CJ-3A First Willys

[bmorgil]

OK while I wait for parts, I am turning my attention to the paint. I have no idea how I want to approach this. I was thinking I could get the paint in spray cans and quarts. I could paint all the surfaces that you can't get to when assembled. Then I could drive it to the body shop. Or, I could load the body fenders etc on the trailer and take the "Kit" to the body shop then put it on the chassis. In any event I am trial fitting the grill and fenders now.

I cannot come up with the paint color. I definitely need help. I want to paint it Emerald Green. KW and others show it as Emerald Green DQE-40530-DAL. None of the paint shops in town can cross that number. My paint supplier is telling me they can't help without a paint chip. I have no original paint anywhere that can be matched. I would hate to just pick a color. I was hoping to get an original paint color.

Any ideas?

[LarrBeard]

I cannot come up with the paint color. I definitely need help. Any ideas?

I hate paint problems. I'm fighting with the painter, the primer vendor and the paint vendor about paint peeling off the driver door post on the '48. everyone is standing in a circle and pointing to the guy on his left.....

Oh well. I poked about and found the following cross references for Jeep Emerald Green:

Ditzler/PPG 40530

DuPont 93-55223

Sherwin Williams 33141/43695

If these are standard catalog paint numbers, they should be able to get close to the original color from their magic mixing dispensers. And, remember - trying to mix and match paint on an old Jeep is like throwing a hand grenade - close counts.

[bmorgil]

I did find those numbers except for that Ditzler/PPG number. The shop said the SW number turned out to be silver. The Dupont number doesn't come up. I am running that Ditzler number by them now. I had a different Ditzler number.

What do you think about the process? Paint it all off and bolt it on? Or paint the hard to reach places with a spray can and bolt it together. Then do a good job masking the chassis from over spray.

[LarrBeard]

What do you think about the process? Paint it all off and bolt it on? Or paint the hard to reach places with a spray can and bolt it together. Then do a good job masking the chassis from over spray.

If I painted it all and tried to put it together, I'd skin things up and have to do it again.

This is one time when I really don't have an opinion .....

[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.

[gmwillys]

One of the best paint jobs I had ever seen was on a neighbor's '70 442 W-30. He did a complete color change from red with black stripes to black with white painted stripes. He did it in his two stall garage, in the winter. The gaps were perfect, and the black you could see for miles while looking into it. The problem was he was a body man, and not a mechanical guy. He put the hood and fenders on before the engine went back in.... He refused to take them back off. Trying to stuff a 455 BBO and 4 speed through the opening left by the hood isn't fun, but it was his car, and his decision. The only damage was a very light scratch on top of one of the fenders, and a slight gouge in the hood insulation. It would have been a whole lot simpler if he would have waited.

[bmorgil]

OK all back together. No leaks yet! I am going to put the radiator in and, fire it. I was thinking I could unbolt the radiator and let it rest on the hoses and the shroud. I could then pull the grill and finish it.

I know you both have written about the best way to remove and install the body as it relates to the steering column. It seems it would be a pain to drop the exhaust and the drag link, just to lower the steering box. I have strong souls available to assist in lifting things. I am thinking lift the painted body over the taped up column and leave the box in. What do you all think? I will have an opportunity to practice when I test fit the tub. The shift cover on my trans is a hybrid Military/civilian I think. It has the screw on retention cap instead of the wound in spring to hold the shift lever in. It does not have the longer shift rail castings for the pipe plugs the military used to plug the shift rod holes in the front. That screw on cover makes it easy to get the shift lever out of the way.

I took all the info I had to the paint shop. He did a lot of searching and then, he called his "Guy" at PPG. Bingo! Emerald Green!

[gmwillys]

You sure can drop the body over the installed steering column will work. If you have two willing people to lift the body, no problems.

Looks like I'm going to have to get one of those K.W. T shirts.

[LarrBeard]

"I took all the info I had to the paint shop. He did a lot of searching and then, he called his "Guy" at PPG. Bingo! Emerald Green!"

Sure and Begorrah, isn't Emerald Green the luck o' the Irish. With all of those numbers we were finding, that wasn't just a number someone had made up. It just took someone who knew the right "Guy" to call.

Lots of muscle helps with just about any project. I have strong teen-age boys around who will lift about anything if I let them catch the catfish out of the pond. But, the rule this summer is that if you catch one of those big ugly critters, you have to take it home. The biggest ones are getting to be 27 - 29-inches long and they've cleaned out most of the bass and bluegill.