Hibi
New Member
I’m an indecisive mf & was wondering if there was a way to do this without having to sand the hard top, painting it, and maybe possibly stripping the paint in a few years to go back to the original color and in ok condition at least?
Painting a hardtop
- Thread starter lovemachine
- Start date
Clean surface
Scuff with green scotch brite pad
Clean surface
top coat
If you want to change it back to original color you will have to repeat the process.
James9100
TJ Enthusiast
Rather than painting I’d highly recommend going over it with a magic eraser. I did this in May 2022 and it still looks great.
Finished result after also going over it with Meguiars RV cleaner wax.
Hibi
New Member
I've used SEM 39143 when I painted the interior of my black hardtop — couldn't stand the white. Superior paint. Pro-level. Worth the $s.
It has obviously been a long time but do you remember how many cans of paint you used?
CreepinDeth
TJ Addict
I painted my F150 camper top this way
It did not endure the elements well over 2 years and thats even only being on in winter, and stored in my garage in 3 other seasons. Its gotta be resanded and repainted already
I also painted the Jeeps bumpers with it
This doesnt hold up anywhere near as well as a high zinc paint outdoors and a good UV resistant urethane clear over it
I do not recommend Krylon Fusion for outdoor UV exposed vehicle parts. I used Rustoleum white can with an HVLP sprayer on my Jeep Hardtop to change it from tan to black. Its held up well. 5 or 6 coats iirc
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Does anyone know what the deal is with the different glass for The early TJs.
Check out this page:
https://www.quadratec.com/vehicle/1997-2006-wrangler-tj/hardtops/hardtop-glass
1. Why does some of the glass have 6 holes at the bottom and some doesn't?
2. Why are the two top holes for the wiper motor almost even with each other whole some have the left hole quite a bit down.
Also, some of the glass on this page doesn't show holes on the left and right side of the glass for the gas shock struts to attach to. I doubt I will buy from Quadratec but am using their page as a visual reference. I need glass for 97-02 with defrost and OEM gray tint and am trying to find the correct one to buy.
Check out this page:
https://www.quadratec.com/vehicle/1997-2006-wrangler-tj/hardtops/hardtop-glass
1. Why does some of the glass have 6 holes at the bottom and some doesn't?
2. Why are the two top holes for the wiper motor almost even with each other whole some have the left hole quite a bit down.
Also, some of the glass on this page doesn't show holes on the left and right side of the glass for the gas shock struts to attach to. I doubt I will buy from Quadratec but am using their page as a visual reference. I need glass for 97-02 with defrost and OEM gray tint and am trying to find the correct one to buy.
Interesting. I prepped well and it has held up great. Almost 2 years for me. Not claiming it’s the best but has worked well for me. Recently painted a metal camera mount with Fusion paint and it’s exposed 100% of the time so guess I’ll see. Hasn’t been exposed long enough at this point to have a valid opinion yet.
Out here in the desert things will oxidize and fade pretty fast. For the best, longest lasting finish I would use 2 part automotive paint with HVLP. Maybe some of the roll on products designed for boats and RV roofs will hold up longer but rattle cans are only a temporary solution here. It's really not much harder to use 2 part paints with a spray gun, the prep is the same and the application is actually faster, smoother and more uniform with a real spray gun vs rattle cans.
If you already own a compressor you can buy a decent HVLP gun for $30-$40 and a couple of inline moisture filters. Of course the paints and solvents will cost more than rattle cans but the end result is worth it IMHO.
I've used this one twice now and it produces a very nice finish: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CPQDCXH?tag=wranglerorg-20
and last time I bought these filters instead of the throw aways because these are refillable: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0986VCVV3?tag=wranglerorg-20
and you'll want one of these to get the pressure right at the spray gun: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0163DBZ9W?tag=wranglerorg-20
If you already own a compressor you can buy a decent HVLP gun for $30-$40 and a couple of inline moisture filters. Of course the paints and solvents will cost more than rattle cans but the end result is worth it IMHO.
I've used this one twice now and it produces a very nice finish: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CPQDCXH?tag=wranglerorg-20
and last time I bought these filters instead of the throw aways because these are refillable: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0986VCVV3?tag=wranglerorg-20
and you'll want one of these to get the pressure right at the spray gun: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0163DBZ9W?tag=wranglerorg-20
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deserteagle56
Member
I beg to differ on the Krylon Fusion paint not holding up to exposure. 10 years ago I got tired of how hot the black roof would get here in the Nevada sun - it would literally burn your hand if you touched it in July or August. So I removed the top, washed it thoroughly with a scrub brush, then wiped it down with acetone. That's ALL the prep I did. Then I hit it with Krylon Fusion white paint - don't remember the exact shade of white and it doesn't perfectly match the white of the Jeep body but I didn't care. It took 7 cans of the Fusion paint to turn the black to pure white and as far as I'm concerned its one of the best things I've done to this Jeep. Made it useable during the summer months. Here's some before and after shots - the after shot was taken two weeks ago and as you can see, the white paint looks great after 10 years. That's just some good ol' Nevada dust on the back edge of the top.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
CreepinDeth
TJ Addict
Desert climate^ ?? What sheen?? Flat white?
Not the same here, Midwest winters
Who knows, but mine was a Semi-Gloss paint and its now COMPLETELY flat, zero gloss and patchy lookin. Cant distinguish that in pics
At any rate, you get what you pay for with a rattle can paint job on anything. Fusion isnt built for UV protection
SEM just isnt worth the $$$
Gotta just bite the bullet and get a proper 2 stage paint with a proper UV clear if you want things to last longterm. Alot of sellers on Ebay. Very reasonable
Not the same here, Midwest winters
Who knows, but mine was a Semi-Gloss paint and its now COMPLETELY flat, zero gloss and patchy lookin. Cant distinguish that in pics
At any rate, you get what you pay for with a rattle can paint job on anything. Fusion isnt built for UV protection
I have used SEM interior paints on 2 classics and my Jeeps interior doors. Every experience has been poor. I properly clean and prep too, but it just scratches too easily.
SEM just isnt worth the $$$
Gotta just bite the bullet and get a proper 2 stage paint with a proper UV clear if you want things to last longterm. Alot of sellers on Ebay. Very reasonable
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speeding_infraction
TJ Addict
After I fix the broken window frame, I probably just going to paint mine grey with a good uv coating. Going to be pretty hard to tell if it's faded or not.
I finished painting mine with SEM black paint this weekend. It looks pretty good but we'll see how long it holds up. The SEM paint isn't all that good for spraying large items, though. The spray pattern kind of sucks and there is a slight bit of tiger striping on top. No one looks up there, though I'll wax it up real good after the paint fully cures.
The rear glass was supposed to come today but is delayed. I spent way more than I wanted on parts for the wiper system, new hinges, wiring harness, spray reservoir, etc. But considering I bought this Jeep in 1997 and haven't had a car payment in ages I guess investing a little money is OK.
I'm still trying to figure out the seals for the wiper motor and posted another thread about that. That's the last thing that I need to figure out.
The rear glass was supposed to come today but is delayed. I spent way more than I wanted on parts for the wiper system, new hinges, wiring harness, spray reservoir, etc. But considering I bought this Jeep in 1997 and haven't had a car payment in ages I guess investing a little money is OK.
I'm still trying to figure out the seals for the wiper motor and posted another thread about that. That's the last thing that I need to figure out.
I top coated it with more SEM Trim Black. My Jeep is 28 years old with the original paint so I am not too worried about it.
I more meant did you topcoat the SEM with any sort of clear (matte or otherwise). I figure that'll help the longevity significantly.
I did not put anything on top of it. I'll put some paste wax on it after it cures.
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