Paint repair and restoration

GeorgeSully

GeorgeSully

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 1, 2018
Messages
236
Location
South Carolina
So I want my jeep to look nice and shiny now. I know, crazy but I can get over the look of the shine when it’s wet and freshly cleaned. The problem is my paint is dull, scratched, has a couple small rust spots and a couple places with exposed primer. I want to polish and repair and repaint these damaged areas so I’d love to hear some of the ways y’all have done this type of stuff. I’m also wondering if for touch up paint i should eat factory color or get my paint matched so it looks best after I polish and clean up the rest of it.


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GeorgeSully said:
So I want my jeep to look nice and shiny now. I know, crazy but I can get over the look of the shine when it’s wet and freshly cleaned. The problem is my paint is dull, scratched, has a couple small rust spots and a couple places with exposed primer. I want to polish and repair and repaint these damaged areas so I’d love to hear some of the ways y’all have done this type of stuff. I’m also wondering if for touch up paint i should eat factory color or get my paint matched so it looks best after I polish and clean up the rest of it.


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Did you get the polish and repair done? Interested in advice and results if you did....

I just ordered some cutting and polishing products from Chemical Guys to try and bring my TJ's paint back to life. Going to try a multi-stge paint correction on my own. My jeep's paint is heavily oxidized and scratched basically all over. I've never seen the Chili Pepper red actually shine. I'd rather spend money on parts over paint, so not willing to pay a body shop or pro detailer to do the job.

If I think about it, I'll take some pictures along the way and report back my results and any missteps I may learn the hard way. I've never done anything more complex than fall and spring application of turtle wax, so this should be interesting. I ordered their suggested random orbital polisher to try and ease the process, hopefully i don't end up scrubbing all the paint off!!
 
ravenrugger said:
Did you get the polish and repair done? Interested in advice and results if you did....

I just ordered some cutting and polishing products from Chemical Guys to try and bring my TJ's paint back to life. Going to try a multi-stge paint correction on my own. My jeep's paint is heavily oxidized and scratched basically all over. I've never seen the Chili Pepper red actually shine. I'd rather spend money on parts over paint, so not willing to pay a body shop or pro detailer to do the job.

If I think about it, I'll take some pictures along the way and report back my results and any missteps I may learn the hard way. I've never done anything more complex than fall and spring application of turtle wax, so this should be interesting. I ordered their suggested random orbital polisher to try and ease the process, hopefully i don't end up scrubbing all the paint off!!
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So I have never used their product (I'm sure similar) but in my "prior life" I had 25+ cars (at the same time) that either I restored, purchase as a driver, or for resale, all in my warehouse... so what I will suggest is pace yourself.... start with a good washing... then if you have the time do a Clay cleaning (either by hand or machine)... most importantly start with the mildest cutting / polish first & work your way up (progressively) as needed. You may find a good wash, clay. mild polish, & wax meet your needs... Only go to a more aggressive polish if need... Go slow.. but keep moving (especially with the random orbital polisher) you don't want to burn through the finish... It's not hard.. just take your time... & pay attention to your results.... (basically don't go to aggressive to soon)..
 
I have gone to wet sanding with 2000 grit sand paper on parts of my TJ and then used multiple steps of polish to bring it back. If you parts with primer showing then the paint there is already spent. You will need paint in spots and varying degrees of polishing.
 
Practice wet sanding on a scrap fender ..,meguiars ultimate compound is a good diy product , no sanding required .Some O Reilly’s will mix factory touch up paint.
 
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I've got microcracking all over my hood and I didn't notice it until AFTER I polished it. Big mistake as polish really highlights all the cracking. I'm thinking the original owner just let it sit outside for 17 years and short of a complete paint job, there's not much I can do to fix it. I figure it's a Jeep so it doesn't have to look as perfect as my other vehicles, but it still bothers me. 🤬
cracking.JPG
 
duncanator said:
I've got microcracking all over my hood and I didn't notice it until AFTER I polished it. Big mistake as polish really highlights all the cracking. I'm thinking the original owner just let it sit outside for 17 years and short of a complete paint job, there's not much I can do to fix it. I figure it's a Jeep so it doesn't have to look as perfect as my other vehicles, but it still bothers me. 🤬
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I'd get it painted... it won't cost that much.
 
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