97 XJ hood paint has cancer

Yet the rest of the vehicle is great, and shines up nice with a little fine rubbing compound.

Has anyone successfully had just the hood painted - cheaply - without being strongarmed into getting the whole Jeep repainted?

Is my plan of getting just the hood repainted in kinda-matching-black by a discount paint shop (Maaco, Peach) for less than $100 at all realistic? I'll get the whole thing repainted whenever I have money for bodywork, but for now, holy cow, that hood looks like sh*t.

Depends on what colour, almost any auto parts shop will carry paint for it.

Here is what to do(Budget)
1. Sand the hood with some 1000 grit sand paper.
2. Paint the hood with your can o' paint(wait till paint dries to proceed to next step)
3. Sand with 2000 grit paper(wet sandpaper with water and a bit of dish detergent)
4. Repeat 2-3
5. Get some Polishing compound and wax away.
Total cost about $30

Realistic and Professional way
1. Sand hood with 1000 grit sandpaper
2. Spray down primer(Wait till primer is dry to proceed to next step)
3. Sand primer with 1000 grit sandpaper
4. Repeat 2-3
5. Spray down base coat(colour)(Wait until paint is dry to proceed to next step)
6. Sand with 2000 grit sandpaper
7. Repeat 5-6
8. Spray down clear-coat (Wait until paint is dry to proceed to next step)
9. Sand clearcoat with 2000 grit sandpaper
10. Repeat 8-9
11. Rub polishing compound on hood.
12. Wipe off with dry towel(Pref. non-paper)
13. Repeat 11-12
14. Your done
Total cost $75-$85

Or, go to Wally World, Buy a caint of cheap Krylon and paint the whole hood.
Total cost $3.75

Your answer is both quick and thorough. Thank you sir, I now have my weekend planned.

97 XJ, plain old black. What's the best match (i.e. brand, store) and what's recommended for primer and clearcoat? Amounts, also.

I'm doing this with aerosol cans - no professional spray gun here.

Hey man, you might also want to make sure your hood liner is in tact. I have heard that if the hood liner is missing that this leads to the hood paint deteriorating because of the heat. Mine did the same exact thing and I do not have a hood liner...

Rest assured I will have one soon since I'm sanding the whole thing this weekend for a fresh coat of paint!

Sorry, to answer you question about spray cans. I've had good luck with rustoleum cans and they are easy to find. I would think 2 cans of gloss black and 2 cans of clear would be more than enough. Just be sure to follow the directions on the can and you will likely get good results. be sure to tape of the surrounding areas too...

Good advice on both your responses - thanks! (Yup, I have to replace my hoodliner).

Last question - as far as "matching" paint (and I use the term loosely) - if the paint was gloss black back in 1997, should I use a semi-gloss or semi-flat black and then clear over it - to fake a faded appearance?

If you have a local non-chain auto parts store, they might be able to mix you DuPont automotive paint, color matched, in a spray can. My local shop can do it either by the factory paint code or by matching the color itself, and it costs like $25 for enough to do the hood and then some. They matched it perfectly on my Nissan that I had to use it on.

Pfeh! Rustoleum satin black rattlecan matches perfectly with one coat of clear over it. I guess I lost 2 levels of sheen over the years!

Glad it worked out!!!