Electric paint gun

Those guns are made for spraying housepaint. Now if your using Glidden to paint your jeep it probably would work.

(in other words, the tip is wrong, automotive paint is thinner than house paint you would wind up hosing your jeep with paint)

Thanks. Guess I need to rent a compressor and HVLP gun.

IMHO, you should _really_ practice on something else besides your Jeep first. Even with the right equipment, you've still got to get the right amount of prep work, a feel for how much to thin the paint for spraying, how to clean the gun between batches, and the best methods and combos of pressure, flow, and spray technique for the best finish.

I just did my own Herculiner on my YJ interior, and I know I didn't do as good a job as a seasoned pro would do. But that was the interior, and I didn't care too much how it looked. Dark and bumpy, so what! I wouldn't try tackling painting the exterior if I was a novice though, and expect beautiful results.

This is very true. I should have pointed that out in my post about renting the equipment. I painted my truck which was my first time painting a vehicle. I had a friend get me set up and then he ran out of the garage due to the sever reactions he has to isocyanides. I feel that painting was actually very easy. All of the prep work is, to me, what makes the paint job. The most critical thing about spraying with an HVLP gun is the air pressure. If the paint looks dry as soon as it hits the panel, this is too much air pressure. I believe I sprayed at about 18PSI. I used PPG base/clear paint which may not matter, but I have been told that certain types of paints are easier to spray than others which makes sense to me. If you want to see the truck (not a Jeep, but at least I used a Chrysler color :-)) you can see it here:

I did my practicing when I painted inside the cab and also on an old hood. The paint actually went on really easy. I had tried to paint while just messing around a few years ago, and it was much more difficult. I don't know if the difference was the gun or the paint, but both were different in the first attempt. My paint is by no means perfect on this truck, but I do get a lot of compliments about it. As far as mixing the paint and chemicals, I just followed the instructions.

I'm no expert on the subject, but here are some important pointers:

Try to spray when it is 60-70 degrees wherever you are painting. If it is humid (over 70%) there's a good chance the paint will appear cloudy if you spray it. If there is one single bug (fly, etc.) in your paint area, it WILL land right in the middle of the hood just to piss you off. Make absolutely sure that your Jeep is free of dust when you spray or you'll have that nice non-skid look. Make sure the compressor is free of oil and water in the tank and lines. Remember that a paint job is only as good as the prep work that is underneath it. It's a good idea to let the primer "cure" for about a week or so to allow all of the solvents to escape. Read as much as you can about painting a vehicle. Google is your friend. If you are painting the vehicle disassembled, make sure everything fits together BEFORE you paint it.

Doug, I commend you for trying to do this yourself. There is no way we can learn some things without doing them. Will your paint job be show quality? Probably not. But IMO you have done something to better knowledge, and the next time you do this, you'll be that much better at it.

Sorry for the long post. Chris

A friend of mine shot paint in his garage (with 1 rented exhaust fan out the side door), and sprayed the garage floor with water to keep the dust down. Did a decent job!

You can take virtually ANY paint, apply it even with a roller and brush and wind up with an 'ample' job. In that vein it might merit use of an 'electric' paint gun.

The technique is to VERY CAREFULLY match the PROPER amount of solvent to the paint: take a clean glass plate held vertically, mix the paint and the 'recommended' amount of solvent, brush horizontally across the glass and see what happens; if runs because of too thick a mix keep adding a few drops of solvent until you get a FLAT even coat; if too thin and you get sags, etc. keep adding paint until the film is FLAT.

When the mix of solvent and paint is PERFECT: Then apply with a short knapped (chem resistant) roller and "tip" the rollered paint with a dry brush to lay it flat and knock down the orange peel. If the solvent mix is correct the paint will 'level' all by itself. Keep working a wet edge until its done. If you mixed correctly the paint will be very flat and will have very few discernible brush marks, etc. Let the paint thoroughly dry/cure, then flat sand with 400,