Parts Painting

October 22, 2005

I need to rust-proof and paint almost everything. So while I have parts taken off, I'll paint them. Today I started cleaning the parts up in preperation for a POR-15 coating. I cleaned a bunch of parts, but below are details on how I prepared and painted the transmission skid plate
First thing I did was scrape off some of the dirt and grease with a screwdriver and a wire brush:

This Jeep seems to have been used as a mudder by the PO. I found deep buildups of mud and grime all over the underside.

Then I mixed up some Simple Green and hot water and started scrubbing. There are more powerful degreasers available, but I'm working in the driveway right next to my water well, so I'm sticking with an eco-friendly cleaner.

Here it is after the first pass of scrubbing:

I was having trouble getting all the dirt and grime off, so I tried hotter water which seemed to help. I setup a camp stove where I was working so that I could keep a supply of hot water available:

The PO modified the skid plate to allow clearance with the transfer case. The cuts were probably done with an oxy-acetlene torch and were very rough. I ground those down and cleaned them up.

I then gave it one last cleaning with the Marine Clean that came with the POR-15 kit that I got. I also soaked it in Metal Ready for about 30 minutes.

October 29, 2005

The skid plate had dried for a week, so I figured it was as dry as it was going to get. After all that, here it is ready to be painted:

I used a large plastic syringe to draw some paint out of the can and then sealed the can back up again. I had seen this trick reccomended on a webpage somehwere. It worked out well because it kept the paint out of the lid of the can (which can permanently seal it shut). So I used the syringe to dispense the paint and brushed it on.

Unfortunately the wind picked up and the leaves were blowing. They stuck to the wet paint like a magnet. So I decided to hang the pieces while I work on them instead. I hung them up and put on the second coat:

After drying for a full day I took them down. The paint is rock hard and smooth to the touch. It's more glossy then I expected. It looks pretty durable, but the only way to know will be to put it back on and get the Jeep running again.

October 22, 2005
	I need to rust-proof and paint almost everything. So while I have parts taken off, I'll paint them. Today I started cleaning the parts up in preperation for a POR-15 coating. I cleaned a bunch of parts, but below are details on how I prepared and painted the transmission skid plate First thing I did was scrape off some of the dirt and grease with a screwdriver and a wire brush: This Jeep seems to have been used as a mudder by the PO. I found deep buildups of mud and grime all over the underside. Then I mixed up some Simple Green and hot water and started scrubbing. There are more powerful degreasers available, but I'm working in the driveway right next to my water well, so I'm sticking with an eco-friendly cleaner. Here it is after the first pass of scrubbing: I was having trouble getting all the dirt and grime off, so I tried hotter water which seemed to help. I setup a camp stove where I was working so that I could keep a supply of hot water available: The PO modified the skid plate to allow clearance with the transfer case. The cuts were probably done with an oxy-acetlene torch and were very rough. I ground those down and cleaned them up. I then gave it one last cleaning with the Marine Clean that came with the POR-15 kit that I got. I also soaked it in Metal Ready for about 30 minutes.

October 29, 2005
	The skid plate had dried for a week, so I figured it was as dry as it was going to get. After all that, here it is ready to be painted: I used a large plastic syringe to draw some paint out of the can and then sealed the can back up again. I had seen this trick reccomended on a webpage somehwere. It worked out well because it kept the paint out of the lid of the can (which can permanently seal it shut). So I used the syringe to dispense the paint and brushed it on. Unfortunately the wind picked up and the leaves were blowing. They stuck to the wet paint like a magnet. So I decided to hang the pieces while I work on them instead. I hung them up and put on the second coat: After drying for a full day I took them down. The paint is rock hard and smooth to the touch. It's more glossy then I expected. It looks pretty durable, but the only way to know will be to put it back on and get the Jeep running again.