Paint After Lift?

I am planning on painting and lifting my 89 XJ but i am wondering should i lift it before i paint and put on the bigger tires in case there is rubbing and i need to trim the fenders? Or will i be safe with a 4.5 inch Rusty's lift and 32x11.5 BFG A/T KO's for a DD with some weekend offroading?

save yourself some money and be on the safe side of things....paint after the lift. flex it out and make sure it doesn't rub, trim where needed, then paint. then if you end up having to trim, you can fix it right the first time and save yourself some headache.

I just painted my 89 jeep (last week), but I went for the lift, tires, trimming and everything before hand. That way I was able to wheel the heck out of it and get scratched and dented before I got the body fixed and painted. Just be aware, after you paint it, if you are like me, you will be hesitant about wheelin'. After about $1000 in exterior mall-crawler shine you won't really want to get it all ugly again.

I don't understand... what's the paint for?

xj-fx said:

I don't understand... what's the paint for?

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To make it shine more under the lights at the mall, next to the ricers and bagged trucks.

xj-fx said:

I don't understand... what's the paint for?

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slow down the oxidation process, at least up here.

x2 on the rust prevention...

I got a custom paint job as a surprise present, but for some reason I have had no issues with "customizing" it even more on the trail since then... First real trip out I put the rocker panel right back where it's supposed to go...dented in for more clearance!

From experience, painting the roof on a lifted XJ is a bitch.

It is something to show how brushy the trails were by leaving big scratches down the side. I have factory white with mis-matched spray jobs to cover up bondo jobs and rock rash all over it. I would never paint it. It is a Daily driver , but I like the trails. I do hate dents though. I put them in and then pound them out and bondo them. They are kind of wavy , but doesn't look as bad as a big ass dent. When it is strictly trail I'll quit worrying about pounding shit out and worry more about axle strength and crap like that.
I would defintely lift and cut before painting though. 32 MT's will still grab fenders and flares at 4.5 and 5". I run at 5" and 33x10.5 and have had to cut quite a bit off flares and fenders.

i painted mine last weekend too. I have to paint it almost every weekend after a trip.

fryed_1 said:

i painted mine last weekend too. I have to paint it almost every weekend after a trip.

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Yep, Me too. Krylon Kruzin !