Re-paint insanity

So,

My '07 long bed dual cab, looks like the surface of the moon, courtesy of the Hawaiian Sun.

My question is:
1. How insane would it be to respray it in Solar Octane (or a similar colour)
2. If I'm respraying myself, do you think it'll save me a lot of effort to just respray it the same colour it is?

Anyone have a rough idea how much Base and Clear I'd need to respray? I have an after market front and rear bumper that wouldn't need respraying.

 

Changing colors - done correctly - is a real bear. That's because you have to respray the door jambs, under the hood, etc. Changing colors can also dramatically reduce your resale value.

If you're doing it yourself, stick with the original color. It's way easier.

 

You can't just spray it and get a decent job. Paint is 90% prep and 10% paint.
Just go to Maaco or similar and let them paint it. Unless you have experience in automotive paint and body.
As bad as they are, it will look better, and be a lot less hassle on you.

 

www.monstaliner.com

It's an 18 yo 2wd truck with ?? miles in a geographically limited market. Resale value is unlikely to be a significant concern. Neat, clean and durable would be better than peeling paint.

 

1. and 2. Respraying it a different color is umpteenth times more difficult if you are aiming for even a semi-professional result. It takes a lot more effort and labor to change colors properly. Think about having to remove the hood and doors and bumpers to avoid it looking like a patch job. After all the effort in doing a full paint job, you will be seeing the contrast between the original paint color and the new paint color every time you open the door or the hood. Similar in concept to whenever you approach your car your eyes focus on that one little ding that nobody else notices but it annoys you a little every time.

The amount of Base and Clear depends on which brand of paint you use.

Count on about 1 gallon of base coat (which will yield around two gallons after it's mixed with reducer).

For the Clear, most auto paint manufacturers sell it as a "kit", which includes the clear, reducer, and hardener. It's often sold in the 5 liter size (close to about 5 quarts). Make sure you let the supplier know that you need the type of clear coat that is going to be air dried (i.e., not baked in a booth), otherwise you may end up with a clear finish that stays tacky and never really cures. Also, specify the type of hardener that is used for the ambient temperature that you are expecting when you will be painting (up to 75 degrees Farenheit is for the "normal" hardener, above 75 you need a slower drying hardener, etc...).

You also need at least a 5 to 7.5 hp compressor to ensure that you have a constant level of PSI at the gun when you are spraying for an extended period of depressing the trigger. Finally, if you can get some really good ventilation in the garage (big fan in front, big fan in back, and maybe A/C filters sealing up the partially open garage door) you will avoid the dulling back effect that happens when a large cloud of clear ends up landing back down on the horizontal surfaces because there is no air movement.

Not an easy project but it can be very rewarding if you have the time, materials and patience. Good Luck and don't forget to post pics.

 

Need a quality compressor with a huge tank as you need the non stop volume, high quality large water seperators, costly purchase....
My neighbor & I painted my 1972 240z, white with a ton of clear with violet pearl in the clear, looked amazing....
Should have sold that car....

 

Yeah I think this will be the go.

Thanks Mate.

 

probably looking at $6k or more for a decent color change job and I imagine you will be seeing constant reminders of the old paint color all around the vehicle all the time that they cant get to or wont. Probably legal title registration paperwork you have to go thru to I would imagine. I'd definitely repaint with factory color or trade it for what you want.

 

1) Don’t attempt painting it yourself unless you have experience and expertise in prep and auto painting. You will likely screw it up otherwise.
2) what ever you do paint it the same color, it’s easier and cheaper to do so.
3) Don’t take it to a shop that’s going to charge $5000 to $8000 or so to paint it. It’s 18 years old, it ain’t worth it.
4) Take it to Maaco. A lot of people bad mouth Maaco but you’ll find most of those people have second hand information. Their friends , cousins, brother had a bad experience or what ever. I had my truck and camper top done at Maaco 4+ years ago and it still looks like new. My neighbor had his truck done about the same time by a different Maaco shop, still looks great.A friend had his 25 year old Chevy truck done a couple years ago and it looks great also.
Here’s a pic of my truck taken last year , I think you’ll like the results.
(I’ve been to islands numerous times and am always amazed by all the Tacos I see there, especially on Maui. I think it must be the official state truck or something)

 

Thanks Mate,

I think that’s the way to go.

Yeah the Taco certainly makes me feel a bit more local, despite the Aussie Accent haha

 

I second Maaco. I had my 09 done over the summer and it came out very nice.

 

I think when the time comes for my truck, I would love it to have it in Wind Chill Pearl.

 

Not sure if there are many on the islands but I had a full size truck painted at a vocational technical high school. Cost was very reasonable at materials plus $10/hr.

 

That looks amazing!

did you go for the preferred paint?

 

I would have to look at the receipt. Here we go

 

The "surface reconditioning" as opposed to stripping it down to bare metal is a major aspect of keeping the cost of the paint job reasonable. Definitely a good option if you just want a decent looking daily driver. In that case the additional expense of a fully strip down to bare metal is a waste of labor and materials IMO.
That truck, painted for $1600 looks damn good!