The time grows near...

[beepbeepmyredjeep]

Time grows near...soon I will be getting the rust spots taken care of, and getting my MJ repainted. Sadly I can't do this myself, as I don't have the space or the equipment. But fortunately the local MAACO does a great job, as my family has dealt with them in the past for several auto accidents.

 

It's going to be a nice bright red, like the day my dad bought it.

 

I'm going to order replacement stickers for the tailgate from JeepSticker.com.

 

However, I'm debating what to do with the sides.

 

Here's a photo of the current sides:

 

I'm thinking of replacing the side design with something simpler, which still says SporTruck.

 

I've looked through a few posts, but haven't seen much about replacing the SporTruck decals. Has anyone created a custom SporTruck decal before?

 

I'm just looking for ideas.

[MJ is dead]

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TAKE IT TO MAACO!!!!! :no: :no: :no:

 

Take it from a body guy, taking anything to maaco is a terrible idea. Ever wonder why they are so cheap? Because they don't prep their work, or do generally crap work.

 

Give it a year's time and your rust will return, your clearcoat will delaminate and your paint will start falling off around the edges.

 

I can't stress it enough, don't do it. Ever.

 

I wouldn't even let them paint my trash can. :no:

[kro10000]

I have a few pointers with MAACO jobs... Prep it yourself, pull emblems, sand, etc, etc

 

Then, ask to have your truck painted last on a Friday. That way it will sit in the booth until monday so the paint will have time to set up, and be protected from dust, bugs, etc...

[jpdocdave]

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TAKE IT TO MAACO!!!!! :no: :no: :no:

 

Take it from a body guy, taking anything to maaco is a terrible idea. Ever wonder why they are so cheap? Because they don't prep their work, or do generally crap work.

 

Give it a year's time and your rust will return, your clearcoat will delaminate and your paint will start falling off around the edges.

 

I can't stress it enough, don't do it. Ever.

 

I wouldn't even let them paint my trash can. :no:

 

i agree, my mom got a maaco job a while back now, lasted a year.

[Automan2164]

Also in agreement. I took my '91 Elim to maaco for a color change. Maybe lasted a year. I painted and prepped areas like the door jambs... All got oversprayed, even had a drip of black paint on the door panel, and dust, hair, runs... You name it in the paint. Even a KITTY LITTER SIZED ROCK IN THE HOOD!

 

Rob L.

[500 MJ]

Your truck is worth more as it is right now than if you were to take it to a half A$$ed paint shop. Save your money (and your MJ's dignity) and get it done RIGHT once.

[beepbeepmyredjeep]

Thanks for the heads up guys.

 

I'll probably get a couple quotes from a few other auto body shops. Sadly, there aren't many, and most of them charge at least double what MAACO charges.

 

I really wish I could do it myself, but I don't have a garage, and don't have the equipment.

[streetjeep2.5]

You said your "local" MAACO does a great job and your family car fixes are evidence of it. Care to elaborate? Maybe you have decent guys to go a bit of the extra mile at your local MAACO on smaller jobs, but the guys are right in a full paint job. BIG difference. They don't sand but use some kind prep to make it bond for a short time and don't do a quality spray job or use quality paint. Earl Shibe (spelling?) did the same back in the 1960's. Had a car done by them.

[87Warrior]

Take it to the paint shop that looks like it has been there for 30 years, because more than likely it has been. I am getting my truck done in sections so the paint shop has already finished my bed. I believe it is the same factory red color you are wanting. Check it out in my build, link in the sig.

 

This guy painted my fathers show truck in the early 80s and is still in the same shop which the city is trying to push blight upon so they can build a gas station or something. He is slower than a snail since it is a two man operation, he and his brother, just as it always has been. He assumes nothing and always calls with clarifying questions. Best body shop hit around.

Next best are the dealership body shops, at least where I come from.

[mnkyboy]

My mom had a bad experience with Maaco on her 64 Galaxy,It came out so bad and she was so disappointed with the car she eventually sold it.

 

 

 

You truck doesnt look that bad,you might have better results with some rubbing compound and a buffer then you would with Maaco

[beepbeepmyredjeep]

You said your "local" MAACO does a great job and your family car fixes are evidence of it. Care to elaborate? Maybe you have decent guys to go a bit of the extra mile at your local MAACO on smaller jobs, but the guys are right in a full paint job. BIG difference.

The local MAACO has a habit of accidentally(?) stripping the paint off an entire car and then repainting the whole thing, at their expense.

I've seen this with two cars now.

The paint job looks pretty decent, and I've only seen one instance of some paint runs, which they corrected at no charge.

 

You truck doesnt look that bad,you might have better results with some rubbing compound and a buffer then you would with Maaco

I've considered that, but there are several rust spots about the size of a half dollar which need grinded out, filled, and sanded.

 

Perhaps I'm going about this the wrong way. Do you think I would be able to get paint to match the current color as close as possible, and get the paint to blend successfully with rubbing compound?

 

Another suggestion I've received from a family member is grind out the rust spots, and since they're all on the lower part of the vehicle, then paint the entire lower part of the vehicle black. Then use rubbing compound and a buffer on the rest of the paint. I'm actually kind of leaning towards this, as it is less expensive, and I get to keep the original SporTruck decals. Might even remove the decals and use black paint in their place, as some of the decals are starting to come off, due to an incident my dad had with a pressure washer (10?) years ago. :doh:

[beepbeepmyredjeep]

Here's a photoshopped "concept pic"

[beepbeepmyredjeep]

Another concept pic with the new rims...

[87Warrior]

Personally , I have never liked the blacked out lower part on light colored rigs. On a dark green it looks sharp!

 

If you want to paint the Sport Truck decals on, make sure you take lots of pictures and measurements. Might also be worth it to grab a big roll of tracing paper from the local art supply store to get an impression of the stripe. You know, tape the paper to your truck and rub a chunk of lead over it to get the outline... Like we all did in school at some point with a leaf.

[fiatslug87]

I'm thinking of replacing the side design with something simpler, which still says SporTruck.

I've looked through a few posts, but haven't seen much about replacing the SporTruck decals. Has anyone created a custom SporTruck decal before?

I'm just looking for ideas.

I bought as set from this guy autographixdesign on eBay about two years ago but never installed them, he has a set for sale right now

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MJ-JEEP- ... ccessories

[kastein]

Personally I like the blacked out lower body styling - I say go for it, maybe use flat black like the early 90s XJ Sport trim level. Some people use bedliner for this, I figure it would avoid rock chipping better but I'm not sure I like how it looks.

[MJ is dead]

Alright, to answer some questions.

 

The rust idea of grinding it out and painting it black...will it work? Sure, for awhile. If you're gonna go that route, make sure you either

A. Paint it with POR-15

B. Treat it with SEM's Rust Mort

 

Personally I'd go the POR 15 route, as Rust Mort is just a wipe that more or less kills the rust and requires priming afterwards. POR 15 is a one shot deal for the most part.

 

Painting over untreated rust only causes more rust. Sure, doing it right is more expensive, but think of how many greenbacks you'll have to lay down to have it done again and again and again

 

As to your rubbing compound question. The easiest answer I can give you is no. You've already said you've no experience in paint/body, meaning you have no experience with blending paint. In theory, if you knew how to do a proper blend, it might, MIGHT work. Every color you see on a vehicle can have between 2 and 30 variances. Meaning the red of your MJ, may have one set paint code, but there may be multiple versions of it with different toners (some more red, some more blue, etc) finding one to match exact, with 10 plus years of fading on it would be pretty tough.

 

Do it right, or don't do it at all :thumbsup:

[88pioneer]

here's my truck with the bottom painted. I'll eventually do bed liner material, but for now its just flat black

 

[jteckmann]

This is mine with roll-on Hurculiner on the bed, tailgate, and lower sides:

 

When I got my truck the bed had seen a lot of abuse - lots of chips & scratches in the paint, and a bunch of small dents/scratches around the tailights and the bedrails. There was also a pretty good dent on the lower section of the driver's door. So the bedliner was a cheap & easy fix - by using it over the rails and on the end corners I was able to cover most of the damage - and IMO the flat, textured look of the Hurculiner masks the dents quite well, even up close. Since I'm up in the PacNW, rust wasn't a major issue *yet*, but I made sure to wire-brush the bejeezus out of everything, treat it with Rust Mort and then primer.

 

The one downside to this approach is that if I eventually do decide for a better paint job, I imagine all that bedliner is going to be a PITA to strip off.

[beepbeepmyredjeep]

So I just looked over the truck today after I replaced the clutch master cylinder.

 

The rust is higher up on the body than I remembered.

 

I might have to get creative with the paint job. I'm thinking maybe some flames or something?

 

Thoughts?