Paint or other coating options

[Chorky]

So I have 2 vehicles that are needing paint at some point soon in order to protect and prevent body rust. There are some paint chips from normal use, and areas have started surface rust. Spots are relatively small currently, but the rest of the paint for both vehicles are rather old and need to be repaired anyway. Spider cracks, fading, etc... Montana weather is hard on things.

So a local paint shop told me that for a relatively quick and easy respray would START at $10,000. THat's insane... So I am exploring other options and looking for suggestions. I would prefer not to just rattle can even though they can turn out nice. One vehicle is a 06 TJ, the other a OBS F350. I would like something that will stand up to pinstriping, and abuse due to the brush and roads around here. Destroying a brand new 10K (cheap?) paint job is not desired.

I do not know automotive paint well other than touch up and rattle can. I do know there are other options as I see some vehicles with completely flat paint and no clear coat, and some old beat up ones with a bed liner on the outside. However, how easy/hard are these other options? What type of materials are people using? I do not have a garage unfortunately, so...high quality prep work will be very difficult.

 

[OverlandNA]

Uh oh better get Maaco- damn my age is showing

Maaco

For smooth bedliner- https://www.durabakcompany.com/coll...-truck-bedliner-smooth?variant=14491676409891

 

[Chorky]

In any case the prep work is the hardest and most important part because that will determine the uniformity and durability of the coat.

what kind of prep work are you suggesting. I do not have a garage or any sort of cover to work under.

 

[Raul]

I did my whole van with Monstaliner. I roll it on my driveway. Prep work is mostly removing loose paint, rough-up the surface and degrease. I'll not use this on a Honda Civic, but i love it on an off-road vehicle. Quite durable. I'm happy with Monstaliner, if I need to do another vehicle I'll try to spry Raptor-liner, but i'll not be able to do it my driveway. The last picture is a recent one, four years after painting it.

 

[Chorky]

Quite durable. I'm happy with Monstaliner, if I need to do another vehicle I'll try to spry Raptor-liner, but i'll not be able to do it my driveway.

that looks quite good! are there any spots that it has chipped or cracked? that woudl be my concern with such a long flexy truck.

why would you prefer to spray it if you did it over?

the one concern with monsta or any like product of course is the inability to 'redo' in the future, or the difficulty in making repairs since it is such a permanent product. but I agree they are probably a better option than easily scratched paint. What do folks think about monsta in regards to the nasty salt spray in winter time?

 

[Raul]

that looks quite good! are there any spots that it has chipped or cracked? that woudl be my concern with such a long flexy truck.

why would you prefer to spray it if you did it over?

the one concern with monsta or any like product of course is the inability to 'redo' in the future, or the difficulty in making repairs since it is such a permanent product. but I agree they are probably a better option than easily scratched paint. What do folks think about monsta in regards to the nasty salt spray in winter time?

I have a couple of spots that flaked a little bit. Under the driver door handle and on the back door opening, but I believe those were spots that I forgot to sand and degrease.
In general is very resilient. I hit a branch with the rear corner and I have a dent, the paint cracked a little but didn't fall.
I'll like to try spry on since the rollers do not last long. If you are going to roll it, get three times as much rollers as you think you may need. Once you mix the Monsta, you have no time to wait for more rollers to arrive.

 

[direwolf82]

I have seen raptor liner get scraped on trees with no issue, have even seen body panels get bent and the coating just conforms to the new shape. Pretty good looking stuff, I'm going to do my army truck in it and the Toyota at some point.

Sent from my SM-A516V using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 9101]

10k is a bit much. 4-6k usually gets you a good quality paint job these days.

 

[Chorky]

10k is a bit much. 4-6k usually gets you a good quality paint job these days.

Agreed and 10K was "starting" theres not many options for painters here...so maybe thats why they charge such high prices becasue theres not much competition. either way, i'm not spending 10K for paint on a truck that will be in the woods a lot.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Agreed and 10K was "starting" theres not many options for painters here...so maybe thats why they charge such high prices becasue theres not much competition. either way, i'm not spending 10K for paint on a truck that will be in the woods a lot.

Can't say I blame ya.

 

[NatersXJ6]

Are you in an apartment, or do you have a house / yard to work in?

Depending on how much you’ll annoy neighbors or possibly ruin their cars, an HVLP gun and small compressor can be had pretty cheap and you “could” shoot your own. If you’re not trying to paint a show car, but a trail rig, tractor paint can be a really decently priced option, and is probably available by the gallon in every Napa in Montana. Massey red and Oliver green are decent colors and after a few weeks you buff and wax the crap out of them and they look pretty good. It will cost more than a Maaco or Earl Shive job, but probably be 5x as good because someone who cares does the work.

It’s all in the prep. Get used to sanding, get a small pressure pot blaster for the rust areas, and learn to do masking tape surgery with an x-acto knife and…. Take whatever patience you have and quadruple it. The prep is where the time and the $10k come from!

 

[Willsfree]

My van was in pretty bad shape and becoming an embarrassment to drive to work and park in front of my house. Rust on roof, under the windshield, all over paint failure etc., plus a couple of bad dents from an accident. I thoroughly researched all the truck bed liners, but decided it was better to go with paint, was going to roll and tip using the Por15 products, yet also got quotes from Maaco. Then I got sideswiped, I decided the bodywork was over my head so I ended up using https://westcoasttruckbodyrepair.com/. They did an excellent job, stripped it all down, fixed all the dents/rust/windshield/wheels, new bumper covers, caps and some replacement trim for under $5500 using single stage clear paint. I'm super happy with the results, It looks almost brand new, even though I have over 160k miles now. I decided that automotive paint was the best solution for future repairs and having a nice smooth tough protective surface, rather than the Duraliner which collects dirt and is a challenge to remove if you want to go back to paint.

 

[OverlandFT]

Raptor liner is DIY with a decent sized compressor and some space. Prep is basic: sand with 120 grit, clean, mask, & spray with provided gun. I sprayed my truck outside because it was too big for the garage. It was a learning experience and I decided to add another coat a few months later to get better consistency & coverage. In the end, I'm very happy with the results and I don't have to worry about scratches on the back roads.

 

[spacecowboy7777]

Keep in mind raptor liner or similar makes a used vehicle difficult to sell if/when you want to move on

 

[Chorky]

Yeah I've thought about this a lot in the past too. Just can't justify 10K starting. most likely it would be more like at least 15K - pretty insane IMO. but your right, this is a permanent change that can't really be removed. Appeals to specific people.