95black

I painted my Xj flat tan ( khaki) all I can say is take your time!!!!!! Make sure you have somewhere to do it out of the open and that you have another vehicle to drive!! Also haves freind or more help out, even if they just tape it goes a long way. Prepare yourself because it won't be absolutely perfect but if you do all the stuff above and then some you'll be alright! Good luck and if you have any questions just pm me!

Milehighzj

I have actually done the roll on paint on a honda i had.. Figured was not worth the money to have it sprayed.. It too about a week cuz u can only do a coat a day.. First note! U get it to thick or hit again after cureing for bout a hour then just buy a new panel cuz it wont sand off even with aircraft thinner. Turns into like a gummy feel and wont dry to sand. I learned the hard way. If u get it right witch will take til bout the end of the first coat it will look ok. The wet sanding sucks cuz it leaves so much oarnge peal that HAS to come off. Getting in tight spots sucks cuz i learned to lay it nice and glossy u just want the least rolls u can on each coat for best results.. All in all it turned out ok but was a 20 footer for sure. And i extremly recomment the spray gun.. I honestly think if u use the same rustileum and mineral spirits in a gun it would turn out very nice.. The roll on takes wayyy too much time and work for tge results u get..

alienxj

Thanks I'll update as I go. It might be too cold to paint now it's been topping out in the fifties and getting colder. Would it be possible to build a booth in a garage? I have some ventilation equipment if that's even an option. I was thinking about using tractor enamel but not sure yet.

BNJeepsta

You can build a booth in a garage but its gotta be pretty big. And proper ventilation is a huge part. Plus your work area has to be super clean and completely free of dust and debris

TenaciousD

You definitely need to spray at higher temps than in the 50's. At least 70, I'd say. Also, since your current paint job sucks anyway and you're not looking for perfection, I wouldn't go too overboard building a booth. Just do it in a garage and use plastic to keep overspray off everything else in the garage. Spend $40 on a pair of tyvek overalls and a half-face respirator rated for VOCs, and ventilate the space as much as possible. Do not mess around with inhaling paint fumes!

krd95xj

i rattle canned mine in my friends backyard and i thought it came out good for a 100 dollar paint job haha

Brambles

You almost gotta start running bigger wheels so you have more room for the wheel weights eh....

alienxj

I think that's doable.

Thanks for answering the temperature question. I'll definitely get the tyvek and a respirator!

That looks great.


I want to paint it a burnt orange what paint should I look for? if it's way more expensive paint I'll just do a simpler color.

Rev.LowBuck

Check out Kubota Orange in the Valspar Tractor Paint. Almost a dead ringer for Chevy's Hugger Orange not quite 'burnt' but a great color.
Did my hood and some stripes down the side of my XJ with plasti-dip over the weekend. Great paint project on the cheap and it peels off when you want to change. Lookin for something else to do so I can do it better next time. Told a friend about it and he's thinkin he wants me to try plasti dip on his 'Vette! Yikes.
www.dipyourcar.com

alienxj

Interesting never heard of the plasti-dip. I like the kubota orange but it's just too bright for my XJ. Maybe I could add another color to make it darker? might be hard to do without turning it brown.

Rev.LowBuck

I think you could mix a burnt orange. A call to Valsapr's tech line you tell you for certain if mixing colors is OK. I do hot rod pinstriping so I mix paint colors all the time. Here's what I'd do to get burnt orange.

First- ALWAYS mix dark paint into light paint. Never pour light paint into dark to get your color- you'll wind up with A LOT of paint that is just plain wrong.

I would start by getting a sample of the color you want by visiting the paint dept. at Lowe's or Home Depot. Don't use metallic paint for your sample. This is not metallic paint and you can't get there from here. Start with a gallon of Kubota Orange, a quart of IH Red and a quart of black. Measure a small amount of orange and add small measured amounts of red until you get something that looks close to what you want. Shoot a test panel. Adjust by adding a bit of black or red or both to get your color. Keep mixing and shooting until you're satisfied.
Remember to keep track of the amount of stuff your adding because you'll need that ratio to help mix your big batch. Mix a big batch according to yout ratio. Be sure to mix a batch big enough to do the whole car- you don't want to mix another batch 1/2 way through as you're certain to not get it exactly the same. I did a midsize car with less than 1 gallon so a gallon would do your XJ with some left over for repairs. You could shoot another test panel after you mix your final batch just to be sure but by this time you should be able to see if its right by lookin at it.
I would use the hardener as it promotes shine and shortens dry time. You thin this with naptha so its really easy to use. I had to get a bigger nozzle for my gun as it shoots thicker than regular auto paint. You probably want a .49 nozzle for your gun at about 55psi.
http://www.valsparglobal.com/val/res...alspar_imp.jsp

eweusmc

Just painted my 92. Rustoleum primer, duplicolor paint shop jet black first coat. Duplicolor truck bed coating on front grill and headlight bezels, and rear bumper. Still need second coat color and clear. I like the outcome so far. Very tedious.

eweusmc

Also tinted front turn signals and side markers and rear turn signals but not reverse or brake lights. LED strip for license plate and extra lights on bumper that come on when in reverse. Can't see anything with tinted windows without extra light.

alienxj

This info is priceless thank you!

Welcome to the foum! that looks really clean nice work


Well I for sure sourced the gun suit and respirator so I'm going to start prepping. Would it be better to sand use aircraft stripper or both?

Rev.LowBuck

Sand or strip? You're in deep now! I wouldn't use the stripper. Its a mess and it will take you all the way to bare metal, then you have to neutralize and clean then shoot more than a few coats of primer.
Keep in mind that this is a Jeep! I assume you got it for all the reasons we drive them. Fun, pretty reliable, take you where you want to go. You're not gonna put in on a show circuit or sell it to someone as an almost new vehicle to make a profit.
So, sand it. You don't have to take all the old paint off. Just give the surface some 'tooth' to grip the new paint. Wash it real clean, rub the whole thing with wax & grease remover, start sanding, blow it off frequently with compressed air, when the sanding is done rub it down with some kind of surface prep (naptha would work if you're using the Valspar paint) and then a tack rag.
Get a hood or some other panel from the JY and follow the same steps you're doing on the Jeep. Use this panel to practice on to get the feel of how the gun works. Paint your practice panel both verticle (like a door) and horizontal (like a hood) to learn good technique. I'm sure you can find lots of how to vids to learn about overlap, etc.
Then shoot it! Keep in mind this is your first paint job (assumed) and you're painting an old Jeep. It won't be perfect but you can say 'I mixed that custom color and shot it myself'.
When I do a paint project I tend to focus on EVERY SINGLE IMPERFECTION down to the smallest speck. Then I remind myself of the 10 10 10 rule and my pulse goes back to normal. Would a 10 year old boy Standing 10 feet from the curb notice this if I drove by at 10 mph? Probably Not, Good Enough.