Hi guys, I am a 1st timer here and have a question for you ford pros, I have acquired a 1994 f250 4x4 from my dad, the only rust on it is on the back fenders, front fenders, rockers, cab corners are clean, I had a quote of $3900 to repair and paint, he said he would put new panels in the back fenders or I could have fender flares put on which I don't know if I would like as well. It will only get about 5000 miles a year put on it, it now has 14000 miles and runs very good, so is it smart to put the money in it or let it go and drive it till it falls apart, I am in Michigan so how long would I get out of it before it starts going again? thanks for any and all advice.

 

Not a bad looking truck. BUT I see rot in the rear of the bed and like you said the rear wheel wells. I guarantee the radiator support is rotten too.

How much are you will ing to spend? a GOOD paint job is not going to be cheap, not do you need a full paint job.(at least $4500)

You could put bedsides son and have them painted and run it a while longer

 

Do they make aftermarket besides? I looked and didn't come up with anything.

 

snap some underbelly pics.its got 140,000 on it right? not 14,000.

 

Yeah. they are about $450

 

It's certainly worth while to cut out the rust and patch it so it doesn't get worse.

Heck, even a Maaco paint job after repairing the rust is better than letting it rot and doesn't cost a whole lot.

 

Yes 140000, it came from Colorado so it was completely rust free 6-8 years ago when it was brought back to Michigan. It has only been driven 20000 miles in Michigan. I will get some underbody pics.

 

for me paint has always been on the bottom of the list, there is usually a list of things to repair and upgrade mechanically, I agree with repairing the rot but it could also be agood time to spend 500 bucks on a sprayer set up and give it a go yourself. Or repair the rot and rhino line the interior of the bed and from the door line down to the rockers, it will be cheaper and in my opinion doesn't look half bad...

 

I would agree with going the maaco route. It seems like they can paint a vehicle for less than you can buy the paint and required materials. Plus in order to spray paint, you are going to need a big, decent quality compressor. And there is a learning curve.

 

I'll post pics of the underside later, can't get then to load from my phone, where can I get besides?

 

The problem with Maaco is the prep, or lack there of.
Their paint job is typically SINGLE stage with NO clear coat. Base/Clear costs more, a lot more than the typical $299 special.

If you do ALL the prep and JUSt have them paint, then you would be doing good.

I did this on a mason dump I had.

I sandblasted the body.
I replaced the cab comers.
I replaced the damaged fender and door
I stripped the truck down(windows, mirrors, bumpers, grill, emblems, etc)
I primed and I wet sanded.
All they had to do was tape the window openings, wipe it down and spray it

It costed me $450 and that was back in 2002(single stage)

 

The non metallics back then I believe were still single stage. But yeah, that's a god way to go at any rate. Depending on your paint source, you can spend a heck of a lot more than that on paint. Mine is 2 tone, 1 metallic with all PPG paints. I went with a cheaper primer, but I still had at least 6-7 hundred, not including masking supplies, abrasives, fillers etc. In my state, waterborne is now mandated, I have not as yet seen or used these products, and think I'll travel up the road if I run short in the near future.

 

here are some pics of the underside, pretty clean I would say, I was given the truck so I figured if I could dump 4 grand into it and make it really nice it might be worth it, I just looked at a 93 f250 tonight that was a rust bucket and he wanted 4500 for it but it did have a old plow on it.

 

take her in.spend the 4k you've been quoted to clean it up and spray her.you'll have that one for many years to come.good time to get her tu-toned.

here's to get you excited.


chip truck
before,(2009 w/50k miles) when purchased:



chip truck
after/current 2014:





mines not a 4k paint job.i stripped it down of all chrome before i took it in myself,just had the cab to paint,cab corners to replace and just had 'em pull the big dents.i didn't want to get too carried away with a work truck.....but i kinda went a bit over the top after with accessories but i can't help it.this body is just too sexy to ignore.

long live the 9th gens.

 

Great comments here (e.g. db's comments about Maaco FlakeO are spot on)........I'm a fabricator/welding instructor/inspector and always recommend that folks try investing a little personal time in painting their own vehicles --- a small $1000 investment in shop equip (Lincoln MIG 140C or Miller 140, compressor, etc) and you can fix each of those body panels yourself. FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE you can turn that garage into a paint booth with sheet plastic from Lowes, Home Depot and off you go..............