So now that the Jeep is running and drivable we wanted to spruce the exterior up a bit.  We thought a nice change in color was in order,  and since we already have a white Jeep we decided to go with something a little more exotic, like, uh, yellow. After a bit of research we decided to get nasson paint since it is available at Carquest in any color combination.  After some debate, and much asking of opinions, we ended up with a yellow that was one shade lighter then the Nissan Xterra color.

The supplies needed for this was:

• One Gallon Paint
• One Gallon Primer
• Paint Activator
• Primer Catalyst
• Laqour Thinner
• Measuring Cups
• Stirrers
• Sand Paper Varied Grits 60 – 2000 Grit
• Polishing Compound
• Electric Buffer Polisher
• Spray Gun ($14 Harbor Freight)
• Air Compressor and Hoses
• Tack Cloth
• Bondo for smoothing body panels
• Resperstor masks!!! !! Very Important !!

The paint supplies cost us about $350.   This included everything but the aircompressor and air hoses. Everything else on the list had  to be purchased.

Once we had finished researching how to paint a vehicle and we had all the supplies,  it was time to start prepping the body of the Jeep.

First we had to remove all the trim and windows from the Jeep.  Most body shops just tape around all the trim but we wanted to take the time to do it the right way, which meant removing any windows that could end up with some paint mist on them.   Ditto with all the rest of the trim and door handles, resulting in only tape off three parts which ended up being just the door locks.

The Jeep had been repainted at one time in it’s sordid past,  using spray paint (rattle cans).  Because of this, the paint was chipping and flaking away, which meant we had to sand down past the spray paint and create a smooth clean surface at the original primer level.

 Then we started to remove the old paint to do this we used both power sanders and manual sanding to get the entire Jeep smooth and clean.  We then used water and tack cloth to clean any dust away.

The next step was to closely inspect the entire vehicle and look for any low points or voids in the surface; any spots found we used Bondo to fill and then sanded smooth. After that it was time for one final wash before we sprayed the first layer of primer down.

Now that the body is prepped for paint it was time to mask and tape off any parts that are not to be painted ; we used paper and tape for the window trim areas and the front and rear bumpers.

With the Jeep taped up it is now ready for its first layer of primer, we used a Nasson brand epoxy primer. This type of primer is very good and is extremely tough, but requires careful preparation.   Prior to spraying, we had to mix the proper amounts of primer and catalyst together, (follow the instructions on the can carefully!) We also had to thin it with lacquer thinner so we could spray it with our spray gun.

For spraying you want to keep the gun at a 90 degree angle to the body panel you are spraying.  For each pass overlap by 50%, this will help create a even paint job without to much buildup of primer.  After two layers of primer we one again sanded the Jeep, but this time we “wet sanded” using 600 grit paper. The purpose for this was to remove any bumps from the primer and smooth the surface to assure good adhesion for subsequent coats.

The mixing of the paint is similar to the primer but instead of a catalyst we used an activator.  The activator causes the paint to cure to the touch in as little as 15 minutes. This is extremely useful and important for paint jobs like ours where one does not have a proper paint booth environment.  Curing the paint quicker means less chance for dust and other contaminants to adhere to the paint. We also had to thin the paint to allow it to shoot smoothly from the gun.

The first coat covered very well with a medium wet coat.  Never having sprayed automotive paint before it required a little bit of experimentation but after the second coat, we got more conformable with the process. The trick with the paint is to get the layers down as thick as possible without causing runs and drips;  you will also need to adjust your fan pattern to make sure it is spraying evenly and not focused in the center.

For the last coat we where instructed to spray a light mist layer 10-15 minutes after the last coat, We waited a few minutes to long and this created some orange peel, so we had to wet sand the Jeep and then polishing it to correct our “mess up”.

The process for wet sanding is exactly what it sounds like; you take water and high grit sand paper (1000 – 2000 grit) and carefully take a layer of paint off (making sure not to burn though the paint). This process removes the bumpy layer leaving a smooth but dull finish.

The final step in the process is to polish the paint. We decided to buy a power buffer / polisher and not do it by hand.  This made the job easy and created a great shine. One thing to remember is to not use polishes with wax in them;  you want to allow the fresh paint to fully cure or off gas for 40 – 60 days before you apply your first layer of wax to the paint.

Once you have polished the paint you still might have some residue from the poilishing compound.  Just rinse the vehicle with water and use a microfiber cloth to wipe it dry to  remove any leftover compund.