Suggestions: Prepping body panels (surface rust) for paint?

[phenryiv1]

So after talking with a friend who restores old British and European cars about the body on my MJ (and after offering to pay him to paint it), he has me convinced that the painters at a local Maaco paint shop can do a good job on my MJ, given that it is not a daily driver and that I have a small budget. (His shop has had the Maaco guys do paint work on budget builds, small parts, etc., with good results.) I have stopped by the Maaco without an appointment a few times and asked to see some examples of completed customer work, and I have been satisfied with the quality and consistency.

 

So after doing that homework, I went to the shop yesterday and they gave me 2 quotes- 1 with me doing the prep work on the rusted panels and 1 with them doing it. They estimated 3.5 hours to strip/sand the roof and hood, both of which have some pretty significant surface rust. The quote with me doing the prep was in my initial budget. The one with them doing the work was a few hundred over what I had budgeted. I have the money, but woudl rather not waste it if I can do the prep work at home.

 

Not wanting to sound too ignorant (though I AM ignorant on these matters), what would be the steps to properly prep the truck for them to shoot color on it? I have prepped my old XJ for a full respray, but it had ZERO rust (and was down to the scratchcoat in many places as it is). Having no experience in prepping a vahicle with rust, what exactly am I getting into?

 

I will try to post pics of the rust, but it is only on the surface.

 

My initial thought was that I would be doing the sanding of the truck and then they would shoot primer on it, because I have read that rattlecan primer and automotive single-stage paints don't really play well together. I forgot to ask them for a definition of "prep" so I want to be more educated before I call them back and ask for clarification.

 

When I search on here for pictures of people who did their own prep, I see a lot of primer in the pictures. Is there a particular type of primer that they are buying and applying to prep their vehicle for paint? Or am I just seeing where they sanded down to the primer in places?

 

One additional note: I will be doing most of the teardown on the truck myself: bumpers, grille, headlight doors, body side molding, taillights, mirrors, etc. (I may take off the black plastic vents in the cab, as well, but I am lazy.) I will be leaving the fender flares, door handles and the lock cylinders in place.

[phenryiv1]

Reserved for pictures.

[87Warrior]

You really should pull the flares and cab vents. It's not hard.

 

For treating the rust use some Naval Jelly. Link: http://www.rubiconownersforum.com/phpbb ... 38&t=49947

 

Your stock paint can be used as a base, no reason to take the whole truck down to bare metal and prime the whole thing. Painting is all about chemical reactions. You should ask the painter what type of primer you should use on the treated rusty areas.