Paint and Body Advice

[davwilli]

I am a mechanical person and have no problems turning wrenches. I am apprehensive about trying to do a first time paint job on this truck. My wife has suggested we just have the paint done professionally.

I am trying to come up with a plan of attack on this truck. So im thinking I can do all the mechanical, the cleaning and changing of parts interior and exterior and then have it painted. Probably the best option so I would be satisfied with the quality.

My main concern is I need to do the following on the body. New bumpers, new emblems, new mirrors, remove the body molding, new window felt, etc. How much of this will make the painters job harder. Do I need to just strip these parts off and wait till truck is painted to put back on. Do I need to just let the body shop reinstall these items. Want to make it easy on him as well.

Any opinions are welcome on how to handle this the best way.

[73737373]

Yes, remove all that you mention above. Makes the painter's job much easier and really makes a difference on how the truck looks when you put all that stuff back on the truck after its been painted. In most cases, pretty easy to spot a truck that has had chrome masked off vice one that has had it removed before painting. Unless you don't mind paying the bodyshop $60/hr (or more) to remove/reinstall all that stuff for you, I'd do it myself. As a mechanically inclined person that you appear to be, it's a fairly straightforward process to get all that stuff off the truck.

[Grumpy old man]

There's only 1 way

mechanical systems /frame suspension and cleaning first ,Then body work pre fitting chrome/bumpers fitting body lines and accessories /removing all glass , final paint prep, paint . reinstalling all chrome and accessories then interior , Remember prep-prep-prep prior to paint will give you the best finished product spend a few days sanding before you take it to the paint shop ! Have the painter re-install all the glass and weather strips many are familiar with glass sweeps and windshield /rear window installs and theres nothing worse than scratching the top of the door installing new sweeps after paint .You can install your bumpers prior to paint and when you have them aligned up right drill a 1/4 hole in 2 places thru the frame bracket to make quick work of the re install using 2 center punches to align them and tighten bolts .

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by davwilli

I am a mechanical person and have no problems turning wrenches. I am apprehensive about trying to do a first time paint job on this truck. My wife has suggested we just have the paint done professionally.

I am trying to come up with a plan of attack on this truck. So im thinking I can do all the mechanical, the cleaning and changing of parts interior and exterior and then have it painted. Probably the best option so I would be satisfied with the quality.

My main concern is I need to do the following on the body. New bumpers, new emblems, new mirrors, remove the body molding, new window felt, etc. How much of this will make the painters job harder. Do I need to just strip these parts off and wait till truck is painted to put back on. Do I need to just let the body shop reinstall these items. Want to make it easy on him as well.

Any opinions are welcome on how to handle this the best way.

I was in the same position with a track day car I started in 2012. The mechanicals were all done and the 2000 cc motor had been replaced with an LS3. Total cost including the 1991 Miata was $7000. When I got the estimate for the paint it was a shock. The low bid was more than I had in the car.
At that point I decided that I would do my own paint so I bought a large and small HVLP gun and started in my garage. This is how it turned out. It's easy to convince yourself that a job is just too hard. This paint job cost me $700.00 and that included body tools and paint guns.

[Tinkermc]

Admin may move this file but if you try you can do it.

[hugger6933]

The main thing for a person that has never done body work before[one of my sayings is there is a reason they call it body work and not body fun]needs to know is there is never and I mean NEVER enough sanding. You can sand on a truck for days and I can point out in seconds the potential for paint fail from lack of paint prep. That is why I hate it when people come to my shop and ask if they brought me their _______ "Ready to spray" What would it cost them? I give them a price that usually includes me doing about a week of prep in that price when they curse a bit and stomp the ground and then say "What if I buy the stuff". Then I have no recourse but to tell them that it is just not a good time or that because of the prep involved that still needs to be done that they don't think it needs I can't and won't put my name on it. So I said all of that to say this sand it over, then sand it over again. If you get a chance look up some of my old posts I have done a little over 4100 here and a good portion of them are helping people that have not yet traveled down the road I have. I kinda know how you feel and where your coming from cause I was a wrench turner before this body deal came upon me. If you do find you need more help I'd be glad to see what I can do for you. Jim