/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif I only have experience on a pickup restro....a '35 Ferd.....and what we did was sand, prep, and primer EVERYTHING while it was all apart. Then we put finish coat on all the stuff that wasn't "exterior". Then we assembled the pickup. Then the remaining areas were painted. We could NEVER have assembled the truck without scratching it up, so we were real glad we went to the 3-step process. It turned out perfect./wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

CJDave
Quadra-Tracs modified While-U-Wait by the crack moonguy/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif Quadra-Trac Team./wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

 

Funny you would post this, I am restoring my CJ5 right now and have all pieces disassembled. I took it to the shop in bare metal pieces and will have each piece painted. I am having the hood, fenders, grill painted both sides. The painter(friend who does this for a living) is going to hang it and paint both sides at same time.

I am replacing all hinges and tie down with new stainless. Any other bolts, I will be painting by hand or finding stainless replacements.

Rich

76 CJ5 304 "its a JEEP thing, I hope you understand"

 

Like cjdave said do the body work then prime. In the area like door jams and the edge of the fenders they call that cutting it in. All of the cutting in work needs to be done before it is assembled. You will never be able to put it together painted with out scratching it. Once you have it together then you paint the jeep.

80 cj7, 304, auto, 33" tsl swampers, 4" softride superlift, warn bellvue winch, custom front winch bumper

 

I hate having new paint. Right now i am so paranoid with putting pieces back on. And yes already i have made my dings here and there. Good thing i still have a half gallon of paint left /wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif. I think the painters would like it in pieces, because they don't have to tape anything.

Dan Stewart 1963 CJ5 "Caloosa Jeepers" member

 

Like onje of the posters said before, get all the jambs, and interior peices painted, and assy it before you paint the exterior. Even if you use paint out of the same can, if you paint a hood one day, and a fender the next, because of weather conditions and the if the painter used different air pressure or technique, the color could be different. Not real critical with solid colors, but it could make a major difference with metalics.

Ray

 

Don't paint it. At least not professionally. You'll regret it later. I know I did.

 

Yea, I agree, don't paint it. Rattle can primer all the way, but then again I like the ratty look on a Jeep, and i would be scared to really wheel mine hard if it looked pretty. Maybe one of these days I will splurge on the Jeep, and break out the spray gun, and hose on some white epoxy primer. Still won't be shiny, but at least it won't have tiger stripes, like my Spray can job.

Ray

 

The "cutting in" technique is exactly what is used. In the time I worked in body shops, we always painted the back sides and jams and all those items prior to reassembly. After all the parts are cut in, they are bolted in place, and the rest of the rig is painted. Any little stuff, we would tie up with wire and paint them hanging on racks. A lot of times for parts like hinges and things like that, the customer would want them powder coated. They didn't always match exactly, but man is that stuff durable. I have my CJ2 in pieces all over the place right now, and I wish I had the money to powdercoat my frame.

Cage Up, Wheels Down
Jeepfiend
All my Jeeps are in pieces!

 

I don't recommend sandblasting body panels, the sandblasting heats
the steel and will warp the panels. There is an alternative called
media blasting which uses plastic particles instead of sand, less
damaging to the body panels.
I didn't have to worry about that when I did my CJ7's frame off resto
about two years ago, I ended replacing all of the sheet metal, floors,
etc. I did bead blast all of the hinges, torx bolts, little stuff like
that. I painted the fenders, tailgate, hood, windshield frame, grill
seperate(about 1-2 months earlier) from the body. Plus there were no tape
lines. Every thing was primed and painted before being put back together.
Everything turned out great.
I end up hanging all of the hinges, brackets. The bolts I stick into a
piece of cardboard so that can paint just the tops of them.

I highly recommend using a good epoxy primer with a quality brand topcoat.
I usually use PPG(Diztler)or Sherwin Williams. (Just my opinion on the
brands of paint I don't want anybody getting upset over that, these are
two brands that have worked well for me!) For non metallic colors that
I am doing a full paint, I almost always use a single stage paint, and
for metallic colors I use base/clear.

Wayne

 

I had mine fully painted in pieces. I reassembled it alone and had no problems with scratching. It wasn't the nicest paint job, but I didn't scratch anything. Besides, for a shiny finish, it still has to be buffed, which will erase minor scuffs.

Steve 83 Bronco 4.9L

Build it; Don't buy it...

 

If you put it back together yourself, it is not a major problem, but if you pay the bodyshop x amount to have them put it back together, it is not a good idea. The best idea is, have it cut in, take the parts home, and put it together yourself, then take it back to the bodyshop to have the exterior sprayed. It gaurds aganst the enevitable of having it stratched before you even drive it. I still think the best is spray can primer, preferably white. LOL.

Ray

 

you can buy a small paint gun and cut-in yourself, assemble the jeep then take it in for the exterior. Just get a quart of the same paint they will use, so you don't have compatibility probs. They make butane powered guns for touch-up that would probable work fine.

 

Great Advice...

I am not sure if I can invest the necessary time into a paint job. There are many other things on my Scrambler that need attention that I am more capable of doing, suspension , axle swap, engine repairs, tranny swap etc....
I will probably leave the painting upto the professionals. With the advice from this board and another here are my plans:
1. Have the body blasted with either Sugar or media balls.
2. Take all parts to body shop for repairs, primer and cutting in.
3. Take parts home and re-assemble.
4. Take assembled Scrambler back to paint shop for final paint.

Thanks for all the help....

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