Painting the MJ

[jpdriver1]

Those of you who have painted their own trucks rather than using Maco or whom ever;

1} how much paint did you use ? 

2} rattle can or spayer?

 

thanks 

 

kevin 

[ComancheKid45]

Brush and rollers.

 

Check out my links to Dad's wood truck and Oscar.

[jpdriver1]

thx

 

[jpdriver1]

file not found sorry 

[Strokermjcomanche]

If you spray it depends how many coats and what you're spraying with also the color matters too . You'll start at around a gallon and go from there , doing the whole truck ? Jams and all ? 

 

[Dzimm]

6 hours ago, jpdriver1 said:

Those of you who have painted their own trucks rather than using Maco or whom ever;

1} how much paint did you use ? 

2} rattle can or spayer?

 

thanks 

 

kevin 

Rattle canned my blue truck for a little under $200.  Used about 30-35 cans total of primer/paint/clear and a full weekend to disassemble, prep, paint, and reassemble.   If you rattle can, definitely grab a cheap trigger attachment for a spray can. 

Freshly painted in this picture.  A year and a half later, it still looks fantastic. 

 

For paint I did: 

- 1 medium-heavy coat of primer sealer (6 cans) Plus the many layers that were already on the truck from my previous repairs.

- 1 light coat of automotive primer (5.5 cans) This stuff did not spray or coat well and I didn't want the possibility of "tiger stripes" so I only did 1 coat.

- 2 coats of blue (10.5 cans) This sprayed and coated very well.  The first coat was light-medium and the second coat was a heavy coat.

- 2 coats of clear (9.5 cans) These cans sprayed a little sporadic, which led to a couple small runs but overall it coated well.  Both coats were medium coats.

 

Link to page 3 of my build thread explaining the painting with many pictures of the process. 

 

[jpdriver1]

Many Thanks guys --- 

 

looks like I need to begin stocking up on paint cans --- 

 

seriously thinking of painting the door jams and underhood

[mnkyboy]

If you have a compressor, just use an HVLP gun. 

 

I'm going to guess that since you are considering rattle can that paint quality isn't super important, in that case you can go with Rustoleum or some other cheap equipment enamel, a $8-$10 quart of paint equals about the same amount of paint as a case of rattle cans, a can of spray paint only contains a few ounces of actual paint.

 

You can get some automotive paint reducer or go cheap and use acetone from the hardware store to thin it, you could also add a can of hardener if you wanted for $10-$20 but that's optional.

 

An HVLP gun is going to lay down paint much nicer and coat way better than spray paint, you can buy a cheap HVLP gun for $15-$20 if you don't have one, for a budget paint job the cheap HVLP guns will do ok, many are knock offs of Sata or other higher end spray guns.

 

You can pull of a decent budget paint job for less than spray paint or spend a little more and step up the quality from there, you could even get into some lower end single stage automotive paints without spending a lot.

 

 

 

[Eagle]

Somebody mentioned Maaco. In 1999 my original '88 XJ was looking pretty scabby, because (like all Jeeps from that time period) the clearcoat was burned and flaking off. I had bought a new '99 Grand Cherokee and I wanted the XJ to look good, so I took it to Maaco for a repaint.

 

The WJ lasted 10 months, and I still have the '88 XJ. That Maaco paint job looked pretty good ... for about a year. After about three years, it looked worse than it did before. I don't recommend Maaco. Even rattle cans will do a better job, and with a small compressor and a harbor Freight gun you can do it yourself and be well ahead of the game.

[AZJeff]

On 11/23/2018 at 11:31 PM, Eagle said:

Somebody mentioned Maaco. In 1999 my original '88 XJ was looking pretty scabby, because (like all Jeeps from that time period) the clearcoat was burned and flaking off. I had bought a new '99 Grand Cherokee and I wanted the XJ to look good, so I took it to Maaco for a repaint.

 

The WJ lasted 10 months, and I still have the '88 XJ. That Maaco paint job looked pretty good ... for about a year. After about three years, it looked worse than it did before. I don't recommend Maaco. Even rattle cans will do a better job, and with a small compressor and a harbor Freight gun you can do it yourself and be well ahead of the game.

Here is a case of YMMV.   I have a 1991 F150 that I had repainted my MAACO.  They used the traditional acrylic enamel (not the more modern urethane with clear coat overlay), and other than a couple of very small bubbles in the paint on the hood, it's still good to go 8 years after painting.   

 

AZ sun is tough on paint, so I think that MAACO can do a good job if you do a lot of prep work.  In the case of my truck, I took off almost everything I could, including stuff like headlights, tail lights, mirrors, and window trim.   That meant that MAACO didn't have to do as much "precision masking" and could concentrate more on surface preparation, which is the real key to a good paint job.

[Smokeyyank]

If you want easy and durable I would just go with 

 

http://www.monstaliner.com/

 

or this if you'd prefer a smoother texture

 

https://www.durabakcompany.com/product/durabak-bed-liner-gallon-smooth/

 

All you'd need to spray is the bed liner gun. Super easy and is a little more forgiving than traditional paint. 

 

I'm hoping next summer I can paint my MJ. I'm considering single stage paint. Obviously will have to go through full prep but will be a solid paint job.

 

https://www.eastwood.com/paints/automotive-finishes/colors/single-stage-urethane.html

 

 

[jpdriver1]

Great input everyone -- thanks