CJ-3A First Willys

[gmwillys]

In my opinion, take all the parts and have them painted all at once. Invest in moving blankets from horrible freight, and lay them down on anything that the fenders and grill can be bumped against. Make guide pins out of long bolts with the heads cut off, (put in the top fender mount holes on the cab). This will help you to guide the fenders into place and hold them into position while you start the rest of the hardware. The hood is the toughest part, because it's awkward to handle without bumping something.
Look at the inside of the passenger side tool box lid for a paint chip. Often you will find the original color on the fenders, where they meet the tub. The welting can preserve the paint. If your Jeep has been painted several times, you can purchase some nylon brushes from horrible freight for $3.99, to put in your drill. You can actually remove one layer at a time to. I did this on my 2A, and found 6 layers of paint to expose the original color was Normandy blue.

[bmorgil]

I like the approach gmwillys. I am going to do it that way. I have access to a large flat bed trailer that can hold two cars. It has plank decking. I could make up some 2x4 holding fixtures that I could pad. I like the fact that this will be close to the way it was originally assembled. There won't be any tell tale over spray on the chassis etc.

I am tempted to try this myself. My son has all the equipment and tools to do body / paint. We just don't have a paint booth. I just don't get the results the pro's get. My son is pretty good, and pretty busy! Persons that are able to do good body work have a bit of "artist" in them. They see things I cannot.