| Project Jeep Part Three: Paint |
| Painting
was the hardest and most expensive part of the project. The
original color was Sherwood green metallic, a very dark shade.
Since every single body part was removed and primered, we were free to
paint it any color we chose, not having to worry with feathering in new
paint with the old. We elected to go with Rescue green, which was not available in 1983 but was in later year model Jeeps. We went with a base coat and three applications of clear coat. After sandblasting all the body parts, we applied a thick coat of primer and sanded it to reveal the high and low spots. The rocker panels were rusted all the way through. My friend Philip, who did much of the engine work, led the charge. Philip insisted that all the wet sanding be done by hand, with sanding blocks. It took me, Lisa, and Henry an entire day to wet sand it down to 400 grit. We worked until 11:00 PM, and it took another half day just to get the water and primer residue cleaned up. The tub rested on my motorcycle lift, so it was easy for us to move it up and down for access. But that was the only thing that was easy. |
| Where to paint it? How about turning the barn into a paint booth. We hung plastic sheeting up on all the walls. |
