How much to paint the whole truck professionally?

[MaK92-4Rnr]

K so, I've been pretty busy with working on my 4runner. Got rims put on a week ago and i've been in the process of dechroming my entire truck. Just got finished with the stock rear bumper. but now i've been looking into getting it painted. The oxidation on my truck is making me wanna have an aneurysm. Anyone know a good price ( with out doing it themselves ) of getting a 92 4runner painted professionally back to the stock gray color minus the stock stripes? im not looking to pay anything more than 1500-2500.

[Edit - Good Times - Clarified thread title]

[DHC6twinotter]

You may be able to visit some local reputable body shops and see what they will charge you to spray it. Tell them you can do the prep work, and just have one of their folks spray the paint.

I know some people at a local bodyshop that said they would spray mine for $500 if I do the prep work. That was a couple coats of metalic paint and clear coat....non of that single stage stuff that maaco uses.

I still haven't had mine painted though. :hillbill:

[MaK92-4Rnr]

Im going driving around to 5-6 local shops around here to see what they would quote me. prep work is sanding and what not, correct?

[DHC6twinotter]

Yep, prep work would be sanding, cleaning, fixing dents, and taping off what you don't want painted (wheel, windows, etc).

[MaK92-4Rnr]

I'll be doing all of that except the sanding part. dents are in the shop being removed as we speak. how much ya think that'll run me doing all of it except sanding?

[CJM]

A good job, where they paint the entire truck including door jambs and the crevices as best as possible will run you min 2k in most areas of the country. Maaco sucks period! A real shop will put on 2-3 layers primer, 2-6 coats of paint and 3-4 layers of clear. It depends on how much you pay, but the more coats the better-thicker the clear is the less it will scratch easy. The biggest cost is the prep and work in between coats with the sanding.

I had the vette done, thats special paint no less (has to be epoxy based b/c of the fiberglass body) and it cost 4k and thats them cutting me a deal cause I know them.

Had the same shop do my camry, basically blend the front into the rest b/c it needed a fender and bumper from an accident. Paint was 1500 due to prep and labor and such.

It all depends on the shop and if they will work with you or not. But I always say, pay once, cry once. Not worth doing it cheaply if you get a crap job.

[MaK92-4Rnr]

Im not getting door jams, engine bay... etc etc. none of that done. Im wanting the same base/stock color the truck came, the stock factory gray. Minus the stripes. im getting dents removed also. I already know im staying away from maaco, i've heard way to many bad things about them. Im gonna run around to a couple local shops and see what I can negotiate. If you were getting a 2nd gen 4runner painted how much would you pay?

[CJM]

Well I wouldnt pay more than 3k tbh for a really good job.

[MaK92-4Rnr]

yeah, im looking to pay about 1500-2500 tops. Im going driving around today to all the local shops, see what prices are. when i get back, i'll post some prices and get yours guys' opinions :)

[Whitey]

Can you post some pics of how bad the oxidation is? A good detailing my help quite a bit.

[MaK92-4Rnr]

Heres some pics of the oxidation, probably not the worst case ever, but it bugs me.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/ven0mous/SSPX1333.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/ven0mous/SSPX1334.jpg


I went around to 4-5 different shops today. First one I went to was $900 dollars... seemed too good to be true, next one I went to was $3500, one after that was $2500. Im gonna go with the last shop I went to which was $1600, service was pretty nice, told me what was gonna go down, when, how he was gonna do it, so I feel pretty damn comfortable with that.

[CJM]

Sorry images dont work man..

So long as the shops reputable and willing to work with you go for it, ask to see previous work if possible.

FWIW if you paint it another color or even the same it will not match to well with the old color b/c of oxidation and years of sun hitting it. IE the engine bay and door frames, etc.

[MaK92-4Rnr]

it'll be a different color even on the door hinges? they haven't been damaged by sun at all, so why would they be a different?

[MaK92-4Rnr]

Lemme know if these pictures work?
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/ven0mous/Cars/4Runner/SSPX1335.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/ven0mous/Cars/4Runner/SSPX1334.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/ven0mous/Cars/4Runner/SSPX1333.jpg

[CJM]

it'll be a different color even on the door hinges? they haven't been damaged by sun at all, so why would they be a different?


It may or may not be noticeable to a degree. It works like this: from day one you have a vehicle the paint will oxidize and fade over time. Even the fact the door jambs havent been exposed to alot of sunlight they have been exposed as well as used and abused over time (getting in and out). When the paint is mixed up even if it is the same color it will be a deeper tone than what you have.

Ex: I got into an accident and we had the guys truck repaired at a friend who is an automotive painter. The bumper was plastic and painted, and when finished even with a bit of blending you could tell it was darker than the rest of the paint which was like 5+ years old.

So it may be noticeable to a degree or not, the good shops (and the more $$$ paint jobs) will get you the door jambs, the engine bay, etc painted. The cheaper shops wont do it most of the time (macco). Dont stress over it, you probably wont notice. FWIW in the painting world the reason the job costs more usually if say you get into frontal collision is they not only paint say the bumper/hood they blend and paint the doors, etc and try to blend it really well. Thats why you usually pay more-more work and harder to do.

Another EX: I got into an accident with my old camry, it had a silverly/gray metallic paint to it. The one fender was crunched a bit and the hood/bumper was done. They did a REALLY good job and the paint job alone was like 2500 bucks easy if not more but the insurance paid it. You couldnt tell at all. They gave me a small bottle of touch up and wouldnt you know it was DAMNED near close but not a perfect match unless it was something on the frontal area. Some scratches on the rear it blended with but not perfect.

Same goes for my T100, have some bad scratches and pin stripes i fixed, truck is dirty you can tell right away there there cause the shade is ever so different even though it was touch up paint and my color. If you wash and wax it, the wax hides the imperfections, dont get me wrong you can still see the 3ft long pinstripe from a tree but its less noticeable. The tailgate is the worst, you can tell really easy cause the paint is kinda nasty looking and was too thick for some reason. I must redo it again tbh..

[CJM]

The paint just hasnt oxidized looks like its peeled. Could try a buffer and some rubbing compound and see where that gets ya before you dive into paint.

[MaK92-4Rnr]

I expect the paint to be a bit darker, with the truck being 17 years old. thats expected. but I'd like it as close as possible. I'd even be satisfied if it came out a little bit darker than the door jams and what not. Im not looking for an EXACT match but something as close as possible would be perfect. The previous owner before me already tried that on my fender, if you look closely you can see it. the whole top of the truck feels like sand paper, as well.

[CJM]

Well then a paint job is where i would go, sounds like they REALLY went to town on the top of the truck.

[MaK92-4Rnr]

Yeah, I dont even know how to explain how the top of the truck feels. its not a smooth surface anymore, im almost 100% sure that if i made a video of me rubbing my hand across it it makes scratching noises. I think the plan is to get it painted sometime in the next couple weeks. I'll definitely update this thread when I get it painted for viewing pleasure. :)

[diesel doctor]

I just bought a 1980 Toyota 4x4 pickup. I want to paint it in old school military camo pattern and can not find stencils for it. I also have not had any luck finding nerf bar style side steps so I can get my short old fat butt into the truck. It has a three inch lift and 33 inch tires so it is hard for me to get in and out of. Any help would be greatly appreciated