I decided yesterday to redo my headers to give the muffler a better approach angle. After searching online about how to properly do this, I came up empty.  So, I made it up as I went.

The first step required removing the headers’ collectors, because I would have to bend each pipe individually to get the right angles.  Since I had previously sawed off the headers’ triangular connection piece, I was also going to have to reattach it.

Here’s the passenger side header with the collector sawed off.  Note how the pipes angle right into the front roll cage mount.  You can also see the bar I inserted into each pipe to help bend the heated pipe downwards.

Now, with the pipe inserted, I proceeded to heat up the lower pipe with Dad’s oxy/acet setup.  I tried my best to heat up each pipe at the bend and then bending the pipe downward carefully.  Below you can see two of the three pipes bent.

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It didn’t take me long this morning to figure out why I was having problems with the clear coat last night.  The clear coat was too thick for the sprayer, even with the reducer. So, I cut it a litter more, reducing it from 4:1 to 3.5:1.  That helped immensely.  So, I sprayed another layer of clear coat, which helped improve some of the areas I was most concerned about.

That said, I spotted a several areas on the fender from last night where the clear coat clogged and then let loose.  Fortunately, the spots are all on areas that go under the hood … whew!

This morning I spent a little more time figuring out the color problem.  After doing some research, I believe that I received Teal Green rather than Aqua Blue.  Putting the pictures I show in this post against the colors convinces me that it is Teal Green.  However, the seller of the paint is adament that I got the color I ordered. He claims the problem is that the internet colors aren’t accurate.  I think he’s full of shit.

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As I expected, painting was an adventure.  I started the day running around to get last minute items:  a cheap paint suit, new mask cartridges, and some other misc items.  Then, I chose the paint guns I wanted to use.  After the paint cup wouldn’t come off one of the guns I selected, I audibled to the paint gun I used to paint my last jeep (I was very happy I had the backup guns).

I wiped down the body and body parts, mixed my primer, and went to work.  At first the painting went well, but after a while, the gun started acting up a little.  And, of course, I managed to spot several spots that i somehow missed during the prepping process that needed either a little filler or a little sanding.

Once the primer was on, I got a little water and some 400 grit sand paper and gently ran over the primer, cleaning up the areas as I went.

Next was the paint.  I mixed the reducer and hardener with the paint and went to work.  I got the first pass done and was relatively happy.  I waited about half an hour dand went to work again.  As I was painting the grille, which was hanging against the wall, some gray primer blew off the plastic and landed right on the grille.  While I cussed the primer, I held the gun too long near the driver side turn light area.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell I’d done this until later (my light was kind of iffy by that point).  After the second coat, I grabbed a light and started walking around the body parts.  That’s when I started seeing a variety of spots I hadn’t gotten.  So, with a spotlight in one hand and a spray gun in the other, I circled all the parts for another round.

After letting the paint dry, I went to the clear coat.  By now, it was dark outside and my light wasn’t good at all.  I did my best to shoot anyway, but after spraying everything, I could see there were a variety of missed spots.  So, I decided to halt and pick back up in the morning when the light would be better.

The paint ended up being darker than I expected it would be.  But, it should look good.  The pictures here don’t really capture the color well.  There are definitely a few areas I sprayed a little too heavily, but it really isn’t worth it to me to sand them down and start over.  Hey, it’s  a jeep and I plan on scratching it and being rough on it.  I expect it will need painting in a few years anyway.

One of the smarter things I did was purchase a cheap fan and purchase a cheap heater filter.  I mounted (see pic to the right) the fan in the plastic to pull air out of the paint booth and then taped the filter in front of the fan to catch the paint.  Wow! The filter got much dirtier than I thought it would.

I had hoped to complete painting this weekend, however sore ribs from a hit I took playing basketball slowed me down a bit.  Today, I felt a little better, so I spent the day putting together a paint booth and taping off the body.  It’s hardly state of the art or a monument to high quality design, but it will get the job done.

My friend Lary dropped by yesterday with a larger compressor and an assortment of paint guns for me to use.  He was the person who suggested a website from which to buy some paint, but rather than the Urethane he intended for me to get, I ended up with an Acyrlic Enamel.  When he discovered what I had bought, he was very concerned, as he felt it’s a more difficult paint with which to work, especially with the paint being a metallic paint.  So, the two of us hovered over the various cans and he provided me many different tips on working with the paint, suggesting which paint guns to use and more.

My next step is to make a run to home depot to get one more sheet of plastic for the floor.  Then, I’ll grab some degreaser and do one final clean up of the body parts.

Below are some pics of the paint booth:

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