future paint on 91 XLT, opinions?

[Blue91Ex]

Hey, i have a 91 explorer, and i am trying to think up upgrades for the future. Granted these changes (especially this one) wont be for quite a while, i need to get a job to pay for this stuff, but I always liek to have goals and plans, i always want to customize anything i buy at least somewhat.

So, the main question, what color should i get when i do save up the cash to paint this thing?

i was thinking a metallic chocolate brown
or a bright metallic blue
also considered the copper color that is stock on some newer explorers
any personal preferences?

oh and can you use a decent quality spray paint (with enough prep) to paint the stock rims on a 1st gen? i was thinking a gloss black on them if it is possible to make it look nice. (found that small areas can still look okay with spray can paint if you spend enough time on them, a whole vehicle would be rediculous though, and look terrible unless i used a nice paint gun with compressed air.)

any input is great!
thanks.

 

[Jstcruz]

If you are going to paint it another color you need to be aware that it would be best to take the truck apart down to as many parts as possable (ie, hood, doors, fenders ect...) so that every little visible space can be prepped and painted.

Another thing to consider is long term plans like, what color accents will you eventualy want on it? Do you want to stick with black rims or go chrome or aluminum some day? And, what color is your intereior? You dont want the interior to clash with the exterior. Odds are you have a grey or tan interior so thats not a big deal but its still something to think about.

You might also want to just look around at other custom trucks to come up with some of your own ideas. Everyone has a style they like, and the point of customizing a vehicle is to make it yours. What matters in the end is if you like it or not! Good luck with your project

 

[IAmThor]

Personally, I like metallic black or metallic blue. But it's just my opinion. You should choose for yourself. Good luck

 

[Blue91Ex]

well, liek i said this wont be for a while, and deffinitly wont be the first mod im going to do to the rig. Right now it has a nice interior, the blue with blue dyed leather etc. I dont think it fits my taste (really dont like leather seats which might seem odd, i prefer cloth) so the blue would match it, as black rims looks good on anything, and the stock rims look okay, but i wouldnt want to chrome them, black would just make it so they stand out less. also black would match any of the colors i could paint on the truck

Also, i hadn't originally thought of the interior clashing, would the pale-ish blue int clash with dark brown? if so i coudl probably find a tan interior somewhere in a junk yard, clean it up, and throw it in with teh tutorials on this site. again this will be way down the road if i even do it.

Right now im debating how to deal with teh current paint on it. the clear coat has been wearing off for years, and it turns pale at the edges where it is worn off, i could leave it until it was all gone and throw just clearcoat on it to help it last longer, or i coudl spend tons of money sooner and just repaint it before the clearcoat was gone, or... my mother's suggestion, just clear coat over it as is, it will still look terrible from teh whitened wear edges, but at least the undercoat (dark blue) wont fade anymore, this would be temporary until i coudl get around to painting the thing.

probably could end up being teh most expencive repair i coudl do to the truck, and i most likely wont have the spar ecash for quite a bit. it may not even be worth bothering (a sad thought in my opinion)

but, to sum it up, woudl the pale blue interior match brown at all? (wouldnt the copper, i know that) and would teh rims take paint easily or would it be a lot of prep work still? oh and what do you think about dealing with teh clearcoat and have you heard of this happening?

 

[Blue91Ex]

so are the stock rims easily painted? how much prep needs to be done before paint and primer to get a quality where it wont chip off from regular use?

 

[unclemeat]

Here is the thread I wrote when we painted my 91 a few years ago.


http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100110&highlight=explorer+paint

 

[IAmThor]

You could always PM Turdle on the rims. He powder coated his own and (I believe) still has his machine to do it

 

[Blue91Ex]

yea i saw his thread on his new powder coat equipment, although i doubt i would be able to pay fro shipping at this point, or whatever he woudl charge me, and having my ex up on blocks or jacks for a long time scares me haha.