1991 FJ80 Hood Repaint for less than $200 (1 Viewer)

[Krondor]

I just finished up my hood respray and wanted to let others know how easy it was.
This was my first spray job so there were some mistakes involved. If I could mention only one piece of advice: PREP IS EVERYTHING!!!

Seriously. Spend an extra day sanding. Even if everything feels smooth. As soon as you start applying paint, you will see every imperfection.

Anyways, Here is what I started with: a 1991 toyota Land Cruiser in Medium Red Pearl with a faded and pealing hood.

The clear coat started to fail and the paint was faded on the hood and tops of the fenders.

Initial sanding and color test.

I started off sanding everything with 800 grit to remove the old clear. Initially I was hoping to save the paint and only have to clear over the top. I quickly found out how thin the paint layer was once I sanded past the clear and through the paint to bare steel...

I then taped off the hood and fenders and sanded with 400 grit, feathering out any old clear to the paint. Looking back at this, I wish I would have used some 240 grit to really remove the old clear and feather then move up to 400 to finish everything off.

Painting was next. I used three cans of 3H4 medium red pearl from:

Exact Match Car Paint Made Easy | AutomotiveTouchup

Restore your car's original paint with automotive paint that's an exact match for your car's color. Our touch-up paint is high quality to deliver professional results to every paint job. at AutomotiveTouchup

www.automotivetouchup.com

Another learning experience: 3 cans barely covered the hood. I should have purchased 5 to allow me to also paint the cowl along with a final top coat over the hood.

Next up, The clear. Wow! That made things pop!
I used 4 cans of 2K spray max clear coat.

2K Clear coat - SprayMax

www.spraymax.com

It a really cool product that you press a button on the bottom of the can to release the 2 part clear. Then shake the can and spray. It is a much heaver duty clear than standard rustoleum or 1 part clear.

Final Reveal:

Not bad for a few days work.

Cost:

400 and 800 grit sand paper: $20
3 Cans of paint: $60
4 cans of spray max 2K: $70
Paper and tape: $20
Time: 3 afternoons. (could be done in a day if you have the whole time.

 

[bicycleagent003]

Great job! I appreciate the write up. I'm thinking about either doing something like what you did, or just wrapping my hood. I like your results a lot better than a wrap. Well done.

 

[Krondor]

Thanks! It was a little daunting at first but I figured I couldn't mess things up too much. It was a pretty easy process overall. I also have a 2000 toyota tundra with a faded hood that I am planning on respraying next. Again, I can not stress prep enough. Take your time with sanding to get the best results. The hood looks amazing for 10ft or so. But if you get up close, you can see the pits and lines. If I took an extra day to sand, I would be much happier with the results. But for $200, I can't really complain too much. It was also a fun project.

 

[henrymski]

Very nice. Did you hand sand, or use a machine?

 

[Krondor]

Very nice. Did you hand sand, or use a machine?

All sanding was done by hand. I would have used a pneumatic palm sander but both the sander and my air compressor were on loan to friends. And I was too impatient to wait to get them back. I probably could have gotten better results with a pneumatic sander.

 

[rex in bama]

Nice work and even better price! I had your rigs twin a while back and with that same issue emerging, but did not have the courage to do that myself.

 

[flintknapper]

Good job.

And you are right....'prep work' is 85% of the job.

For those that don't already know.....paint will actually accentuate any flaws, not hide them.

 

[Teebo]

I'm in the same boat on my '92 (same color). I was planning the same products as you though I was thinking 2 cans would cover the hood. Thanks for the writeup. I think I'll order 4 of each to be sure I have enough. I might have to wait until next summer though, the temps have dropped to the mid-60s and I thought I read you need 70F or above.

 

[alia176]

DUDE, this is so awesome and thanks for the writeup. I have always wanted to understand this process and this helps out a ton. Curious, can an electrical palm orbital sander make the sanding process more efficient?

 

[ppc]

I quickly found out how thin the paint layer was once I sanded past the clear and through the paint to bare steel...

With bare metal exposed did you not use a primer? I didn't see that in your list of materials.

 

[alia176]

I also like the fact that the fenders weren't touched so I'd be curious to see a picture of the difference in appearance between the two. I The hood will be shinier than the fenders but if the fenders got buffed out, maybe the difference would be negligible to the non discerning eye?

 

[Krondor]

I had some primer laying around from a previous job. You could do an additional $10 for a can of you want.

The tops of the fenders were painted. I just taped off along the pin stripe line. I’ll post a picture of the color difference.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

Looks good, I will second the spray max paints that need to be activated. There products are the real deal, and also very strong so dont use them in a confined space without a ventilator. That's the only kind of spray paint I will use anymore. It worked amazing on my sliders

 

[man0fsteel]

Wow, really great job! I've been searching the threads for tips and pitfalls to avoid when painting. My '95 is in dire need of the same treatment but it's the roof, fender flares, and the hood. So I'm just going to bite the bullet and get her a new paint job.

I'm changing colors from emerald green to maybe a flat black. The place I'm taking it to will remove the windshield and rear window (along with the doors, hood, and rear hatch/tailgate) so I'm getting new molding/trim for all the windows. Also new rubber filler/gaskets between the body and fender flares. I take it the rubber fillers were still in decent shape?

I will start a new thread but wanted to congratulate you on a job well done.

 

[FJ80993]

Wow, really great job! I've been searching the threads for tips and pitfalls to avoid when painting. My '95 is in dire need of the same treatment but it's the roof, fender flares, and the hood. So I'm just going to bite the bullet and get her a new paint job.

I'm changing colors from emerald green to maybe a flat black. The place I'm taking it to will remove the windshield and rear window (along with the doors, hood, and rear hatch/tailgate) so I'm getting new molding/trim for all the windows. Also new rubber filler/gaskets between the body and fender flares. I take it the rubber fillers were still in decent shape?

I will start a new thread but wanted to congratulate you on a job well done.

I just realised this thread is a year and a half old giving me the unique opportunity to see how things turned out for you when you repainted your rig, overall were you happy with the results? I’m just now getting to the point where I have to decide between just doing a rattle-can touch up or as you put it, ”Bite the bullet” and go all in for proper paint job, any insight to your experience wold be much appreciated!

 

[Krondor]

I was and am still happy with the results. The rattle can paint job worked great for me. Sure it is not professional but it looks a lot better than it did. My 80 is meant to run through the woods. I didn't want to drop a few grand on a nice paint job I would feel bad about getting scratched. I think it really depends on what you want for your truck.

 

[man0fsteel]

I just realised this thread is a year and a half old giving me the unique opportunity to see how things turned out for you when you repainted your rig, overall were you happy with the results? I’m just now getting to the point where I have to decide between just doing a rattle-can touch up or as you put it, ”Bite the bullet” and go all in for proper paint job, any insight to your experience wold be much appreciated!

Wow...how time flies! I'm laughing at myself as this shows what a procrastinator I am! I still haven't pulled the trigger. But mostly it's due to the fact that I'm getting other things done to my LC at BTB first. The new suspension is in - and now I'm reading lots of different threads here about what else I should do before she goes in for the facelift. But man, I've had quotes from $5000 to $40K to do a full repaint job! Hoping to have everything done before summer 2021. I'll definitely post before/after pics when I'm done.

 

[MurderBird45]

I completed this project recently. A few lessons learned to add:
-Probably worth it to remove the hood and paint on saw horses. I used a couple of tall plyometric boxes to get up over the hood, but there were areas in the center of the hood where I couldn’t get a nice perpendicular spray. This is important when spraying a base coat with metallics. If they “sparkles” don’t all lay down at the same angle, you will end up with some zebra striping like I did. It’s visible from about 3 feet, depending on the angle. Way better than the peeling clear coat I had.
-Make sure the temperature is good for the whole time you plan to be working. After the sun went down, temps dipped during my clear coat application and I ended up with some light orange peel texture. This can be fixed with wet sand and compound but it would have been nice to get it right the first time.
-Play it conservative and don’t spray too much at a time, or the can may drip some paint. Wipe the nozzle frequently.
-If you do not choose to remove the hood, think of ways to keep paint dust out of the intake. My RPM on cold starts was up to 2000 for a while after the job. I believe the paint dust got onto the VAF (I drive a 94). I am very hesitant to use MAF cleaner because I don’t want to break anything.

All in all, I’d highly recommend this as a DIY for your off-road rig to make it look presentable in the grocery lot. I think it’s a better option than bed liner because you’re not married to it forever and is way less expensive than taking it to a professional. Took me 5 hours start to finish.

 

[flintknapper]

DUDE, this is so awesome and thanks for the writeup. I have always wanted to understand this process and this helps out a ton. Curious, can an electrical palm orbital sander make the sanding process more efficient?

There will be sections you'd want to 'hand sand' in preparation to spray. But yes, you can use an orbital to remove most of the paint. IF your OEM primer is still good...just stop there. That is what I did on my 100 series...when painting the hood.

 

[alia176]

Thank you gents for the "how to" on painting the hood as it is something I'd like to tackle it next year. Not sure if I want to deal with "feathering" and match the fenders since there is so little of the fender lives next to the hood Of course, I don't even know how to feather anything so the point is moot.