05 Flame Red TJ Build

[JMT]

My idea was to tap the backside of the rub rail so it was a perfectly smooth sliding surface on the outside. This required me to line up the corner armor holes with the backing plate and the rub rail. I used 3/8” bits in the already drilled holes to get it really close, then clamped it down and hammered each one with the bit to get a center point for initial drilling.

For Aluminum tap the required depth is twice the nominal diameter of the bolt. In this case 5/16-18 bolt, so 0.625” depth. I drilled 0.75” deep and then tapped since there are no threads on the first 1/8” or so of a tap. This took awhile so I didn’t screw up.

 

[JMT]

At this point I was pretty happy. I reamed out the backing plate with an 82* conical so the #4 bolts I’m using would seat flush.

Then I mounted them up. Pretty straightforward. Really happy how it turned out. I prefer the look without the rear flares. Function is obvious.

 

[All 4 Wheelin']

The rub rails are for when I wheel in W WA and will remove the flares. They are attached by four hex bolts and it takes about 2 minutes.

I finalized the cuts. Both ends are 41.5*, but I didn’t want to take it all off the front. I had already cut the end at the angle of the sliders, so I took 41.5* off of that to the outer edge leaving a little bit flat on the door facing. It was my wife’s idea. She’s got a good eye.
View attachment 429161

I did see that on the previous pic of the pass side where you had it marked but not cut. Kudos to your wife and her aesthetic eye.

 

[JMT]

The other side was quicker. I only had 1” and 1.5” hardware. 1” wasn’t enough to get the required thread engagement and 1.5” was too much, so I cut them to 1.25” and perfect. All done now. In a couple weeks when I paint I can either paint them on or off or not at all, but they’re nice.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Great work, Jeremy. Very nice touch on the door cut. Looks very finished.

 

[JMT]

Prepping the aluminum armor for paint.

Wash
1:1 distilled water and white vinegar (before and between each sanding grit drying each time with a clean microfiber cloth)

Sanding (I used an orbital 5" sander and discs. I make one pass vertical, one pass horizontal, and then what I call an level'ing pass where I eyeball it to make it all look level and no circular spots)
120 (remove all the nicks and scratches at this stage)
220 (you're just removing the scratches from the 120 as you make finer scratches)
400 (just removing the scratches from the 220 as you make finer scratches)

*Make sure and sand the edges. Edges are where you are most likely to get paint to start peeling. I only sand to 120 on edges because I want the best bite possible and I'm not worried about a super glossy finish on the edges.

Wash
1:1 distilled water and white vinegar

Leave it clean after 400 for your self-etch prime so it gets good bite when you lay down your color. Once you've self-etched primed you're good to leave it as long as you need to. Just follow the directions of your self-etch prime. If you leave it more than 24 hours, some require a light sanding before color.

You want to paint aluminum as quickly as possible. 15-20 minutes max after last sanding pass.

I'll be giving mine another pass tomorrow and then paint. I wanted to get everything to 400 on one day, then go over it again with 400 at the last moment. I'll also re-do the edges with 120. Then I'll be ready to paint.

Here is one side. These were used before I received them, so they had some wear and tear. I'll EDIT later with a pic of the other side after very minimal sanding so you can see how they started (or at least close. I couldn't keep my hands off them for the first few weeks and I did sand some nicks and scratches out prior to this pic).

220

400

The corner is the hardest. I use the orbital,, but I have to come back and hand sand it. It’s not as good, but hopefully the self etch will level it out. It is a self etch filler.

 

[JMT]

Self etch primed. The LVLP gun broke after lots of practice. Regulator pin broke. Diaphragm won’t work now. Crap.

 

[JMT]

I thought I should try a HVLP GUN, so I went back to Harbor freight. @bobthetj03 thought
It was a good idea too. Even though the compressor requirements are higher, I think my compressor might be able to keep up. It definitely feels better as far as the spray pattern and volume. Hopefully I’ll be painting something tomorrow. I’m heading out to Oregon with our teardrop trailer on Monday and I’d like it all to just be sitting there curing in my absence. We’ll be close to Salem. That’s where @Chris used to live IIRC. Maybe it was Bend. Silver Falls State Park is where we’ll be exploring.

 

[JMT]

Something is happening.

The color is GM 74U Victory Red. That is not the Chrysler paint code, but it’s a perfect match after 18 years of change. Super happy with the color.

Figuring these guns out is a little challenging. I think most of that is due to fear of the unknown. Thanks to @bobthetj03 for helping me out.

First pass of color. The roll bar sections were scrapes and bruises from the flop, so I just blended them in as best I could. You can tell how good the color match is from the roll bar.

 

[JMT]

When you lay down color you want coverage. My opinion is you want it looking wet, not splotches. For me this is best done by watching with a bright light on the paint. I use a headlamp.

Make sure you’ve learned how the gun works: fluid flow, air flow, and pattern. Practice before. It’s a pain, but in the future it will pay off.

Clear on left, no clear on right.

 

[JMT]

Wear a respirator. This crap will kill you. No joke.

I wish the paint job was going to be better, but next time I’ll be better, so I’m not complaining. The HVLP is working great, and even when it goes beyond its duty cycle I can tell and get paint to lay down nice. Took getting a run to know what I needed to do. Get it wet!

In my opinion, you really need to lay the clear down thick so you don’t get orange peel. I have one run, but it was actually how I learned that I needed to lay it down thicker, so I’m not too upset..

 

[JMT]

Here are some final pics. Now it’s just a waiting game. I’ll install next Saturday.

 

[Farmergreg]

Something is happening.

The color is GM 74U Victory Red. That is not the Chrysler paint code, but it’s a perfect match after 18 years of change. Super happy with the color.

Figuring these guns out is a little challenging. I think most of that is due to fear of the unknown. Thanks to @bobthetj03 for helping me out.

First pass of color. The roll bar sections were scrapes and bruises from the flop, so I just blended them in as best I could. You can tell how good the color match is from the roll bar.

View attachment 431482

View attachment 431483

Looking good. We've 3 Victory red GM trucks here and keep that color on hand.

Sometimes that color finds itself on other things...like this working well pump:

 

[bobthetj03]

Well down young jedi! Sorry I couldn't help more. I was jeeping today.

 

[JMT]

Well down young jedi! Sorry I couldn't help more. I was jeeping today.

It’s all good. Glad you got to hit some trails!

I just read your texts over and over till it sunk in. Then I corrected the pattern which was thicker on top and bottom than the middle. As I got started my biggest issue was being too conservative with the paint. I figured it out pretty quick though. Then I was golden. Thank you so much for teaching a young buck. This was one of the hardest things I’ve done.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Awesome work, Jeremy. That appears to have turned out great. Can’t wait to see it all back together.

Have a good trip to OR. Say hello to my family out there.

 

[JMT]

Awesome work, Jeremy. That appears to have turned out great. Can’t wait to see it all back together.

Have a good trip to OR. Say hello to my family out there.

We’ll be traveling West along the Columbia River and then turn South near Mt Hood to get a good look, then try to avoid Portland as we head South to Silver Falls. Where is your family located? I can give a shout out the Rocky Balboa way…

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/9f6cd9fd-ae59-46ab-b128-83301abbb22c

 

[NashvilleTJ]

We’ll be traveling West along the Columbia River and then turn South near Mt Hood to get a good look, then try to avoid Portland as we head South to Silver Falls. Where is your family located? I can give a shout out the Rocky Balboa way…

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/9f6cd9fd-ae59-46ab-b128-83301abbb22c

St. Helens, Bend, Sandy, Gresham, Portland - my wife’s family primarily, but I have an uncle out there too. Beautiful country.

Columbia River Gorge is spectacular - first date with my wife. Crown Point, Multnomah Falls…enjoy.

 

[JMT]

St. Helens, Bend, Sandy, Gresham, Portland - my wife’s family primarily, but I have an uncle out there too. Beautiful country.

Columbia River Gorge is spectacular - first date with my wife. Crown Point, Multnomah Falls…enjoy.

Wow, we’re going to be right in that area. We’ll
plan to go to Multnomah Falls on the way home!

 

[psrivats]

Silver Falls State park is a nice area. Weather has been really nice so you are visiting at a very good time of the year.

If you need suggestions for hikes or drive to scenic spots, shoot me a message.