Needing paint and painting advice

I just purchased a 1996 SR5 Ext. Cab 4x4 for 4k and mechanically it is a beauty but the paint is another story. I have chipping on one side really bad from where a typhoon wrecked the side with rocks but no dents just chips but the other side is like new. I want to get the whole thing completely repainted and I wasn't sure if some you guys here had gotten your truck painted and I am just looking for advice when searching for a place to do a decent job and how much you spent for the paint job. I was toying with the idea of getting the whole truck line-x-ed but it might be more than I wanted to spend. Any advice for paint would be greatly appreciated! There are a few tiny spots with surface rust but nothing you couldnt get off with a brilla and wd40 so its real light.Any advice for paint would be greatly appreciated! Here are some pictures of my truck but you can't really see the paint damage

 

I will not be painting it at home and here is a better picture to see what the tailgate looks like and the passenger side looks the exact same as the tailgate. It does not show up in the pictures well but I does need to be painted pretty badly.

 

I'd leave it or at the very most go to Maaco and get a cheap paint job... especially if you plan on wheeling it

sweet looking ride, btw

 

I appreciate it. I am really wanting to just protect the metal because there are some rust spots forming

 

Got a quote today for $2k to paint it. Sounds pretty steep to me. Anyone else get their truck painted and what was your price on it? Any one line-x your truck either?

 

$2K-$3K is about what you should expect to pay for a quality paint job on an entire vehicle. The more door jabs and painting in the engine bay would make it more expensive. Most likely anything under $2K corners will be cut somewhere, either in cheaper paint and materials or a less experienced body shop. If budget is your #1 concern and not quality, than as others have mentioned take it to Maaco for a $250-$500 paint job and be done with it.

 

I've always heard $3,000 - $4,000 to get a good quality paint job.

 

It's a 17 year old truck that got caught in a typhoon, be thankful it's as mechanically sound as it is... A paint job for that is going to cost more than the truck is worth, so just enjoy it.

 

I won't be enjoying it long if it rusts out because I didn't take care of the metal under the paint. Thanks for the input though

 

I painted my old ford in high school myself. I had to take the old chipped paint down to the metal in some places so I had to spray three coats of primer then paint and clear coat. Buy an air compressor, sprayer with a good filter, and an orbital sander. Go to a kelly-moore or other auto paint supply store and get good orbital sanding pads starting at 120 grit and work up to 250. Then you will have to wet sand with 250 up to like 500 or so. Next have them color match your paint. Practice with your sprayer, tape off your truck and spray away. It is very time consuming but you can put on a semi-professional job yourself for about $600. Don't use a metallic color, I used one on my truck and it feathered really badly, it looked great anyway but it would have looked much better without metallic. Make sure you are inside a well ventilated shop with plastic over everything when you spray, and let off a bug bomb the day before you start spraying.

 

Your $2k quote actually does not sound too bad for a whole truck repaint. Quality jobs can run more than $4k, and cheap Maaco jobs might be as low as $250, but you get what you pay for. Considering the age and value of the truck, but on the other hand how long you want to keep and enjoy it, if the $2k quote is for a quality job (sand, prime, base, clear), then that is not a bad option. If you are planning on wheeling the crap out of it, then a cheaper job might do it.
Keep in mind that if you stick to the same color, it should be a lot cheaper because they do not have to do all the masking and paint inside the door jambs, engine compartment etc.
Also, most of the cost is in the prep work - sanding takes time, so if you go get a cheap Maaco job, they might not sand much - sand a light scuff and paint over the dings, which will show through afterwards.

 

Take it to a place like Maaco and get the "20 foot" paint job.

That way you don't spend much and won't worry about the paint if a tree branch drags across it. It'll also be done well enough to protect the metal that is now exposed.

 

10-4... that is what I am planning on doing here shortly but also getting some line x quotes

 

Thats a nice trk but don't fuck it up with Line X, I had estimates on my Black Sand Pearle and was quoted $350-$450 a panel. I'de leave it as is before I would let Maco touch it, thats as bad as Line X.

 

I disagree.

 

x2 I love your truck, just not the price tag for the line-x

Way i see it, if im going to pay for a "quality" paint job even though its not technically paint id go with something like this for the simple fact that you wont have to worry about scratching it ever again so it will eventually pay for itself with never needing a new paint job even though the maaco jobs are cheap its more hassle than its worth imo... Go ahead and do it like this if you plan to wheel it..

Op nice new truck and scoring a good deal on it... minus the paint. Bedlining is a good option imo for stated reasons, wish i could afford to do it to mine! But whats up with the TG bumper facing downwards under the front fenders??? Shouldnt it be straight?

 

If you ever do get the cash, I think LineX in white would be badass! A friend at work is gonna do her FJ white

 

Yea im kind of torn on whether or not to do a color..if i do is between 2 being white and gunmetal

 

2gs is a good price if you want it the same color as it is now, that's the lowest I'd recommend going. Make sure that includes sanding and or filling all of the chips out.

The cheapest option would be to get it painted base white with a single stage urethane paint. That'd run you about $1K TO $1400. And that would be outside only: no door jambs, tailgate jamb, under-hood etc. It would be good durable paint, but will likely have a hint of orange peel look to it..... not recommended unless you are purely concerned with rust prevention. This is a common paint for work trucks, or trucks that will be wrapped.

Really, for a high quality paint job you're looking at at least $4k. The 2K paintjob will pass for most though. If you just maaco over the chips as is it will look like crap.

Maybe see if they'll just paint the passenger side and tailgate for $1k...?

 

I got a quote to paint my '66 mustang for $13k. $4k would be a reasonable price for a prep, epoxy primer, base and clear paint job. Materials alone can easily be $1000. I bought supplies to paint my canopy and I got a price break on the primer, base and clear and I spent over $300. If I would have paid retail for the quart of Barcelona Red Metallic it would have been $300 alone.

Don't paint it yourself unless you either already have a 60 gallon air compressor, air dryer or a way to keep the moisture from forming in the lines, an air filtration setup, good quality spray guns for base and clear(nothing is worse than wet sanding orange peel), buffer(cut and buff when you do get orange peel and you have to wet sand it smooth) and a large area to build a makeshift paint booth or you have the money, time, skill and resources to invest in all of that and I am definitely leaving stuff out.