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A Full Restoration Of My 1969 Cj5 With The Dauntless

Discussion in 'Builds and Fabricators Forum' started by John Gedde, Jan 15, 2020.

  1. Jan 31, 2021
    John Gedde

    John Gedde Been around the block once or twice...

    Middle Island, NY
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    Tim, it bolts into the tapped holes to where the fenders attach in the front and the tailgate latches in the back. I'll take a pic when I get a chance... I've gotten a few inquiries, so maybe I'll start a new thread on the rotisserie and it's construction.

    John
     
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  2. Feb 14, 2021
    John Gedde

    John Gedde Been around the block once or twice...

    Middle Island, NY
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    Finally got the tub all painted. Hopefully tomorrow I can get the rolling chassis back under her...


    Cheers!
    John
     
  3. Feb 16, 2021
    Rozcoking23

    Rozcoking23 RUN & GET BIT! 2024 Sponsor

    Stockton, CA
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    Looks great!
     
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  4. Feb 17, 2021
    Dave Deyton

    Dave Deyton Member

    Fuquay-Varina, NC
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    That President Red looks great. Don't know if when I get to that stage of the build if I'll use Full Thane or Base Coat Clear Coat.

    Been planning on going back with President Red also.

    Good job on the paint job and I think the tinted bed liner is a good idea.


    Dave
     
  5. Feb 17, 2021
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

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    Base clear scratches to white single stage will yield red scratches.
     
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  6. Feb 18, 2021
    John Gedde

    John Gedde Been around the block once or twice...

    Middle Island, NY
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    Is a truth for sure. Pros and cons always. One thing to consider though: single stage in President Red could be costly as heck since you've got the expensive toners all the way through every coat applied. Plus, if you plan on cutting and buffing to a high gloss, a lot of that costly toner will end up as dust. I won't even say what a gallon of President Red mixed to PPG's original formula (71334 IIRC) in PPG DBC cost me - you'd all think I was nuts. Granted it made two gallons when reduced, but single stage PPG DCC makes only 1-1/4 gallons and I'd have needed much more. I went BC/CC for cost reasons and more, namely more options in top coat (i.e. clear, such as poly), the longevity of CC, UV resistance (the CC has UV filter additives in it to protect the toners in the BC), the repairability of clear coat (blendable if you know how - I'm not good at it BTW), scratch resistance (modern clears are tough), the depth/shine, etc. I put on a good amount of clear, so scratches can be dealt with without too much fear of running out of thickness. A deep scratch can readily be brush filled with clear to get rid of the white and fill the scratch, then wet sanded down flush so as to be nearly invisible. That is unless it goes through the basecoat as well. But in that case, I have leftover BC to repair it without worrying too much about color match. Of course the latter can be done if you keep your leftover single stage around as well. There's a lot more to choice of single stage vs. BC/CC that I considered, but you get the gist of it.

    All in all, I wish my Jeep came out a bit less wavy, but a Jeep is far from straight to begin with, and very little of it didn't have dents or dings of some sort due to 45 years of being used in the woods, bouncing off trees, skidding logs, carrying rocks, etc. A good recipe for low mileage (only 60k original), but extremely hard on the body and all things mechanical. But, at least it was garaged the whole time.

    There are many months worth of hammering and dollying in there, tub straightening to get rid of out-of-square tub build from the factory (removal and rewelding of side bracing), stretching/shrinking, etc. I set a rule that no more than 1/16" of filler should be needed anywhere. There are a few spots where this was exceeded, but never more than 1/8". Anyway, getting back to waviness, a Jeep tub is kind a bit of a different ballgame as compared to quarter panels, hoods, etc. since it's an actual structure. Slight waves come and go as my garage temperature changes and the structure expands or contracts, most notably in the kick area around the Jeep logo and the flat area in front of the rear wheel opening. There's so much going on structurally in the flat area: the brace, the wheelhouse, the tool box and how they can push/pull that area around. Did a lot of work in that area stretching and shrinking to eliminate any oil canning or overshrunk metal. I cant tell you how many times I worked that area to be dead flat only to find it wavy again. That is until I figured out what was happening and corrected as much as could be corrected. I guess I can't ask it to be any better than it is, but....

    As for PPG color code 71334 goes, nobody will have the formula in their system. It uses obsolete toners. My local supply house called PPG to get the formula then located the old toners from a couple of houses around the country and was able to pull it off. That said, it came out a perfect match to the factory original OEM color inside the glove box door. In retrospect, it probably could have simply been matched using modern toners from that but I was leery. I did have some SS matched up that way for use in the bedliner and they got it really really close just using the computer matcher. In fact, it came up as a OEM color: Isuzu Sunrise Red...

    John
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2021
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  7. Feb 18, 2021
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

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    Oh I totally get it been doing bodywork for my whole adult life be/cc was the best thing since sliced bread blendable easy to buff etc. that said I prefer single stage for off road rigs. In the end the cost is similar after figuring in the cost of clear. modern single stage holds up well I have a bunch going on twenty years and still looking good. Prep is way more important than the finish. Bad prep will yield bad finish. And cheap paint is just that, cheap.
     
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  8. Feb 18, 2021
    John Gedde

    John Gedde Been around the block once or twice...

    Middle Island, NY
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    Amen to that brother! For red though, the cost of the red was about 3x the cost of clear. $900/gallon for DBC 71334 (reduces to 2 gal), and $293/gallon for SPI Universal clear (including 1:1 activator to make 2 gallons). I used about 3/4 of the red including resprays where I messed up, and 1-1/2 of clear also including goof-up resprays. This usage also includes BC/CC over the bottom bedliner since I didn't like the gloss nor the color match (the mixed bedliner, albeit tintable, didn't match well although the toner - PPG DBC - matched very very closely). I messed up a lot since I'd never done a full paint job before. My spray gun skills sucked at first but improved dramatically once I learned the nuances of using each product and how it worked with my spray guns: (Tekna with 1.4/1.6/1.8 tips and a SATA miniJet 4400B). What you see on the outside of the tub is the culmination of the learning. Needed almost no wet sanding and where it did, 2000 grit was all it needed.

    Oh, and you're right about another thing. Prep is way more important. If you can feel it it'll show. If you can't feel it and it's there, it'll show. I have fallen head over heels for Mirka dry guidecoat. Even works for wet sanding. Get's in every little scratch or defect, covers 100% (as opposed to spray can mist method), is ready to sand immediately, doesn't clog your paper, etc. Yeah a can will run you about $40, but a little goes a long way and a can will last a very long time. I've used it dozens of times and there's still a lot left. Probably enough to do two more Jeeps from scratch.

    My Jeep will likely not go off-road ever again - she's spent 45 years doing that full-time. A nice retirement is in order preserving a family heirloom and enjoying driving the ultimate convertible. Sort of a street legal side-by-side in a sense.

    John
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2021
  9. Feb 18, 2021
    John Gedde

    John Gedde Been around the block once or twice...

    Middle Island, NY
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    Day before yesterday I put the tub back on the chassis. One issue though, the rear seems too high. Reminiscent of HD springs. These are the original springs which I restored and the Jeep didn't sit like this before. The only thing I can figure is perhaps I didn't leaf spring clamp/shackle/thingamagigs in the right spots (they were loose and slid all the way down to the axle orginally), or bound them up too tight. Advice needed...

    John

     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2021
  10. Feb 18, 2021
    timsresort

    timsresort Active Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    South Lake Tahoe CA
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    I wouldn't worry too much yet on the height. I have seen many jeeps that looked way too high at this point. Get some weight on it, drive it, twist it a little. It will settle.
     
  11. Feb 19, 2021
    fhoehle

    fhoehle Sponsor

    Harford Township, PA
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    I agree on the height. It will settle down with a bit of use and added weight.
     
  12. Feb 21, 2021
    John Gedde

    John Gedde Been around the block once or twice...

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  13. Feb 21, 2021
    Alan28

    Alan28 Well-Known Member 2022 Sponsor

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    Very nice work, soon..in the sunshine on the roads.
     
  14. Feb 21, 2021
    Steve's 70-5

    Steve's 70-5 Active Member

    Louisville, Ky
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    Could the rear be the right height and the front be lower ?
     
  15. Mar 10, 2021
    John Gedde

    John Gedde Been around the block once or twice...

    Middle Island, NY
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    Starting to wrap things up. Still have to wire it all, make a new roll bar, and do some odds and ends...

    John

     
  16. Mar 10, 2021
    Dave Deyton

    Dave Deyton Member

    Fuquay-Varina, NC
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    That Jeep does look sharp with the red and the black trans covers. Is that President's Red?
    Looks great. The frame, brakes, great attention to detail. Great Job.



    Dave
     
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  17. Mar 10, 2021
    John Gedde

    John Gedde Been around the block once or twice...

    Middle Island, NY
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    Thanks Dave! It is indeed President Red mixed using the original factory color code in PPG. That took some doing since the toners required were obsolete. But my local auto body store was able to find them and mix me up a batch. PPG 71334.

    Originally my windshield and trans covers were black as you see in the restore. I don't know if that is always the case for Jeeps in general, but I'm guessing Jeep of Canada did them all that way so they'd be interchangeable. My OEM paint code decal shows Pres Red with black trim so I guess that's what they meant.

    John
     
  18. Mar 10, 2021
    Fireball

    Fireball Well-Known Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Pullman, WA
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    My President Red '69 still has factory paint and the floor covers are black.

    And Wow. Nice job!
     
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  19. Mar 12, 2021
    Timber Cruiser

    Timber Cruiser Member

    Oregon
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    I just watched the new Dennis Collins coffee walk on youtube and he had a 1970 cj with only 800 miles and some change on it. When he showed the inside it had black floor covers too. I leaned something new today. I always assumed everything matched.
     
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  20. Mar 12, 2021
    Rubicloak

    Rubicloak Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Nevada
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    Every original owner CJ5 66-71 I have ever seen (upwards 20+ of them) have all had black floor covers.
     
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