Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Jeeps are fun to abuse and to repair. In my case, I bought a 2000 Jeep TJ. Its body is in pretty good shape except for some rust spots here and there. I thought it was about time that I learned how to do this properly so I went out and bought an Air Compressor, a Spray Gun, and some professional chemical paints/primers/thinners to have my first adventure in quality autobody restoration. This thread is devoted to my attempt. I welcome any advice or "constructive" criticism that you have.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Okay, so my first target is an area that is not easily visible. This is a strategic move as I have never done any body work before nor used an air brush.

You can see in this image the issue that I am repairing. Water tends to accumulate from boots and such in the door frame area. It has caused bubbling, and chipping of the paint. Brown rust is also clearly visible on the exposed metalic surface.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Paint removal and rust grinding:

I first tried using a 100 grit sanding sponge to remove the paint in the two trouble areas. This was a slow process, especially since there was residue from some clear tape that was laid over that area to prevent rust from forming. I got annoyed and switched to a grinding disk that attaches to my drill. This works incredibly well ! Less than 2 minutes later, I managed to grind away ALL the rust, even in the pitted little holes. It turns out that there was rust forming all along the floor so I grinded the whole thing down. So far so good... no holes right through the metal, just tiny dimples in two areas.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Rust Inhibitor:

Okay so I went to the Jeep dealership to get some paint. He sent me to a professional autobody paint supplier warehouse where they could mix some special paint for me to match the color (Solar Yellow). The guy at the warehouse tells me that they stopped using Rust Inhibitor 15 years ago. Apparently now they use this grey Etch Primer. Sound like rust inhibitor to me, lol, fill me in if you know what this stuff is.

I sprayed it on using the spray paint can it came in. Two light coats 5 minutes apart. It looks amazing! This etch primer comes out fully atomized to give a very nice finish. I'm impressed. Spray paint usually looks like crap.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Bondo:

Okay, so the guy at the paint shop told me to sandwich Bondo Automotive Body Filler between the two primer paints (etch primer, and real primer). In my case, there are no holes to fill. However, there are some low spots here and there where I grinded away all the paint. I have decided to use Bondo (since I bought some) over a few areas so that the entire frame is at the same elevation. This turns out to be a huge mistake as you will see in my next post...

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Bondo Error:

Okay so the next step was to sand the Bondo. I started with a 320 grit sanding sponge. The Bondo is so tough that it felt like I would never get through it all. I then switched to my 100 grit sanding sponge and could see slow progress.

While sanding (which was a huge pain in the arse) I managed to sand off much of the Etch Primer that I had previously applied. This means that there would be exposed metal with only regular primer to cover it. I was not sure what to do here... the guy said to sandwich the bondo between the two primers. wtf? I decided to spray a thin layer of Etch Primer over the areas that were bare metal. I hope that the real primer sticks to the Etch Primer because the bondo is no longer exposed.

Anyone have any insight here? (it's dark now, so that's it for day 1 of this repair).

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Primer:

Okay, so I woke up this morning and was fired up to complete the job! I quickly sanded the edges of the Etch Primed area to a bevel finish, taped the edges about half a cm further out than the etches area, and applied two medium coats of primer/sealer. I attached a photo of the chemical used for your information. I have to let it sit for a bit now until it is dry. This will give me the time I need to plug my air gun in for the very first time! woohoo!!

Also, I did some reading on the yellow paint that I will be applying. It says right in the instructions that it will bond to Etch Primer and/or Primer / Sealer. So my previous question is no longer relevant. Game time.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Painting (Air Brushing for the first time):

This turned out beautifully before I ruined it !!

I connected my air brush, ran the compressor, played with spraying water a few times and then mixed some paint (1 part thinner, 1 part paint as advertised).

I sprayed on 3 light coats. It did a splendid job. Much better than a spray paint can.

I let it sit for what seemed like forever (maybe 30 minutes) and then noticed that it was dry to touch.

The edges need to be blended into the old paint, so I grabbed the 300 grit sanding sponge... worked like a charm !

Then I ran my finger down the seam to make sure that there was no dimples....... the seam is STILL WET !! I left finger marks all down the seam. The paint ripped off onto my finger, right down to the primer in some spots. NIGHTMARE !!

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

I have decided to try to salvage the paint job (since its only inside the door anyways. I have dabbed additional paint (full power paint, not thinned) onto the areas that I tore off foolishly with my finger. I will let it set for an hour and try to sand it down after that.

*fingers crossed that I do not need to strip it down and restart...

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

let it dry for a lot more than an hour- maybe till tomorrow- and then 'wet sand' with 800 grit or higher.
patience is key with any DIY auto body work.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Thank you for the help. I will do that.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Okay, so I took your advice and waited until morning.

I then tried to sand it lightly with 100 grit (it's all I had) and I tore down to the grey primer. Yes, I made the same mistake again! Impatience.

I decided to grind down with the paint stripper back to bare metal on 1/3 of the repair area, everything that had an imperfection plus a little more for blending.

I primed it with etching primer, followed by regular primer, and sprayed the basecoat of yellow over it. It turned out beautifully.

I went out and bought some 1200 grit sand paper and beveled the edges (where there was once tape).

... time for clear coat.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Clear coat:

I mixed 4 parts (McDonald's Ketchup Cups) of clear coat with 1 part (McDonald's Ketchup cup) of hardener and loaded it in the spray gun.

I applied two light layers of clear onto the repair area + 3 inches for blending.

I let it dry 10 minutes and then applied a final thick layer over the area. Stupid stupid stupid. I put it on too thick. I have runs on the front and back extremities.

Anyone know how to buff clear coat to remove runs?

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Cutting and Buffing Nightmare Situation:

So after doing extensive research on the internet, I have determined that my small imperfection when applying clear coat can be rectified by sanding the clear coat with 1000 grit, then 1500 grit, then 2000 grit wet sand paper.

I did so. It fixed it! 1 point for me.

I then sanded the entire repair area. Then I buffed the entire repair area with Rubbing Compound. After that I buffed the entire area with Polishing Compound. It was shiny, sparkly, and smoooooooth,

Note that I used to word `was`. You see, I noticed that the inside edge (the edge inside the jeep) was missing some clear coat. I did not apply it thick enough on the inside edge. It also takes me a really long time to clean my spray gun. So I went to Canadian Tire and bought an $8.00 can of clear coat spray just to do the edge.

I shook it and tried to apply it. It comes out not very atomized, big globs which was disappointing. But then it happened...... a HORRIBLE chemical reaction between the existing clear coat and the new spray on clear coat. It ate through the clear coat, right through the base coat, down to the primer. I rubbed as much of it off as I could with a rag but it was too late.

It looks terrible now on the inside edge and the inside of the door. I ruined the whole thing! The Jeep just won't let me win !! Talk about a learning experience though. I am really happy with the job other than the terrible horrible error at the end (perfectionism + anxiousness = bad performance). lol.

I plan on doing the entire Jeep this spring. One full panel at a time.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

BEFORE and AFTER:

Lessons to recall for my next effort:

1. You have to be patient, let every stage dry overnight.
2. It will take 3 to 4 days to get the job done, not a weekend project.
3. You have to get the bumps out in the initial stage, you cannot spray over it and fix after.
4. Bondo dries REALLY hard, it is difficult to sand it. Do not use it unless you have to.
5. Taped edges will not bevel and blend well. Paint the whole freaking panel.
6. Do not turn the paint gun upside down, paint will touch the membrane - hard to clean.
7. Spraying is quick, cleaning the gun takes 45 minutes.
8. Do not mix a lot of paint, use McDonald's ketchup cups instead of tuberwares to measure.
9. If you make a mistake that you can not easily sand down, grind the whole panel and restart. You cannot blend a repair over a repair.
10. Let the etch primer dry overnight before applying real primer, they don't play nice together.
11. Do not use spraypaint clearcoat over your nice clearcoat. They do not play nice together.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

Nice write up - good information for when I tackle mine.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

The best artisans,tradesmen,and DIYers are generally self taught. Just can't beat experience,combined with patience.
looks like you have the hang of it now.
really enjoyed your narration with pics, you demonstrate a good degree of patience , persistence.
Keep it up, and be proud of what you do
Tongue in cheek---- As so many women have found out, you don't find beauty and perfection in a jar or spray can,be it from Canadian Tire or not.
Cheers.

Re: Adventures in DIY Rust Repair 2000 TJ
 

thx jean for the laugh as ive been there and done that.great haven a jeep:smokin::smokin: