Hey guys I was hoping have my truck painted by now but the guy that was going to paint it doesn't really care to. Every shop I take it to around here just seems to want to do insurance work and not repaint an entire vehicle. I found a guy that does body work on the side and he said he would repaint it. He descriped that he would take the bed off the frame and spray the frame and take care of all the rust and even patch the floor pans if I bought the replacement ones. But its going to cast around $3,000 to $4,000 dollars. Do you guys think it is worth it? Here is a few picks of the truck and how it looks now.

 

the body looks pretty straight. I don't know if that's a good price for the paint and body work or not.

 

yeah I am not sure now. I love the truck to much to let it go and start rusting. If I don't get it painted I will have to sell it. I couldn't just watch it get bad.

 

$3000-$4000 is right around show car painting (correct me if i am wrong, that was we got estimated for my dads t-bird actually it was about 5 but still) it depends how detailed you want it? i mean if he is going to fix it all, take the bed off paint it, hopefully powdercoat the frame, is he going to take the doors off? fenders? i mean what kind of paint job are we talking? because you could take it to a maaco get a $400 one for pretty cheap lol. if you're in the eastern wa/north idaho area i could do it hahah

but it depends on what you want to use the truck for, if you're going to use it like a everday truck maybe dont paint it, or get a cheaper paint job.

if it is going to be not an everday truck, you better hope it is a nice paint job.

how much work are we talking rust wise? the floorpans how bad? the more you can do on your own the cheaper.

my dad had his 95 chevy repainted, about 10 dents pulled out big and small, some chrome redone a new fender and front grille for 900 bucks and the paint job was nice on it, it was "economical" but it wasnt bad and it'd be something i'd get for an everyday truck

 

that is what i was trying to get at, with Ben. I have had things dones for a lot of money and regretted it much later, like my fuel lines, transmission lines and stuff like that from a guy i really didnt know but was the only one who would touch my truck and i ended up just redoing it myself later. just make sure you can trust him. i am sure you can find it cheaper, but thats why i was asking the extent of the work

 

I agree. Ask the guy to give you the names some of people whos vehicles he's done and talk to them. If they are happy and you like the work, go for it . Your truck looks like it's pretty solid and would be worth spending that kind of money on.Just check his work first . For that much money it should be a pretty nice job.

 

I don't know how much you know about body work, but you could try and paint it yourself. I have painted many vehicles outside and in a garage with 3 box fans and the garage door sitting on top. You can paint outside after the first freeze of the fall or early spring before the bugs come out. Won't be show quality but could still look pretty good and a learning experience and you could say you did it yourself. Just and idea.

 

I like your truck the way it is. I'm more into vehicles that you can romp around in and not be afraid to scratch. I'd rather spend the money on stuff like the drivetrain. But to each his own.

 

It looks great in my book. I think I would just drive it like it is until you have the time and money to put into it.

 

I like the way it looks too. Once it is painted you'll be afraid to scratch it. I seem to remember a thread a long time ago about someone using some kind of kit to roll paint on and it looked decent. You could try to fix some of the rust yourself.

 

That's probably a pretty fair price if he is going to take the bed off and repair your floor along with painting. Paint is going to vary so much in price. I'll have $7000 in mine also which included paint, cab corner repair, cab top repair and dent work on the bed. The paint was pretty expensive, but It doesn't bother me TOO much because the guy is doing really good work and doesn't take any short cuts at all. BUT, you can paint a vehicle for much less, it just matters what kind of quality you want.

 

The main question you need to ask is "how much bondo is he using?" Where bondo is used it could easily "Go Bad" in 2 years. It depends on his prep work.

The second question is "why take off the bed to "do it right" if you don't take off the cab and do it right"?

Before you say Okie Dokie you need to closely examine some of his past work. Use a magnet as well. Bondo can hide alot.

I was once told "you can put a dress on an Old Lady of the Evening but you will still have a Old Lady of the Evening".

Just how good is your running gear?

What are you gonna do with the truck after it is painted? Drive it or will it be parked. If it will be parked then it doesn't really matter how good the running gear is. If it an every dayer i would want it as mechanically sound as can be.
I am not trying to upset you I am just trying to be practical.

It looks like a nice truck. Enjoy it.

 

Thanks guys. this is the feed back I have been lookin for. the truck is in really great shap except for the cab corners but just the door jam parts. He is wanting to cut them out and weld new pieces in. I have all new parts mirrors lights everything except the grill. The guy told me to come by and see some of his work he is currently working on a chevelle. I got his number off a guy that he used to work for who says he is really good. I have the money saved but now that it is time to spend it I am hesitant lol.

 

i say do it your self and save alot of money, just read and ask questions from body guys and paint guys, it is not hard to learn how to do it just the work is hard lol and do the work your self and it will cut costs in the long run, my dad did body work and paint when he was younger and he knows alot, but this was almost 30 years ago and things have changed in the auto body world, he learned and i have learned how to prep and apply paint and premier and bondo, try it yourself and get a few good strong buddies to help you lift off the cab and box, then rent or borrow a sand blaster and blast the frame and do what ever repairs you need to and then apply epoxy premier and you will need a air compressor, you could buy one for 500 bucks or rent or rent a shop with one, then once the frame is sealed put the cab back on and do your corners and they are not that bad to install or find a bud who can weld, and do your body work on corners and get it prep for premier and sand it all down and apply the epoxy premier (black) all over the cab and hood and clip to seal the body and then apply a filler premier (grey) and do any final touch ups and then work on the box and seal it as well and remove any rust and apply the filler premier then do final sanding then learn about pain and get some mixed up which is the most expensive part but still cheaper than getting a garage to do it, then practice how to shoot the paint with a cheap premier and learn how not to get runs or splatter, and then get shooting and shoot the cab seperate from the box to get every part painted and then wet sand if you want a gloss and smooth paint, then apply clear coat and wet sand and buff to a nice shine, i am in the process of doing a garage paint and frame off on my truck the 77 swb f150 4x4 its been a blast to do it my self plus a good experience with my dad and was alot cheaper than some garage that could skimp out and not go as far as you would, good luck and try it your self its not that hard if you can turn a screw you can do this resto and it does take money and time but is well worth it and good luck with your truck!

 

I think that's expensive........and does the rest of the work really need doing, or do you just want a 'paint-only' paintjob........the rest may not really need doing, you should look underneath your truck after a real detailed wash job......he may just be trying to make as much $$$$ as he can........Hell, I could get a 2-tone paintjob over here cheaper, & England is high priced on everything....my 2 pence mate