The cosmetic cleanup of OverlandXJ

[OverlandZJ]

A few have asked me when i planned to share my recent work on the Cherokee with the
folks here as i have elsewhere. I realize this wont be a popular cosmetic
upgrade to some here but i'm happy with how it's coming together. I'm the type
who tends to be a little...different. I apologize in advance for your lack of
taste. :shakin:

I originally built this rig back in 00-01 as a rockcrawler. Started loosing
interest in it and the rig pretty much sat except for the occasional camping
trip when a hectic job schedule allowed. Decided a few changes were needed if i
was to travel any distance with this Jeep... then i stumbled upon Expeditions
West and the Expedition Portal. :wings:

First on the list was the removal of some lift, about 3" and a change from 35"
Swampers to a 33" tire. This helped, but it wasnt enough of a change to enjoy
driving on the interstate. Next came a LongArm suspension when a bud had a group
buy on RE components, so i picked up the longarms and a new set of uppers. This
really changed the handling characteristics and i decided i can live with an XJ
again. :wings:

But there was a problem.. my rig was butt ugly with trail scars and mismatched
sheetmetal. (kinda like it's owner) But it was in excellent mechanical
condition, part of my relaxation comes in the form of a cold beer and a wrench
hanging with friends on the weekend. Time to clean her up.

I knew what i wanted for awhile, something that could blend in and not bring too
much attention.HA! I decided on Olive Drab and some camo accenting. I started by
ordering a set of seatcovers in camo from www.seatcovers.net They had a hard
time fitting a set of covers for my seat, they didnt have a proper template and
after a few failed sets they offered my money back. I wanted their product as i
had seem them on another rig and they were a quality item, so i refused a refund
and insisted they make a set to fit.... but i was willing to help in any way i
could. I ended up buying a seat and having it shipped to them directly for
proper measurements. I ended up with a set of covers that fit fantastic and i
was loving the product. In the end it cost me double, but i got what i wanted.

Now i had a base to match the camo interior on. I then ordered some material off
ebay that closely matched the seats and redid my headliner.

I wasnt happy with the soundbar being painted OD, so today i also covered that
in the same camo material, the sunvisors are next. Pics of these when installed.

 

[OverlandZJ]

Did a few more mechanical upgrades and maintenance for a bit. Decided i NEEDED
an RTT and decided to sell my 52 Willy's M38 project to fund the purchase.
Fortunately a local Jeeper (and member here.. LJRockstar) saw my ad and offered
me a deal. His Overland RTT and cash in exchange for the Willys... after
promising it would be a stock resto i agreed. Unfortunately i sold my matching
52 model year M100 1/4 ton trailer a year prior and only had the capability to
install the RTT on the rig. After aquiring Thule towers/crossbars the RTT was on
the rig. Then i aquired another trailer... which will be it's own thread later.

But she's still ugly ya say? I had a plan! A friend and local NAXJA Chapter
member just happened to be a professional bodyman.So some more dealing and i had
the bodywork lined up, which took some time to get started but it happened a few
months ago. Thanks Keith!

Took her home and primered the fresh bodywork. Started some other little
modifications and starting prepping for paint.... as i learned how to do it. An
old friend and former employer George from AJP, www.armyjeepparts.com had just
what i wanted in a color. George had a shade of OD color matched to old NOS
parts from late WWII through Korean era Jeeps, this is a semi-gloss paint and
exactly what i was looking for. Once the paint was aquired i started gathering
the rest of what i would need. HVLP gun, chemicals, sandpaper etc while i did
some other minor body work to the Cherokee. Swapped in tinted glass in the rear
doors and cargo area, rear 1/4 protection among other mods.

 

[OverlandZJ]

Since i dont have a garage big enough to paint a rig in i needed somewhere to
spray the Jeep. Again, a friend from NAXJA offered up his assistance, just had
to wait for good weather and our schedules to allow 2 days to get it done. This
happened about 6 weeks ago finally. I spent 8 hours on a saturday sanding,
sanding, sanding, and sanding some more, prepping, i was tired and didnt want to
shoot that day. ( OK, i was scared )

So sunday rolls around and i head back over to lay some color. I was hesitant
because i'v been told i'm anal and a perfectionist when i do a job. Yeah, i was
shocked too. So i dove in, started the heaters, wiped it down, and mixed paint.
Laid down the "tack coat" and had a much needed smoke. Then back to another full
coat. Baked for 1/2 hour, then laid down 2 more coats and baked for 2 hours. i
was scared to death of runs, so on the last coat i held the gun back too far and
laid down a dry coat which gave the surface some texture... which is fine for me
as i dont ever intend to wax this thing. No clear coat at this time either. I
may in the future wetsand and clear this after i spray my trailer and gain a bit
more experience. I know, wheres the damn pics already..

Pulled the masking off, reassembled it for the drive home quickly as we were
expecting a torrential downpour that evening. I thought about parking it under
the Gazeebo but i could fit it, i had to risk the weather.

 

[OverlandZJ]

So i let it dry for about a week, then started reassembling. Painting bumpers,
installing my old mods etc.

All that work and this is probably my favorite accomplishment.

As she sits today, i figured i'd snap a pic of the RTT open, installed some LED
lights on bottom of RTT and on Jeep hatch. And some more interior work as i
mentioned earlier while grilling for dinner. Oh, i picked up my new tires as
well.

It's not done yet, and wont be till i sell her. I'm in the middle of a new front
axle build, teaching myself to install ring and pinions now. Tires go on with
new Bilsteins when the axle gets installed.. hopefully in a few weeks. Then i'm
gonna want to get out!

Whatcha think? I'm thinking i wanna be the Chip Foose of Expedition builds, PM offers.

 

[MDZJ88]

I LOVE it!

A friend actually directed me to AJP yesterday because I want to paint my ZJ a desert tan(or possibly an olive drab similar to your color) to replace the uglyyyy lavender paint it has now(not the ZJ in the avatar, this is a new one).

Once again, I love what you've done with your XJ. Nice work!

EDIT: Noticed you're from PA! We should get together sometime and do a trip! You'd have to bare with me because, as my join date suggests, I'm just getting into this hobby...err...obsession. (Though I'm a very experienced camper)

 

[olympiccop2002]

That looks great! I love the color! Very, Very Nice! :wings:

Bjorn

 

[OverlandZJ]

Thanks Ben and Bjorn, much appreciated.

Ben, AJP has the desert tan paint in stock, but i dont know for how much longer. George mentioned it's a slow seller. I'll have to mention how popular it seems to be getting and have him hold off discontinuing for now.

If you wanna come and pick the paint up hit me with a PM, we'll meet for a cold one and lunch.

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Wow very nice, love the color choice!

 

[cshontz]

Very excited to see the new meat on, John.

 

[riverfever]

Way to go John! That looks incredible. I've always wanted to learn to paint but I get globs when I White Out stuff. Thanks for sharing.

 

[IH8RDS]

Looks good John, I too want to see the tires. :Astrologist:

 

[OverlandZJ]

Soundbar is covered and installed... much better than the OD paint. Sunvisors are next.

 

[StumpXJ]

A true inspiration for my build. Thanks for posting this info John, it looks fantastic, and even got my wifes approval (which as most know can be hard to get sometimes).

I cant wait to start on mine when I get home, I am writing this from a huge Ferry boat on the way back from Finland. We strapped the RTT to my wifes little suzuki wagon, and set out for a 4,800 kilometer round trip. Sure will be nice to do it with the XJ instead!

~James

 

[DH2002]

looks freakin sweet

 

[The Swiss]

What size are those? Taller but narrower; I love it!!!