1. Registration trouble? Please use the "Contact Us" link at the bottom right corner of the page and your issue will be resolved.
    Dismiss Notice

Any Tips On Painting The Tub

Discussion in 'Intermediate CJ-5/6/7/8' started by johnD, Jul 7, 2018.

  1. Jul 7, 2018
    johnD

    johnD FUBAR

    Morgantown, PA
    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2018
    Messages:
    116
    I am getting ready to paint the cj. I waiting on parts to come in fender, windshield frame. Then going to try to paint the jeep. I have spot welds that I am going to fill with bondo. Any and all tips will be great thanks!
     
  2. Jul 7, 2018
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

    exploring the...
    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2009
    Messages:
    3,869
    Reproduction tub? If so I wouldn’t fill the spot welds until I used epoxy primer. Prep is 99 percent of the finish. Don’t use any 1k paint or primer.
     
    58 willys likes this.
  3. Jul 7, 2018
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2003
    Messages:
    8,102
    Just to establish a baseline have you any experience painting other vehicles? What are you using as a paint gun?
     
  4. Jul 7, 2018
    58 willys

    58 willys Sponsor

    Millsboro, Delaware
    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2010
    Messages:
    943
    Prep work is the most important thing to a good paint job
     
  5. Jul 7, 2018
    johnD

    johnD FUBAR

    Morgantown, PA
    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2018
    Messages:
    116
    Howard,
    No experience in painting cars. Unless the raddle can is experience:clap: I do not have a gun and not slot of money.
    Sterclan,
    What is 1k paint or primer?
     
  6. Jul 7, 2018
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2003
    Messages:
    23,596
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2018
    johnD likes this.
  7. Jul 7, 2018
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2003
    Messages:
    8,102
    What Tim said.

    I'd also suggest practicing a bit on some scrap sheet metal to get the hang of tuning whatever gun you end up with and getting the proper hand motion down.
     
  8. Jul 7, 2018
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

    exploring the...
    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2009
    Messages:
    3,869
    anything that air dries ie lacquer based paint. or a spray can. 2 k means it has an activator or hardener. Tim has a good point that site and book are a great starting point, and like Howard said practice makes perfect.
     
    johnD likes this.
  9. Jul 7, 2018
    johnD

    johnD FUBAR

    Morgantown, PA
    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2018
    Messages:
    116
    Thank you! I will
     
  10. Jul 8, 2018
    heavychevy

    heavychevy Sponsor

    Danielsville georgia
    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2008
    Messages:
    181
    Body prep is very important, what ever is not sanded down smooth, will show in the finel stage.
     
    johnD likes this.
  11. Jul 8, 2018
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

    exploring the...
    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2009
    Messages:
    3,869
    prep is THE key to a good finish.
     
    58 willys likes this.
  12. Jul 8, 2018
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2003
    Messages:
    23,596
    Regarding prep, I would note that the factory finish on Jeeps in the '70s was nowhere near the smoothness that you see on hot rods and exotic cars today. Even your most inexpensive cars today have vastly better fit and finish than Jeeps had in those days. For CJs, Jeep would spot weld together the new steel bodies from their stampings, apply the e-coat primer (electrophoretic coating - I'm sure by the '70s that's what they were using) by dunking the parts in the e-coat bath, spray the single-stage top coat and bake.

    Some bodies got seam sealer, but I'm pretty sure no extra filling and smoothing or filler coats were applied. Skimming and blocking to fill spot welds, for instance, was never done. So if you do a lot of skimming and blocking to smooth out the minor flaws, you are doing way more than Jeep did before delivering these vehicles.

    Plus, colors in the day were not as shiny as the routine base coat / clear coat used on modern cars. The cars looked good and shiny, but they did not have the gloss and depth of modern finishes. If you want a factory finish, I suspect the closest will be single stage acrylic enamel. No urethane, not BC/CC.

    For service work, you don't have the ovens that Toledo has to bake the paint. Instead you depend on catalyzed finishes with two components - 2K - paint and hardener to give you a durable coating without baking. Before they react with the paint, these catalysts are terribly poisonous (cyanide based) and proper PPE is a must. You have been warned.

    The point of all this - I think when Jeff says PREP he means getting the surface properly prepared to accept the paint, getting a good bond between the body surface and whatever primers and top coat you use, and selecting methods and materials that will bond properly to the substrate and be durable as well as attractive. All the filling and blocking that the hot rod guys do in search of that perfect mirror finish is only cosmetic, and there is a lot more to prep than that.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2018
    Focker likes this.
  13. Jul 8, 2018
    johnD

    johnD FUBAR

    Morgantown, PA
    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2018
    Messages:
    116
    ok the spot welds are fine. I am sorry to ask but what is PPE? I've been doing a lot of reading, and I do not have to tape the door etc. because I have none of that on the jeep. Just the tube, fenders, roll bar, hood to paint. Plus the little things like the windshield hinges and any other stuff like that.
    Thank you all for the insight.
     
  14. Jul 8, 2018
    Focker

    Focker That's a terrible idea...What time? Staff Member

    WA
    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2014
    Messages:
    7,540
    Personal Protective Equipment
     
  15. Jul 8, 2018
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

    exploring the...
    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2009
    Messages:
    3,869
    Even when using an enamel I would use activator the finish will last way longer.
     
  16. Jul 8, 2018
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2003
    Messages:
    8,102

    Funny Story- A few years ago while i was in the garage getting Tonk prepped for paint a couple of guys stopped by loking for directions- turned out they were hot rodders- they absolutely could not get it through their heads why I wasn't slapping filler on to bring the wavy parts out & then block sanding so the sides would be absolutely flat.

    I kept saying "Guys, it's a Jeep "

    Blank looks. :)
     
    timgr and OldAdobe like this.
  17. Jul 8, 2018
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2003
    Messages:
    23,596
    Yeah ... I found the "American Hot Rod" series about the Boyd Coddington garage in La Habra CA very interesting. American Hot Rod - Wikipedia

    The body guy Greg Morrell was great, but he mixed up body filler and skim coated every panel, then blocked them down to perfectly smooth. He owned a beautiful shoebox Ford woody wagon that was - what else - gloss black. Nothing shows waves in the body work more than black. Obviously it was a rolling advertisement for his skill at getting all the panels perfectly flat. Apparently he works for Chip Foose now.

    I am enjoying driving my Cherokee, but I would have been happier if I'd paid a little less because of a few dents. It's a Jeep, after all. (y)
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2018
  18. Jul 8, 2018
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

    exploring the...
    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2009
    Messages:
    3,869
    I am currently working on a square nose chevy going black single stage urethane i am 80 plus hours into making it flat and smooth, three applications of primer with blocking between each application,one sealer and paint followed by more blocking(bad paint application,complete with giant runs) and it sits now waiting for the final paint to go on tomorrow afternoon. I guess what im saying is even with years o practice it still goes bad sometimes,when and if it does just take a break and go back at it.
     
  19. Jul 9, 2018
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2003
    Messages:
    23,596
    I guess you can always sand it down and start over. All it costs is materials and your time.
     
  20. Jul 9, 2018
    Howard Eisenhauer

    Howard Eisenhauer Administrator Staff Member

    Tantallon, Nova...
    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2003
    Messages:
    8,102
    BTDT :(
     
New Posts