painting the mj

[zzze]

ok so i recently just bought my mj for 500 bucks, and i was planning on painting it. I really like the color it is SUPPOSED to be, but years of sunlight and other elements have faded the paint and there is some surface rust developing... I was curious to ask this question since i want to be as cheap as possible i was curoius if you would say spray painting the truck would be a good idea? I would like to match the original color as much as possible wich is a dark blue would you think this to be a good idea or would i regret it? i already painted the stock wheels black and they look pretty sharp, but there are some runs... overall however, pretty nice. also should i paint under the bed liner? or can i leave it to save some dough for other jobs for my truck?

[comanche09]

Depends on what kind of finish you are looking for. Painting is 90% prep work. The amount of work you do in prep determines how good your finish will be.

 

I painted my MJ with Valspar Truck and Trailer Paint ($26 a gallon) from Tractor Supply Co. I had to rush the job so my prep work was limited (just took care of the surface rust, and orbital sanded with various grits).

 

I ended up using maybe 1/3 of the gallon of the paint and 1/3 gallon of primer. Also added their Hardener to the paint. Used my 8 gallon air compressor and a Harbor Freight Auto Paint Gun kit and did it in my garage. Pic of my truck in my sig and there are more pics in the Pub under the "What did you do to your MJ today" thread.

 

It aint a mirror finish but it is a 1000x better then when I got the truck, just wish I had before pics.

[jimoshel]

Pull up the bed liner and see whats under it. If lt looks good, leave it. Moisture, debris etc collects under liners and can cause serious damage.