Improving Badly Oxidized(?) Paint?

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Agar426

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Hello everyone! I am new to the forum, and was hoping I could get some advice. I picked a 1985 Jeep CJ-7 last summer for my son to use when he's ready to drive. He's only 13 now, but I wanted to drive it myself for a couple years or so to make sure it's up to specs for him. I spent the past year saving up and researching for the "build" portion of the project, so it now has all of the mechanicals taken care of, suspension, brakes, steering, etc.

When I went to get paint job quotes, they were all more than I wanted to spend! This leads me to my question(s). I would like to improve what is currently there while I save for a paint job.

The Jeep is a medium brown metallic. The factory color is called "dark honey metallic," but it has been re-finished at some point in its life. It is a southwest Jeep (New Mexico), so it is rust free, but the paint is badly damaged. The hood and fender tops are mostly white and chalky, while the body sides are ok. At first, it seems to be oxidation, but if you look closely, it looks as if though somebody put a product on it that either reacted with the paint, or that they forgot to remove. Regardless, it looks white and chalky. One day during a rain storm, I noticed that the hood and fender tops looked like fresh paint....hmmnn. My mechanic noticed the same thing, so he hit it with a little 3M compound for a few seconds on a very small spot, and it improved it, but the compound wasn't "strong" enough. Keeping in mind that if I mess up the paint, it's not a big deal as it looks terrible now, and it is in line for a repaint...I decided to take a chance and wet sand a small spot with 1500. Bam! the white came off fairly easily, leaving behind the sanding scratches of course. Even with the sanding scratches, the paint is MUCH smoother to the touch. Now I'm motivated!

So....is this a viable option? Can I wet sand with 1500 then 3000 then move on to compound, polish, wax? I saw a video a while back using Meguiars Unigrit products....is this a good option with a DA, or should I stick to a block? Or, am I completely off my rocker? The Jeep is going to get re-painted anyway, so I am willing to experiment a little, and if it buys me some time, then so be it! It is a Jeep, and I'm not after a show car finish. Just something that doesn't look like a pair of blue jeans that had bleach spilled on it.

So, I guess what I'm asking is I need a plan....both products and tools. I don't own a compressor, so I will have to use 110v tools. I would rather not spend $500 on a DA, but if that's what it takes....

Any advice?

Thank you!
 
I forgot to mention....I am a complete newbie to this stuff, but am willing to learn!

Thank you!
 
Find you the porter cable kit with Wolfgang or menzerna line of products and just add some more pads to it and you will be set. Probably spend less than 400
 
I would use Meguiars #7 with a cotton Terry cloth like Mike describes in his thread on restoring antique single stage paint. You might be surprised at the results. You can search the forum for the correct thread.

Walter

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk
 
Ok, very good! Thank you! More questions:

So, would I condition with #7 and then move into compounds? Would I just use #7 over and over? If the results aren't good enough, even with compounds, is wet or damp sanding the next step? Is the #7 conditioning process going to improve the sanding results?

The reason for the newbie questions is because I am a newbie, plus, this paint is REALLY chalky and white. I'm guessing it's actually beyond repair, but...I kind of want to take on the challenge! If I can make it presentable (for a Jeep that will see time in the woods), then I can buy some time and save up for a proper re-finish.
 
AGOatemywallet said:
Pictures Please
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I have some that should give the gist.....do I need a host site to post photos, or can I simply attach? Also, the instant email notification isn't working, so my apologies on the late replies.
 
Compounding and polish should be adequate if the paint is at all salvageable. Although wet sanding maybe effective it has it's own risks and there is no way that such an aggressive process should be required to improve the condition you describe.
 
Here are a couple of pictures. My apologies on the photos, as they were all I had, and the focus of these shots was clearly not the bad paint...and, although it was a sunny day and a bad photo, the hood and fender tops aren't reflecting anything. That white chalkiness is probably actualy worse than it appears in the photos. The passenger side looks fine, and probably just needs a good wash, clay, polish. The driver side is kind of a cross between the hood and passenger side. The difference is that the driver side is streaked with the white stuff, almost as if had run down from the fiberglass top or something. Interestingly enough, the Jeep has been in the shop getting all of the mechanicals done, and there are hand prints on the "oxidized" sections, and the hand prints look like spots of good paint. This tells me the idea of using #7 makes sense as the oils in the product may seep into the paint and bring it back somewhat. As I mentioned, I am not afraid to experiment, or even mess it up. I am happy to try anything up to and including wet/damp sanding. If I go that route, I will remove the hood for ease of access, as it is a little tall and I don't want to mess with a ladder.
 
Alrighty.....got done with Mike's SS restoration article using #7 as the basis. Wow! Great information! I will definitely start out with this technique. One difference in my application is that I am not working on original paint that needs to be preserved. I just want to improve what I currently have. The Jeep has had one repaint in its life, and it's on top of the old paint, as opposed to the original paint being taken down to metal. This Jeep will be a daily driver as well as a hunting/fishing/trail machine. It WILL be introduced to branches, etc., commonly found while out on the trail. If I can make it presentable for when it is on the street, then it's a win/win. I'm trying to avoid a re-paint until I can afford to do it right, as my son and I both want a color change....that's a whole new set of problems, as Jeeps have the factory color EVERYWHERE!
 
I dont think you need to go the #7 route. If you just compound, polish and seal you will be in business. Also get you some solution finish for the plastics and its a done deal
 
refreshauto said:
I dont think you need to go the #7 route. If you just compound, polish and seal you will be in business. Also get you some solution finish for the plastics and its a done deal
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Even as bad as it is?

One of the reasons for messing with the Jeep is so that I can practice for my other vehicles. I may experiment a little, and try separate techniques on different panels. The hood, fenders and driver side door all show the chalkiness.

However....I may end up with an unbalanced look, but if it hones my technique for my other vehicles, than I am ok with it. Also, my cousin owns a body shop....I may tap into him for some practice panels.
 
Personally I would hit it with a rotary and a wool pad. Meguiars 105, Menzerna FG 400. But I do have experience with a rotary...
 
DaveT435 said:
Personally I would hit it with a rotary and a wool pad. Meguiars 105, Menzerna FG 400. But I do have experience with a rotary...
Click to expand...

Ooohhh, I would love to try that, but I'm a little scared. I haven't even used a DA before. I would like to become skilled enough to be able to tackle the dang water spots on my wife's jet black Dodge Challenger!! That thing water spots just thinking about rain, much less tap water.

The hood is pretty jacked up on the Jeep, so if I mess it up, it's in line for a re-paint anyway. I want to learn so I can better maintain the finishes on the other vehicles.
 
#7 works very well on single tage paints and spray over repaints, I used it on the doors of our ramp truck after we had to replace he hood brand new to try and match up the faded doors and roof and worked great. Also if the top of the hood is to bad could also just get that whole hood wrapped in a satin black vinyl or Camo (desert camo to go with the brow).

jeep-wrangler-carbon-fiber.jpg
 
You could paint that with krylon at this point and it would look better.

You've got nothing to lose here. A major chance to learn anything you want. Heck you could paint it in the garage and have amazing results and an experience your boy will have for life.

With no body prep needed it's simply strip, clean, spray, sand and buff. Painting or correction really isn't complicated it's simply labor intensive. You could paint that entire jeep for $500. It might not be a show stopper but it could look great too. I know a guy who paints nothing but vettes in his garage with no booth.

What I'm saying is go for the correction. That doesn't work maybe try your own paint.
 
If you want to make it look better without a machine and put off a repaint, I'd start with #7 or #9. Or both. I believe #9 is fairly similar to #7. 9 has abrasives, #7 does not. I have also mixed the two and used together.

Both should be available at a auto parts store. Test one out on the fender or something. It will give you a good idea of how much work it is to rub it off once it has sat on the paint a while.

If I knew that #9 had the exact same oils as #7, I would say just use #9 if doing it by hand. If you are going to put that much physical effort applying and removing #7, why not remove some of the oxidation/paint while doing it.
 
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