Jalapeño; an extra spicy build

[Jamison C]

So I haven’t updated this in awhile. Not much has happened, but a lot of prep is in the works for things to come.

I wanted to ride out my 31s (BFG KOs from 2013 ) as long as I could since they still had a decent amount of tread. One got a flat and I got it patched and thought all was good. A few weeks later I discovered it flat again, and made the executive decision to get a new set of tires.

I decided on some Toyo Open Country A/T IIIs. I don’t do heavy wheeling, and my Jeep sees maybe 5000 miles a year, so I didn’t need something super high quality as the tires will probably hit retirement age before the tread wears down. I’m very happy with how smooth and quiet they are.

I decided on staying with 31s and the 2” lift. I’ve enjoyed how easy the ride and maintenance is, and my wallet also thanks me as well. It’s plenty capable the way it is, especially with the JKS quick disconnects, and if I ever need to upgrade down the road, I’ll know. Here’s @kmas0n and I mounting the tires with his fancy setup. A big thanks to him for helping me out when I need it!

I think they look great. The tread is aggressive, and the sidewall isn’t too flashy, which I like considering I’m trying to keep the “stock” look. I also like that the letters have a white outline but are black in the middle.

 

[Jamison C]

Next on the list is some half doors that I scored for $200. I didn't really need them, but for the price I wasn't going to pass them up, especially since the interior already matched. They came off of a flame red 99 with a tan interior, which meant it matched my 2000 tan interior.

Test fitting. Interior panels match perfect, exterior, not so much

One of the hinges sat just slightly high, so I moved it 1/4" down before paint. Bolts were a pain, but they went after a little persuasion. You can see the gap. The other three hinges sat perfect.

 

[Jamison C]

I don't have any pictures of paint, because I don't have anyone around to take cool pictures of me. But the results turned out great! I have one little run right under where the lock cylinder goes, but the cylinder will cover that so I decided to not mess with it. I had a shop match some paint for me and I think it came out perfect.

 

[Jamison C]

Next step is the door panels. Even though they match, they're not in the best of shape. They're ashy, and also have some discoloring in certain spots, like the plastic got too stressed. One of them has a crack that will need addressed.

My full door panels looked a little dated too, especially the driver one. It's very ashy along the top and has the notorious crack. I decided to pick up a quart of SEM Color Coat 5020 (Med. Camel Tan.) and paint both sets of door panels using some inspiration from this thread: Sahara Interior Code? I also compiled a list of documented videos of someone doing the same thing with his tan interior and the results are fantastic.

I picked up the paint from Old School Paint Company off of Bell Rd. and I17 in Northern Phoenix. They were super friendly and super helpful, and gave me some wooden mixers and paint filters for free, a nice touch since I bought a few other things and the bill came out to $120 or so (paint was $86). I'll definitely be back whenever I need more stuff.

I dabbed a bit on the panels to see if they matched. Initially it looked way darker, but the thing with SEM is that it's supposed to go on light, and I mean light. I've heard it a million times here, and the guys at the store said the same thing. It's also more of a penetrate than a an actual paint. In the middle of the dab, it looks like there's no paint there. This is actually where the dab was the lightest and it "penetrated" the panel, creating a perfect match.

I won't spray till next week probably, so I'll update with my results when I do! If my results are nice enough, I'll end up doing the entire dash while I have everything out. I might even play around with trim pieces like the door sail panels or the seat belt covers. One of the reasons why I went with a quart instead of a pint.

 

[Jamison C]

I also had some fun with Penetrol with a little inspiration from @Bionic_Scorpion with his Restored My Hardtop thread. I didn't mess with my hardtop as it's put away right now, but I did the hood latches, as well as the sail panels on the full doors, the fuel bezel, and the license plate holder. I didn't get any pictures of the rest of the stuff, but it all turned out looking new.

I'll probably get around to painting my hardtop. I'd rather do that than use the penetrol due to how harsh the sun can be here, even in the winter. My father gave me a cheap Harbor Freight HVLP which is fine for the minor stuff I'll be doing down the road, like restoring my door panels (and possibly dash) and repainting the bumpers. I've seen pretty professional results with the Harbor Freight one so I have no doubt it could lay down some SEM and clear coat on the top.

The guys at Old School Paint Co. were super helpful in setting me up with the stuff I knew I'd need. They reassured me that the Harbor Freight HVLP would work just fine for my intended purposes. They seemed to know the SEM pretty well, and said it should be shot at 16-18lbs of pressure due to how light it's supposed to be applied. I hope that helps anyone thinking of going the same route.

 

[Jamison C]

Last update: actual build stuff. I haven't done much except the tires, but I am waiting on finding a rear rubi 44 to replace my Dana 35. I'm currently sitting on 3.73 gears with a 5-speed and 31s. Its adequate, but 4.10s would be ideal. The rubi rear end offers 4.10s, a locker, and stronger axle shafts, and a local yard here sells them for $1500/axle. This would be much cheaper than trying to go the super 35 route, adding a locker, and regearing. Personally, I'd prefer 4.56, but I can worry about that down the road.

In preparation for that, I bought a set of low-milage Savvy rear upper control arms at a sweet price from a member here who's name I can't remember (sorry!), and an NP231 to Dana 44 OEM rear driveshaft from @JMT, which originally came from @bobthetj03. I have 2" of lift so pinion angle isn't a big issue for me, so unless I tuck (which I eventually might), an SYE and custom driveshaft just don't make sense at this point. The OEM shaft (which was a whopping $25) will work fine, and my adjustable uppers (I think $200?) will be enough to tune it where it needs to be. I get small vibes all the time, no matter what speed, and I think that's because my drive shaft ujoints are shot. The PO had almost 4" of lift on this jeep with no adjustable control arms, using the stock shaft, so I think it's almost done for.

I'm still debating on an antirock. I don't have an issue disconnecting the JKS quick disconnects, and often time I forget to reconnect them. The ride is so smooth on the freeway and our curvy mountain roads, so it's hard to remember they're not attached. I figured an antirock would help make the ride a little more stable, though it doesn't feel unstable when they're disconnected. It would be nice though if I didn't have to disconnect them each time. Sound like I'm already sold

 

[ranger101]

I think an Anti-Rock would be a great addition. I personally love the on-road characteristics of it. Small bumps/pot holes are much smoother and the body roll is minimal. Definitely one of my favorite “subtle” mods.

 

[Feralkid]

I just installed an antirock only noticed a difference in like the first 20 minutes of driving versus the stock sway bar. I have on the loosest setting and there is more body roll, but it’s not that bad. It makes the ride more boat like.

 

[Bionic_Scorpion]

I also had some fun with Penetrol with a little inspiration from @Bionic_Scorpion with his Restored My Hardtop thread. I didn't mess with my hardtop as it's put away right now, but I did the hood latches, as well as the sail panels on the full doors, the fuel bezel, and the license plate holder. I didn't get any pictures of the rest of the stuff, but it all turned out looking new.
View attachment 189583View attachment 189584View attachment 189585

I'll probably get around to painting my hardtop. I'd rather do that than use the penetrol due to how harsh the sun can be here, even in the winter. My father gave me a cheap Harbor Freight HVLP which is fine for the minor stuff I'll be doing down the road, like restoring my door panels (and possibly dash) and repainting the bumpers. I've seen pretty professional results with the Harbor Freight one so I have no doubt it could lay down some SEM and clear coat on the top.
View attachment 189586

The guys at Old School Paint Co. were super helpful in setting me up with the stuff I knew I'd need. They reassured me that the Harbor Freight HVLP would work just fine for my intended purposes. They seemed to know the SEM pretty well, and said it should be shot at 16-18lbs of pressure due to how light it's supposed to be applied. I hope that helps anyone thinking of going the same route.

Looking good. How did you remove the sail panels? I need to restore mine and would like to remove them to do it.

 

[Jamison C]

Looking good. How did you remove the sail panels? I need to restore mine and would like to remove them to do it.

I’ll shoot you a couple of pictures when I’m home.

 

[bobthetj03]

That drive shaft sure gets around, lol!

 

[TWiG01]

Awesome find and awesome thread! Love the direction you’re headed

 

[Jamison C]

Looking good. How did you remove the sail panels? I need to restore mine and would like to remove them to do it.

So I didn’t have a chance to go get my Jeep today (in a friend’s garage) but it’s really simple to do. Just slightly pull the weather seal back on the outside of the door in relation to where the two arrows are pointing on the panel. You’ll find two philips head screws holding it into place. Once you remove those, just pull the window track/felt out and up from the groove in the panel, lean the panel back towards the rear, and slide it out. Once you pull it out you’ll see how it sits inside of the door. Very simple to put back in.

 

[Bionic_Scorpion]

So I didn’t have a chance to go get my Jeep today (in a friend’s garage) but it’s really simple to do. Just slightly pull the weather seal back on the outside of the door in relation to where the two arrows are pointing on the panel. You’ll find two philips head screws holding it into place. Once you remove those, just pull the window track/felt out and up from the groove in the panel, lean the panel back towards the rear, and slide it out. Once you pull it out you’ll see how it sits inside of the door. Very simple to put back in.
View attachment 189769

Thanks bro, I appreciate it.

 

[Jamison C]

Well I finally got some time to start working on the door panels. Today I fixed the cracks on the driver's side half and full door panels. They turned out great.

Drilled small hole at the end of crack to prevent spreading.

Factory hole on half door panel has stopped crack already.

I applied painter's tape to the top of each crack. The texture is pretty similar to the door panel texture, and I think once they're painted, the difference won't be seen.

I applied a watered-down blend of JB Weld to the back of each panel. I also flipped them upside down to allow the adhesive to fill the cracks. Just for safe measure, I dabbed just a bit on the top of the panel before applying the tape, just to make sure the cracks were being completely filled from both sides.

Results: I used 800 grit sandpaper and wet sanded the dried weld to smooth the rough edges out. The results are perfect with a nice texture to them. While you can still see the cracks, they are completely filled and bonded, and smooth with the surface of the panel. Once painted, I doubt you'd ever know they were there.

Hoping to have some paint laid down tonight or tomorrow. I want these half doors on!!!

 

[starkey480]

Out of curiosity why spend the dough on a Dana 44 if you’re planning on sticking with 31s? Or are there future plans for bigger tires?

 

[Jamison C]

Out of curiosity why spend the dough on a Dana 44 if you’re planning on sticking with 31s? Or are there future plans for bigger tires?

I want a locker for the rear. Being on a Dana 35, I would need to super 35 my rear end. Between that and a regear, I would be out well over 2k for the rear end alone. I find Rubi 44 rears for $1500 +/- pretty often, which also come with 4.10s which is perfect for my combo.

 

[Jamison C]

Finished my half doors and man they turned out great! I'll try to go over some details on what I did.

After repairing the cracks, I cleaned and scuffed all of the panels with a scotchbrite pad. Once they had dried, I laid the half door panels out on some plywood and and sprayed them down with isotropy alcohol, wiped them off with a tack cloth, then hit them with some Colorbond adhesion promoter. Now it's time for some paint! I took tons of pictures because I know y'all are into that. I recorded my process too because I'm trying to make a series of well-documented results. Not for popularity, but just as a resource to those who aren't quite sure of how to go about this kind of stuff.

As I mentioned above, SEM is supposed to spray on in light mist coats "until hiding has been achieved." So this is exactly what I did. I set the gun at 18psi as recommended by Old School Paint and did about three coats per panel. The paint laid down in nice little speckled droplets and came together great.

Coat one:

Coat two:

Coat three, complete coverage:

The door handle openings were a great point of reference for coverage too.

The results:

After some Colorbond Satin Clear to give it a slight sheen:

I wasn't a fan of the Colorbond clear, and I'll explain why in my summary. I decided to go with a UV clear because it helps to prevent the top coat from getting scratched, and it will also protect the panels from the sun since I run without a top most of the time.

Full doors finished (no clear yet):

All panels finished and cleaned:

In summary, this was really easy. The ease of the SEM paired with an HVLP (even a cheap $15 one) made painting these unbelievably simple. As you can see above the color turned out amazing.

Now, the bad. I screwed up the full door panels really bad, and I'll explain why. The Colorbond Satin Clear directs you to hold the can 12-14" away from the panels and overlap light mist coats. The problem was, I couldn't see the coats applying on the panels, so I had no point of reference on where to overlap. Frustrated, I decided to hold the can about 8" away instead, which was a mistake. At 8", the clear did not have enough space to to fully spread and atomize. This resulted in horrible tiger striping and they'll need to be repainted. I had seen this addressed in reviews for this specific clear and thought it might be user error, but it turns out this stuff isn't so easy to spray. I had better results with the half doors, but I'll admit I was still flying blind not being able to see it wet the panels.

The other downside to painting these is that every little imperfection in each panel is now visible. It's no secret that the Jeep plastics scratch easily, and a fresh coat of paint really highlighted those. Not such a big deal to me, but something to note if you're doing a light color like tan, khaki, or mist grey.

Luckily, since I'll be running half doors until it gets really cold (usually December here), I'll have time to go back and redo the full door panels. Lessons learned I guess!

 

[Jamison C]

Next, I let my OCD get the best of me, and turned my attention to the interior door handles. A little background on what I'm also doing here.

If you turn your attention to the upper left corner of the above photo, you'll notice my gauge and radio bezels sitting there along with three cans of spray paint. I had planned on restoring my bezels as they were a little faded on the tops. I figured if the results were good enough, I would do some other pieces.

Before shooting the bezels, I decided to try my luck with the interior door handles. I never liked how they were glossy and pure black. Everything else in the interior is Agate (bezels, seatbelts, trim pieces), so I wanted to make the handles match. I thought they would accent the tan doors a lot better in that color than black.

Here's how to pull the interior handles apart. On the backside of the assembly, you'll notice that the handle and lock switch are held in place by a rod sitting vertical. Here's a top view of how it's held into place. There are two little pieces of plastic holding the rod into place.

To remove the rod, simply bend those pieces of plastic outwards (way from the rod) to release it from it's groove. Don't worry, the plastic is soft and quite pliable, just don't overdo it.

Do the same on the bottom side and you should end up with this. The rod is part of the actual handle, and the lock switch slides and pivots on the rod. You'll understand how it works and how it's supposed to go back together once you have it apart.

Now I went through this effort because I also want to clear coat every square inch of these since they are high-wear areas and don't want the paint rubbing off. I also wanted to preserve the "LOCK" letters on the lock switch (again OCD) before it rubbed off like they are notorious for doing. Clear coat over the top should prevent that. And speaking of which, the way I preserved them was by placing a small piece of scotch tape over the side with the letters, cutting around the letters with a razor blade for precision, and peeling the excess off. This allows me to paint as much of the switch as I can without painting over the letters.

Afterwards, I scuffed, and hit all of the pieces with adhesion promoter, and then Colorbond LVP #163 (Chrysler Agate). It is a damn-near perfect match to the OE agate color. Same instructions apply as they would with SEM; light mist coats until full hiding is achieved. I think I used three coats. Once dry, I hit the pieces with the Colorbond Satin Clear to give them a slight sheen. I used two coats so it wouldn't be too glossy. This stuff works much better for small pieces because you honestly can't miss and area.

Before:

After. I think they turned out pretty damn good:

And here's a nice picture with the handles against the tan panels. Notice they match the door pull, which was not painted and is still in it's factory color. Note how the door panel sheen looks factory with that satin clear. I think that's about the equivalent to the SEM low luster clear?

I did the exterior door handles too but those were just a simple satin black with a couple of coats of satin clear over them. They turned out nice and not glossy. I ran out of clear so I didn't get a chance to hit the gauge and radio bezel, but seeing the results of the handles, I have no doubt they will turn out great too. I'll probably hit them in the next week or so, along with other various trim pieces.

 

[Jamison C]

Here's the finished results of my half doors:

Driver inner and outer:

Passenger inner and outer:

These turned out so good, that I'll definitely pull and paint the dash. This was a fun project that I'd like to continue with. A lot of these results are the product of a lot of great advice I have received here from those way more experienced than myself. I was a novice painter that couldn't get a finish right to save my life, so I appreciate everyone who has chimed in and graciously taught me things!

Also, check out Brain at Paint Society on YouTube. He's a collision repair and paint expert at a large Honda/Acura dealer, and I spent hours watching his videos on how to spray all sorts of different finishes with an HVLP. The things I learned from his channel turned out solid on my work.