Let's talk paint

[freedom_in_4low]

I just ordered some JCR trail doors and am looking into matching them to my TJ's factory paint. I also have a silver-dollar sized dent (with paint damage) in my hood that I inherited from the PO that I'm considering repairing and I'm not sure whether to try blending the small area or just spraying the whole hood.

I'm familiar with prep work concepts, and I've painted plenty of parts with good results, and even a whole car...but always rattle can and always matte finishes. Paint/body work has always felt to me more art than science, which doesn't fit in my heavily left-dominant engineer brain that likes to make everything into a recipe or a procedure that's either right or it's not. So researching is a little like drinking from a firehose. I've figured out the stuff that's more black and white...like I need to add an oil/water separator to my compressor setup and I want to use an HVLP gun.

I can read all day about the pros and cons of single stage vs basecoat/clearcoat, urethane vs enamel, 2-component, etc, regarding what ends up looking the best or what lasts the longest or what goes down easiest for a first timer...but what I really want to know is - what paint will give me the best match to my 21 year old Jeep TJ in Forest Green Pearl (PG8)?

 

[Tldelaney]

alrighty, here is an economic solution for you.

The best bang for your buck spray gun is gonna be the FLG5 from Devibliss. This gun can only be ordered from UK but shipping time is 3 days from ship to door.

https://www.spraygunsdirect.co.uk/index.php/productpartsdiagram/index/viewparts/id/2888/
This gun works great around 23 PSI for primer, base and clear. I would pick up a 1.8 or 2.0mm tip while your at it for future projects with thicker primer such as high build 2k urethane primer. the 1.4 will suffice for clear and base.

2k Urethane is gonna be the best bet to go and there are some really good options on ebay.

Speedkote has an affordable epoxy and high build. I honestly would pick up the gallon options.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=272017530945

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=261675882646

For basescoat on doors, you can order a quart ($99) or two from expresspaint for around $200. You will also need to pair it with a reducer. You can use expresspaint or choose a different brand.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=262527529261

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=251096405755

Speedkote again for a clear coat with slow activation. The slower the better

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=261007161242

So the steps you want to take to paint your doors

- Sand doors down to create fine tooth for paint to grab onto. Any large scratches can be filled in with bondo to smooth out. If they are small you can fix this later.

- Prep and spray epoxy primer. This will seal the door and keep the moisture out.

- Spray high build if you want a uniform finish and have scratches that are showing through the epoxy. Block sand afterwards.

- Attach your hinges to your door and test fit on the jeep. Once they fit correctly, your going to leave them. IF you tried painting and then adjusting the hinges, your paint will flake off.

- You can lay down a sealer layer which is the final step before base coating. This would be the epoxy primer with a reducer so 4:1:1 or whatever it calls for.

- Spray your base coat, 3 layers or so. Make sure your using wax and grease remover, microfiber cloth, terry cloth and compressed air for cleaning. Since we dont have paint booths and will most likely be painting in the garage, its not a bad idea to terry cloth in between each coat to prevent dirt nibs from showing up.

- Finish with 3 coats or so of clear. Don't be afraid to really lay it down after the first coat.

- Wait for it to cure. DO NOT TOUCH IT, it will be tacky for atleast a day or two. You can spray a seperate item and use that test piece to determine cure.

- Buff and DA polisher.

Paint match will be the difficult part. Your best bet at first would be to polish up the old paint and compare the door to the old possibly faded paint. You could stop here if you like the results. If not, your going to have to do some blending.

I will continue to add more to this post, but this is a good start.

 

[pagrey]

For the hood I'd touch up the small area. I've never seen a respray hold up to abuse the same way factory paint does. Any panel you respray wont match at some point, either after you initially paint it or a few years down the road. I think you do the whole thing or live with mismatched sections. For a Jeep I don't think color match is critical but I'm not submitting photos for Jeep of the month either.

 

[steelhd]

I can read all day about the pros and cons of single stage vs basecoat/clearcoat, urethane vs enamel, 2-component, etc, regarding what ends up looking the best or what lasts the longest or what goes down easiest for a first timer...but what I really want to know is - what paint will give me the best match to my 21 year old Jeep TJ in Forest Green Pearl (PG8)?

The answer about the product is use the same product was applied at the factory and follow the requirements specified in your paint manufacturer's technical data sheet to the letter. The answer to color match is to have a local automotive paint shop or distributor computer match and mix the paint. It really is like following a recipe in a cook book,

 

[Feralkid]

Absolutely hate painting, its 99% prep.

So easy to screw up and over spray. If you expect a professional looking job, I recommend just hiring someone with experience rather than diy.

That is unless you aspire to be a professional and want the experience.

 

[Tldelaney]

Absolutely hate painting, its 99% prep.

So easy to screw up and over spray. If you expect a professional looking job, I recommend just hiring someone with experience rather than diy.

That is unless you aspire to be a professional and want the experience.

Yeah the cost alone is more expensive then having it done professionally. equipment and material add up quickly. Getting the experience is frustrating but also rewarding once you get it right.

 

[RobertJ]

You can't blend a spot on the hood. It would be impossible to make it look right. If it bothers you that much, best to go with a quality base/clear coat and paint the entire hood. The hood has such different lines than the rest of the body, that an exact match or blending is not needed.

As far as quality, every car I've ever painted held up just as good if not better than the original. The problem is that people tend to cheap out when it comes to picking the right paints.

Base/clear is a no brainer for a home painter for the simple fact it is very forgiving to wet sanding/buffing. This is essential due to the dust you'll have in the finish unless you have access to a nice down draft paint booth.

Some of the best paint jobs I've ever seen were done by guys in their garages. You don't have to be a professional, but patience and attention to detail is really important. A couple of junior college classes could get you started. I was a painter in the military, so I had industrial experience and applied that to cars.

 

[dogbreath650]

Yeah the cost alone is more expensive then having it done professionally. equipment and material add up quickly. Getting the experience is frustrating but also rewarding once you get it right.

Depends how you go about it. Just did mine for less than $100. Local auto paint shop color matched into a rattle can. Some primer, clear coat, tape, sand paper and you're set. That's probably a lot cheaper than letting a shop do it.

 

[RobertJ]

Hi all,

I admit I just posted this question on another thread, but then found this one too. When it comes to the original question of the thread (how to match the color), I'm hearing a lot of "go to your local paint shop". But I'm still wondering if there are any brands that are known for getting close, like for small touch-up jobs?

Definitely Automotive Touchup. I was very happy with the match and quality of the base/cleat coat.