Ok I know that this may seem impossible but I don't need a to-the-penny cost. I have a plain white truck that I would like to keep white just with fresh paint. It looks just like scouders truck (missing bed and plain white). What would I look to pay for something like that? I don't want a MAACO paint job but I don't want a show paint either. Just a factory look. All body parts are new or straight. Just needs to be prepped, primed and painted. Any ideas? I want to avoid paying too much. I may just take it to Mexico since I live like 5 minutes away.

 

Straight and clean $1000.00. Crew cab dually with a little work $2000.00 in S. Florida.

MT

 

A good quality pait job will run up the cost. A good paint job is in the prep work, if you sand and primer the truck by your self to get it just the way you want it and then bring it to someone to paint a couple layers of paint, then a couple layers of clear coat, shouldn't go any more than $1,000 tops. THIS price does depend on # of paint and clear coats, the less, the cheaper.

 

I just finished a paint job on my moms car using Dupont Nason Urethane enamel and it looked good. It was a Dodge emerald green metalic. Looks wet even when dry. The paint was about $126. I am going to start on my bed tomorrow using the same paint. I have $50 in primer/thinner and $110 in 1/2 gallon of paint/hardner/reducer. If I had went with a full gallon it would have been abot $210 total. The spray gun I have is a Central Pneumatic $50 special and a second hand compressor. All work I've done has been outside as well. If you were interested in doing it yourself and had the patience you could save alot by doing it yourself. Two seperate shops priced $900 and $500 to paint the bed if I brought it to them. For what you could save, you could buy yourself the tools and matierials and still come out ahead. I am using the money I saved to put a bedliner and other assesories on my truck.

Unfortunately, the days of the $500 quality paint job are over. I don't really enjoy the work that well and by no means consider myself an expert. But I look at it like an oil change. You can do it yourself for less than $20 sometimes less than $10, or you cam pay a garage from $25-$50 to do it for you. I just need it to look decent.

 

Good tips guys,


For those that are wanting to jump in to the do -it-yourselfer (diyer) auto painting, PLEASE understand that the new urethane paint take a cataylst (hardeners) which have in them isocyanates. This is a very BAD chemical that when exposed to it, can cause all kinds of problems to the human body ie: rashes, permanent and progressive lung damage, nerve ending disorders, on and on, that may show up instantly, or may not show up immediately and for some, maybe not for a year or more. But they will do damage ! ...

The people you may be getting your paint from , may or may not, ask you about what breathing protection you will be using with their products, because they ASSUME you are a pro and know how to work with their products safely ! Do yourself a favor and go to your browser and type it isocyanates, and follow the paint hits, you will be glad you did. Work safe, you will have many trucks in your lifetime, but just one body to work on them with. jmo

 

Pay attention to the warning above. My respirator has seen much better days but I used it anyway today. I am sitting here with a headache and all choked up (painter's lung) because of it. I am just glad I was only shooting primer today. That is what I get for trying to get all I can out of a piece of safety equioment. Be safe.

 

Yeah you don't want to mess around with isocyanates. I have been probably getting more exposure to them over the years then I care to think about, and I am still here and don't notice any problems yet. BUT they affect everyone different and the affects are not alway immediate. My old bosses dad almost died from having too much exposure over the years. He was in really rough shape, and his nervous system was all messed up. Also have met a painter or two who can no longer paint because they can't go near the isocyanates, it causes them to get sick and have trouble breathing. So use with caution. Air supplied respirator is what is mainly recommended to be safe, But use a charcoal respirator with new filters and cartridges with a good fit and plenty of ventilation where you are spraying at the very least. Also remember they enter the body through skin and eyes, so don't forget protection there either.

 

Are these "isocyanates" in the hardener for acrylic enamels?


I painted my truck recently with some "Cross Fire Acrylic Enamel" paint from NAPA and I'm just wondering how bad that stuff was for me. I did wear a charcoal mask most of the time while painting.