I have posted on another diesel forum for a long time but the traffic has died down so I thought I would ask here. I have a 2000 Reg Cab long bed, 4r00 with 3:73.1 gears and 125,000 miles.

I have gone thru and O-ringed the fuel filter housing, Parker sleeved fuel lines, o-ringed Turbo and pedestal and installed a wicked wheel. I flushed the antifreeze and added Zerez ELC with a billet thermostat cover, Motorcraft thermostat, coolant filter and all new houses and Degas bottle and cap. I installed new IC and Plenum boots and all listed has mostly been from Clay at RiffRaff. I had the muffler deleted It runs like a new one except for steering slop and the brakes shakes when they get warm. It has no rust.

My wife said today that I could have $3,000 from taxes and I thought about getting it painted, the dent in the door fixed, Chrome bumpers front and rear and such as that BUT,,,,

I would like to get some factory rims and tires and maybe paint laid down but what I would really like to do is stuff like rebuild the front brakes from bearings to the pads, maybe add a bigger trans cooler even though a 4,500 bay boat is all it see's, I would still like to fix the broken cup holder and stuff like that. I can plastidip the grill and bumpers. I guess I would rather have a rock solid working tow rig that a pretty truck. I know after even a maacco paint job with some body work I will not have a ton of money left but I do my own work. The steel wheels have got to go but maybe I can find some factory take off's for cheap. Do you guys gals agree? Thans

 

no, I personally don't agree.
I've had many cars over the years, some of them painted by others, two painted by a bargain basement shop called Maaco, one of them I was stupid enough to pay for myself( the other came that way)


I can say with complete and unqualified confidence that I would achieve a superior paint product by giving my 5 year old daughter a can of glitter glue and a book of Hello Kitty stickers to fix a paint job than to give it to those morons at Maaco.


You could get straighter body work by paying a strung-out hooker to throw ****** at the dent in a fender than a Maaco 'technician' could ever hope to achieve with a hammer and dolly.


get the truck running to where you're happy with it FIRST. then worry about the body. To be honest, and I'm clearly being honest, if you're patient, you can get a remarkably good paint job from a 12 pack of rustoleum and a little rubbing compound to clear out the orange peel. I've done this on a few cars over the years and you can do a lot better than most shops will.


Never again.

 

I know what you are saying, but I took it to a collision center near me that does insurance work and they are known for quality and the price I got was more than I consider the truck worth.

The guy next door to me just shot his RV outside " by the moonlight" and it looks awesome. He said 75% of it is prep and buffing after the fact. I have some spots that are to the metal but that is on the bed.

I think I will look around for factory wheels and put new tires on them and go from there. The guy who shot his RV has offered to help me paint it. I realized the Maaco jobs could not be good when a quality gallon of paint is around $250.

So I am going to buy new rotors, bearings and such to make it last awhile and work on the body as I go. My drivers side door has a dent that goes into the bed. The bed can be fixed easy but I may check a you pull it junk yard near by for a door. I am just going to get a new tail gate from Rock Auto, the floor of my bed is like new.

 

I can't agree more with the advice on Maaco. They do absolutely no prep work, barely tape anything off, do horrible body work and you will have overspray everywhere and the paint will literally be falling off in about a year or less. If you want a decent paint job for cheap then check out some local high schools. Any of them that have a vocational section generally have an auto body class and they will paint your car for free for allowing them to learn on it. All the ones I have seen come out of our school here have looked as good as professional shops.

 

I've seen some decent Macao paint jobs ...you get what you pay for. Personally for an older vehicle that I was just looking to make it look a bit fresher I'd paint it myself in the driveway. All the prep is the actual work, spraying is the fun part.

 

So I would be better off letting my neighbor gun it after we do the prep work. He painted a RV and a old Dodge Dart that looks really nice. The only reason I was looking at Maaco is the one in Land o Lakes FL has a 5.0 star rating and I hear people here talking about how they are one of the best ones. I got to see one car they did in person and it looked decent.

The only thing about this Maaco is the prices are not $299 to $499, they quoted me $1,800 to paint mine with a color change. I asked why the higher price and the guy told me they spend a lot of time on prep. I just worry about the cheap paint they use because the good paint I priced was around $250 a gallon. I reckon I will just prep it and take it next door. He will do it for free.

 

trust me, Rustoleum rattle can is better than Maaco.

 

This is a no brainier for me. Replace the door, do the body work, prep it, and let your neighbor spray it. Quality paint and body work is expensive as hell now days(thank you EPA). Spend 500-1000 on a decent shade tree paint job now, use the rest of the money on new brakes, steering, Craigslist wheels and tires, and any other maintenance it needs. You can spend 3-5k on a quality paint job in a couple years if you still have the truck.

 

Absolutely let the neighbor paint...you've seen he's capable, your not trying to build a show truck but I suspect he'll surpass your expectations. I'd look at aftermarket wheels takeoffs are not always a bargain especially the newer ones.Hell yeah fresh paint and some custom wheels you'll be looking nice

 

Helarious!

 

This is the route I am taking. I am going to do the paint last as it is more of a cosmetic issue and I have no rust spots. I have been looking at take off's but for not much more I can get a set of decent aftermarket wheels that have the look I want because I want black.

I have done the research and with as good as Gary is with a gun ( he painted U-haul trucks for years ) I can spend less than a $1,000 on quality paint and supplies and have a very good paint job. He said I would need a good bit of 2,000 grit wet sand paper as he uses a lot between coats

As has been said it is my tow truck not a show truck and I just want it to look nice and I feel he can do as good as a factory job. All the stuff I have looked at that he has painted is slick and he is willing to help as much as I need, He is a good guy.

 

I would absolutely take him up on that. You get the experience of someone you know can do it well, you learn an new skill and you get your truck painted well for a reasonable price. Win, win, win.

I would keep my eye peeled on Craigslist for wheels. I saw a set of 2002ish F250 Lariat wheels listed for $100 the other day in my area.

I see stuff like this all the time for the older trucks.

https://houston.craigslist.org/wto/5951919428.html
https://houston.craigslist.org/wto/5963589862.html
https://houston.craigslist.org/wto/5975274318.html

 

Thanks for the heads up, those are some good deals

 

Answered your own question bud. Spend the extra money on trips you and your wonderful wife can enjoy. Oh and fix your brakes

 

I'm a fan of make the foundation solid and dependable first. examples, Brakes, a Brake Fluid Flush, Wheel Bearing Repack, Motor Craft Spark Plugs and Wires, Hoses and Belts,
Belt Tensioner, possibly the Water Pump (you have everything off) Cooling System Flush, Transmission and Filter Change, Rear Diff Oil (don't forget the limited slip additive) Wiper Blades, Shocks and and and. Body Work and Paint is all about preparation. There are enough You Tube Videos on Sanding Techniques and Painting Preps that you can do yourself.