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It's coming home.

walkerhoundvm said:
I was going to mention something here along the lines of "some of these could be 80s era advertisements for Scramblers, but better." You've done a bang up job of saying what I was thinking, Jambo :)
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Perspective1.jpg
 
scramble1983 said:
I'm a little confused on the "anti-bedliner" opinions. Bed liner is no different than paint....yes, it's much more difficult to remove, however if the surface it bonds to is prepped correctly, there should be no issues with rust rearing it's ugly head. If you're actually going to use the bed, the bed liner (color matched) is ideal. Again, if it's not prepped correctly and superficial rust isn't removed, then painting over it will be no different, rust will appear under the paint. If that bed is sanded down, then POR-15 is applied , then bed lined at Line-x, there will be no problems. ICON sells 200k FJs, Broncos, etc.. and they are all encapsulated with Line-x. That being said, painting over rust with Herculiner / Lizard Skin/ Home depot version will not end well.
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I agree that bedliner can be a great product and I've used it on my own Jeeps (TJ's) in the past with great results. In this instance however, I do not think it is a good idea. There are so few nice, original paint CJ's and particularly Scramblers that it is worth saving the ones that remain and keeping them as original or easily returned to original as possible. Right now and for the foreseeable future, original paint/patina vehicles are the most sought after by collectors and can bring the biggest bucks, after all, they are only original once. The bedliner alone will turn off many collectors and I'd say easily take $5k off the collector value of the Jeep. Some may say "well I don't ever plan on selling" but even if you don't and pass it down to your kids at some point someone will want to sell it and they will thank you for not devaluing it and being a good caretaker of a rare vehicle. Secondly, I'm assuming that this Jeep is not going to be hauling loads of gravel or other stuff that will be sliding around tearing up the bed. I think, like was suggested earlier, that a good quality bed mat will be enough protection. IMHO if you put bedliner in it you might as well add diamond plate corners and flat fender the front.

In the end, it is your Jeep to do as you wish however, I hope you listen to all the opinions presented and weigh each option. Many of us envy your position of having such a rare, unmolested Scrambler and we are only offering advise because we know how hard it is to find the unicorn you have.

Just read this thread from another member that bought an original beauty: https://www.cj-8.com/forum/showthread.php?44942-To-build-or-not-to-build&highlight=
 
Amazing photos. Do you live actually right in that country? Do you every see RR and WC going at it racing around on rockets and stuff?
 
scramble1983 said:
I'm a little confused on the "anti-bedliner" opinions. Bed liner is no different than paint....yes, it's much more difficult to remove, however if the surface it bonds to is prepped correctly, there should be no issues with rust rearing it's ugly head. If you're actually going to use the bed, the bed liner (color matched) is ideal. Again, if it's not prepped correctly and superficial rust isn't removed, then painting over it will be no different, rust will appear under the paint. If that bed is sanded down, then POR-15 is applied , then bed lined at Line-x, there will be no problems. ICON sells 200k FJs, Broncos, etc.. and they are all encapsulated with Line-x. That being said, painting over rust with Herculiner / Lizard Skin/ Home depot version will not end well.
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I don't want to hijack this thread, but yes, in a perfect world, bed liner would be the best thing since sliced bread. However, in practice, it seems that it sticks to itself just fine, not so much to the underlying metal, even when properly prepped. Then, the bed liner gets a cut/hole, allows moisture in. That "prepped" metal floor now has moisture trapped against it, and it rusts.

Another member here had a perfectly prepped floor, bed liner applied, and it still rusted under the liner.

With paint, at least you can see rust forming. I would think it would cost the same to repaint a bed as lining it :shrug:

More power to ICON for selling 200k bed lined stuff, personally, I would never buy an ICON vehicle, or another bed linered vehicle :twocents:
 
We can put the bedliner debate to rest. I just cancelled the appointment. The plan is to remove as much of the white paint as possible and then re-paint the panels that need it. I prefer to do it mechanically/manually rather than chemically. I have a variable speed random orbital sander and an angle grinder...so I'll see what I can find for either of those tools at Moab's hardware stores Saturday. I'm thinking maybe some 200-400 sandpaper discs and possibly a wire cup brush or bristle disc. I just used some 200 sandpaper and was able to remove some of the white overspray from the sides of the bed...rather easily.

As for painting, I've gotten very good results rattle-canning parts before...or I have a Wagner Power Painter that I bought a few years ago and hasn't been out of the box yet. I can come much closer to a color match if I have paint mixed for the Power Painter. If I screw it up, I can always take it into town and have the pros do it. The only parts that would absolutely need to be painted are the bulkhead, inside tailgate, and wheel wells...and possibly the floor unless I just want to cover it for now with a mat. It looks like BedRug makes a rug that would at least cover and protect the tailgate.
 
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gazzo said:
Amazing photos. Do you live actually right in that country? Do you every see RR and WC going at it racing around on rockets and stuff?
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You can't always believe what you see in cartoons. Coyotes do not ride rockets. I've seen a bunch and often hear them howling at night around the cabin. While they are, in fact, rocket-fast, I have yet to see or hear one actually riding a rocket. If I did, I'm sure I'd report the noise violation. We have no roadrunners so the local coyotes spend their time harassing rabbits and other small rodents.

And yes, I do live "right in that country." There is a live weather cam on the outside wall of the cabin about 6 feet from my desk. You can see it here: http://www.perpetual-images.com/weather/weather.htm . The camera app is a Java thing, so some browsers (like Google Chrome) will not allow it to run. Internet Explorer still allows Java. But even Java is making it harder for unsigned apps to run because there are apparently a lot of nefarious types out there. Even on my computer, I recently had to put my site in the "exception site" list under Security in the Java Control Panel in order to see my own weather cam.
 
I'm glad you have reconsidered the bedliner. I think you will be happy you did too in the long run.

As for the paint, you might try using some lacquer thinner on a small area to see if that will take the white paint up without sanding. If that doesn't work you might try wet-sanding. If still not working, then a DA sander should work. The sander is going to leave the original finish dull and as with any mechanical sander you are probably going to burn through the original paint on all the edges and that will require a re-spray.
 
I just pulled the rear bumper in the hopes that I'd be able to have it powder coated. But...when I tried to remove the end caps, the bolts that appear to be embedded into the caps turn with the nuts...even after using something like Knock'er Loose. So I guess I'll mask the end caps really well (along with the tread on top of the bumper) and take it down to the paint shop. The only rust on the entire vehicle is inside the rear bumper, so hopefully they can remove that rust without damaging the end caps, which are apparently worth their weight in gold from what I've read on this forum. The bumper needs to be refinished since paint is chipping off in a couple of places and the spots where the paint previously chipped off were retouched...rather poorly.

The guy I bought it back from installed a trailer hitch that mounted only to the bumper (not the frame) and at some point, there was enough torque put on the bumper to slant it downward. But there is enough adjustment in the mounting holes that I'll be able to make it level again rather easily. With the adjustment and possibly a shim on the bottom bolt that attaches to the frame cross member, it will be level again when it goes back on in a week or so.
 
For the bumper cap bolts (and any stuck bolt really) use a mixture of automatic transmission fluid and acetone. About 80% ATF to acetone, doesn't have to be exact. A couple treatments over the day and you should be able to get the bolts out.
What is the color of your jeep? Mine is the same color/year and is about due (ok, way past due) for a repaint. It's kinda grown on me and yours is to be envied.

Sent from my SM-N910V
 
So I ended up painting the bed myself after spending a day sanding, prepping, and masking. It got 3 coats of Machine Grey gloss and two coats of Satin Clearcoat. I REALLY like the "Secure Trunk Box" from GR8TOPS.



 
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Welcome and great thread Frank.
Neat that you got your Scram back after all these years.
Keep posting up the photos please.
 
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What an amazing backstory - too cool! So many of us would love to own a previous CJ again, but are unable to track it down, or if found the vehicle is nowhere near the condition it was in.

Thanks for all of the excellent pics and well-written posts.

Please continue to keep us updated and most importantly, enjoy that beautiful Scrambler in that amazing scenery.

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scramble1983 said:
Is the black center paint as well?
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Looks like a rubber bed mat to my old eyes.

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SKT said:
So many of us would love to own a previous CJ again, but are unable to track it down, or if found the vehicle is nowhere near the condition it was in.
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Here is just one example that came to mind after reading your wonderful success story on being reunited w/ your old Scrambler.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/help-me-find-my-1986-cj7-renegade-1287456/

Cliff notes:

* Guy buys new '86 CJ-7 Renegade

* Guy gives it to HS son in original condition.

* Son does a few mild mods, but keeps it mostly OEM.

* Son sells CJ w/ 55k original miles and in great condition.

* Son regrets selling it. Wants to track it down in an attempt to re-purchase it.

* Son soon learns that it was involved in an accident while on a roll-back after Collin Brothers bought it and was having it towed to TX.

* CJ was completely damaged during the accident.

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scramble1983 said:
Is the black center paint as well?
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No, the center is a heavy duty, 3/8" thick, "cord-enhanced rubber compound" truck mat that I cut to fit. It can easily come out to make sure the bed stays in good shape underneath. It's easier to remove than spray-in bedliner or Herculiner.
 
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Awesome thread. Great looking Scrambler and beautiful country. Glad to hear you skipped on the bedliner. When I peeled mine off during the restore, there wasn't just rust underneath, but standing water also. The rather thick liner was full of pinholes when I peeled it. Plus with all the pollen around here, it went from nice an black when we bought it to a yellowish grey in a few years.

Love the Moab area. The wife and I stopped in Moab for our Honeymoon and 10 year anniversary. Would love to be able to spend more time there. Probably one of our more favorite park areas after Big Bend.
 
Moabite said:
No, the center is a heavy duty, 3/8" thick, "cord-enhanced rubber compound" truck mat that I cut to fit. It can easily come out to make sure the bed stays in good shape underneath. It's easier to remove than spray-in bedliner or Herculiner.
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Now that is awesome. Great solution that looks factory.
 
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