'98 XLT 5.0 Frame Off Restoration

[Anime]

I like the digicamo paint on the J**p. If it's done right like that, it looks bizarre in a natural environment...sort of like the paint job has been photoshopped or like it's made of actual pixels. If you want more of an actual functional camoflage, you need smaller pixels and lots of overlap like the two fabric samples.

Something else worth pointing out is you can run into trouble with certain law enforcement officers who want to give you a hard time, as if you're trying to impersonate an actual military vehicle or something. I might suggest some USMC stickers, license plate, plate frame, etc. that might offer a few hints to an observant person that you're a military veteran and not some gung-ho wannabe.

As for the engine, I'd say paint it with a similar tan high-temp engine paint. I would not paint the transmission or transfer case, as I think it inhibits heat transfer and they are aluminum alloy anyway, not steel.

You might consider popping off the 5.0 intake, valve covers, etc. for a custom powder coat as well:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187809&page=45

or of course you can use engine paint for a less expensive method.

 

[obie]

That powdercoating looks nice Anime. About how much would it run for a paint shop to do that? And is powdercoating available in flat colors? As nice as yours look, a glossy engine would look out of place if the rest of my vehicle is flat colors.

 

[Joe Dirt]

PM Turdle on the forum, he's the powdercoating king...

 

[vroomzoomboom]

PM Turdle on the forum, he's the powdercoating god...

fixed it for ya joe.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

So I think I need a sandblaster...

i will give you some small advice. sandblasting is good for removing rust. dont do it for removing paint on a non damaged panel. the reason why is this.
you many not think it, or look like it at first, but it does warp metal. they way it does it is it heats up where you're blasting. heat causes warpage. on the other side of things, if you go the mechanical way (orbit sander, or grinder) the same will happen, but that you can control. using stripper may be your better bet for now. apply it, wait for it to bubble, use a putty knife to remove the paint, then sand off the rest of it. this however is totally up to you, and what your comfortable with.

 

[delexploder]

Awesome thread and where did you find kroil? I have a supply but its still hard to come by and for those who never used or heard of it well it makes pb blaster look like crap and pb is good stuff.

 

[adamsbro2]

I know around here you can get it at most industrial supply stores I get it from fastenal

 

[Anime]

Those powdercoated parts aren't mine, it's a pic from Turdle's powdercoating thread which I linked to.

Powdercoating is available in a great many colors, including flat or satin-ish non-glossy, and if you check out the thread, even black wrinkle and a few other interesting finishes.

A similar desert tan might be available, and with brown detail on the V8 cover plate, it might really set it off. Just an option. You could send off the stuff to get done while the engine is out, and probably get it back when it's time to piece it together. Any other small parts could get the tan powder as well.

I agree with not sandblasting, you really don't want to do that to sheetmetal. It works best on thick steel, like cast iron and such.

For paint, stripper works well, or you can get aircraft remover, which often works better, although it is more expensive and you get less. In either case be safe, wear gloves, and take your time to not get any on yourself or breathe the fumes.

 

[obie]

I'll send a message to Turdle and see how much he would charge for the powdercoating and shipping. The tan/darker tan sounds like it would go very well.

I can't remember where I got my Kroil from. I bought a case online a while ago, and am only on my third can.

And you're not kidding about getting stripper on yourself. I went through about 30 pairs of nitrile gloves because it would eat through them. I wore my respirator, but there were a few times when I leaned over too closely and got some on my legs, and holy hell that stuff burns. Must have been a sight to see me strip my boots and pants off and start washing my legs with the hose.

So, I finished all the paint removal, sanding, AquaKleaning, RustBlasting, and then applied my first coat of the KBS satin black today, just on the outside of the fender. And I think I screwed up somewhere along the line.

I made sure everything was washed, cleaned it with the AquaKlean and washed it again, dried it completely after that. Then I used the RustBlast, kept it wet for half an hour, washed it again and then dried it completely with some microfiber towels and let it air dry for a while on top of that. Once it was dry, I wiped it down a few more times with some tack rags. I wore gloves the whole time and never touched it with my bare hands. I also made sure I was within the temperature and humidity range.

I used some foam brushes I got at Menards to apply it. I thought something might have been wrong about halfway through, because the paint wasn't flowing well and was seeming to tack up too quickly. I asked my neighbor to come take a look. He said it's fixable if I give it a few days to fully cure, and then sand with some 600 grit and apply another coat. I think I might take it to the paint booth at work for that though.

Any thoughts, critiques, tips or tricks that anyone can think of?

 

[Anime]

Painting a vehicle with foam brushes doesn't give such a great finish. You need to use a really thin mixture, probably thinning the KBS with whatever it says you can use (Paint Thinner, Mineral Spirits, etc.) so it doesn't get so tacky and spreads out more on it's own.

You also need to plan on doing a lot of labor intensive sanding if you're going this route, you will be smoothing out each layer for the next one if you want it to look pretty good in the end, especially that final layer before paint.

 

[obie]

Would bristle brushes work better then? I used the foam because I was worried about bristles falling into the paint. If that happens, what's the best way to get them out without screwing up the paint?

I'm not super concerned with the appearance as much as I am the function and rust protection. This isn't going to be a show truck, it'll be a mix of daily driver and trail rig. That said, I'd still like it to look good, as professional as I can get it. I'd like to be able to say it with pride that I did it (mostly) myself.

 

[delexploder]

Spraying it will give best results obviously but if you dont want to invest in a set of guns and gear for what your doing I would try a Wagner power painter

 

[Anime]

No, bristle brushes will leave bristle marks and make it look like you painted your vehicle instead of your house.

Generally it's just really hard to get a smooth finish without using a spray. You can sand and sand and sand and get the layer you just put on smooth, all the way to the top layer, but it's still not the same as if you start with and only use spray application. If you thin the stuff as much as you can, without ruining it's drying/curing properties, usually it will spread out on it's own after application and you won't have as much sanding to do for it to be smooth and even.

If you don't mind it looking rough it should be okay, just be sure to protect the inside of the panels as well as the outside, otherwise it's going to be a lot of wasted work if the outside is protected but the backside is still bare metal.

 

[obie]

Thanks Anime, looks like I might have to draw up some plans to build a mini paint booth and get a better air dryer for my compressor.

I think I figured out why that first coat turned out so crappy though. The KBS stuff is moisture cured, and that panel was nowhere near dry enough when I put it on. I noticed today after sanding with the 600 grit that after rinsing, rubbing for about 10 minutes with the microfiber cloths, and letting it air dry for an hour, that the panel was still way too wet for paint. Much easier to see with the paint on there. So when I put the RustSeal on, it pretty much instantly started curing and the gasses got caught and couldn't escape. Since this stuff is so difficult to remove, I may wind up using it as a practice panel. I'd rather not, but I'm worried about the long term adhesion and rust protection.

I also think I may have gone a bit too crazy with the paint stripper. I got quite a bit inside those reinforcing brackets on the rear inner portion of the fender, and I'm not sure how I can even get all the stripped paint out, let alone get the prep work and new paint in there. At least, without drilling the welds, painting, and then welding them back on.

It looks like the easiest way to go would be to get a CAPA certified fender from Rock Auto for about $150 with shipping, then scuff it, prime it, and paint it with the light tan. I'd really rather not have chinese sheet metal on my 'Ex, but I guess I could live with one panel. The probably slightly more expensive option, but my preferred one, is to take that particular guy to a professional body shop and have them fix it. That way, I keep my genuine American Ford steel. Dealer fenders are about $480 pre-shipping, if they even have it It's a pricey mistake, but it could have been worse. I could have screwed up on the body itself, on a not so easily replaceable portion.

And I've learned that
A.) I need to be careful with the stripper and mask off areas I don't want it to go into.
B.) Make sure the panels are 100% fully dry with cloths, air nozzle, a hairdryer, and plenty of air drying time before even beginning the paint process. Also, stopping immediately if I think something is wrong.
C.) Turn off the oscillating fan that's blowing air around the garage...
D.) I need an area to paint that has, at the very least, a plastic sheet roof. Preferably, PVC framing, plastic sheeting for roof and walls, and a small vent fan to suck out dust, and big enough for the entire cab to fit in.

And thanks again everybody for all the tips and advice and words of encouragement!

 

[Anime]

I'd say use the stock panel or get an OEM one from a salvage yard before buying a new cheap one from China. The sheetmetal is way thinner gauge and not worth the price.

You might even find someone else on the forum just a drive away who has a parts truck you can get the fenders and anything else off of for cheap.

 

[Joe Dirt]

I agree- I'd use an OEM panel.

Any reason why if they're rust free or you can remedy any surface rust that may be on them, why you're taking them to bare metal? That's hard to level out unless you skimcoat it prior to priming, and seems like a bit overkill...

 

[Anime]

You'd definitely be making your life a lot easier if you simply fine sanded the factory painted panel to lose the clear coat/gloss, then primed, or even just sprayed it with the color coat for a satin/matte camo finish.

Factory paint is a pretty good rust preventative if it hasn't been compromised, and even then you only need to repair rusted areas.

Stripping ALL the paint, especially off the body, is pointless and unnecessary unless you're doing an absolute concours-class restoration on a showcar, in a color other than the original. Body work is already labor intensive enough.

 

[obie]

I agree- I'd use an OEM panel.

Any reason why if they're rust free or you can remedy any surface rust that may be on them, why you're taking them to bare metal? That's hard to level out unless you skimcoat it prior to priming, and seems like a bit overkill...

Haha, because I think I was being a little too gung-ho with the rust prevention. The only bad spots were around the wheel lip area, and the lower rocker mounting area. I figured that out for the second fender, but it was already too late for the first. The rest of the interior and exterior body I'll just scuff, prime, and paint. The only spots I'll take all the way down are where the rust spots are. The underbody will need to go completely bare though, as too much of the paint is compromised with rust.

I did discover something last night too. There are drain tubes that lead right down into the dog leg/rear rocker areas that don't seem to have very good drain holes in the body. So I think I'm going to modify those sections when they get replaced to allow for better water draining and hopefully that will greatly reduce the chance that rusts again in the future.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Gotcha... That makes sense.

Also- spray the inside of the rockers with some sort of rust inhibitor like Linseed oil, WD40, something- through the rocker holes before assembling. That'll help too.

 

[obie]

I was gonna use either the Eastwood Anti-Rust or Internal Frame Coating on the insides of panels and pillars and rockers and stuff. Once that's all cured, I'll spray some of the Amsoil HD Metal Protectant I have in there.

So I was out there tonight, looking at that fender, and thinking to myself and I said, Self, what's the point of learning and doing bodywork if I'm willing to pay someone to fix my mistakes? That's not what your daddy taught you. So, I drilled out those spot welds. As you can see, there was a crapload of paint still there.

And hell, I need to learn how to weld anyways. So I'll practice on my practice fender, and if I do a good enough job, I won't even need to pony up for an OEM one.

I also called up KBS coatings today, and asked them what their advice was. They said wet sand down the high spots with 300 grit. Once the trouble areas are gone, they said that the rest of the paint should have no problems with long term adhesion and rust protection, and that if it isn't bubbled, it's bonded.

So all of the interior side and all the brackets I'll prep and RustSeal, then prime, then spray my tan rattle can on it. As for the areas to be welded, I'll strip all the paint off, grind everything smooth, wire brush and sand as much of the rust as I can. Then, according to KBS, I can apply the RustBlast. Once that's COMPLETELY dry, I'll spray some weld-thru primer on it and spot it back up. And more prep, RustSealing, priming, and painting.

So much work still to do, but it'll be worth it when she's all done.