed thoroughly with soap and water ,let it dry ,tack ragged it and sprayed it OUTSIDE. Other than a couple of small animals stuck in the roof it looks great (they will wet sand out).The pics I have are where it was painted.Wasnt looking for a custom job just a presentable one. :D

Not bad man! :cheers: I've seen worse paint come out of a paint booth! (Not my paint booth, but out of a booth none the less!)

[bigalpha]

Pete - that's awesome!! I suppose for a more scientific test, you could always take the mallet, stick, log, baseball and rock to the fender that's currently on your Jeep. :idea:

[LEAD_NOT_FOLLOW]

$25 in spray paint and 3 years later still looks great. It's all in how you prep and how you shoot it. I'll probably be doing it to my YJ here soon as well.

 

 

[bigalpha]

philbert - I noticed that you didn't mention sanding between coats. Is the idea to get a perfect sanding during the prep work, then sand again after the paint has dried?

 

LEAD - That looks pretty good, what rattle can did you use?