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2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Concerned about repainting; opinions and advice please

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Clinton

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Here's the story: Severe weather struck the TN valley about a week before Memorial Day. We had pea to ping-pong ball sized hail at the house. I gave the truck a quick look at dusk that night when I got home and it looked okay. I noticed my vent visor on the driver's door had a hole knocked in it about the size of a quarter, but it stayed cloudy for several days and I didn't see anything on the sheet steel. So the sun comes out in a few days and the hood and roof have been pelted. I took it to a paintless dent guy and he says Rams are the worst for paintless repair and I really had too much damage for that procedure anyway. I'm looking at a new hood, some work on the roof, and a repaint.



Insurance will totally cover it so I'm not worried about the money. I am worried about getting a good paint job and body repair. What do you look for in a good body shop? What should I be asking these places when I go for estimates? Should I be insisting on certain things? I haven't been very impressed with the DC paint job on my truck so this will turn out pretty good if it gets done properly, but I need a little help making that happen. I'm guessing changing primary colors from PR4 Flame Red is not advised? Let me know. Thanks.
 
Painting

A few questions to ask, and some musings. This assumes painting the whole truck, or most of it.



What brand of paint will they use? There are several first rate brands, including Ditzler, DuPont and some others. The "off" or private brands used by some of the chain paint places will fade or chalk out badly right after the waranty ends. At least, that's my experience.



Will they guarantee their work? And against what and for how long?



What body parts will they remove and what parts will they just mask off? The more parts you can remove, the better. If you have ever waxed your truck, even once, and if all they do is mask, you can expect the new paint to eventually start to peel away from the mask line. It's especially a problem around the door handles and outer belt weatherstrip. It's worth it to remove parts yourself.



It's best if you can pop out the rear windows, and rear quarter windows in a club cab. It's chore, but worth it. If the windshield was damaged, get it removed before painting, and replaced after painting. The door windows can be rolled down and the slide weather strip pulled out and pushed into the cab.



If you used a silicone wax, tell the shop. They may need to use a special stripper to get it off.



Will they use a, acrylic base/clear coat system, or a plain acrylic? Plain acrylic is less expensive, but won't have the deep, wet look that the truck came with.



You gotta ask: Will they use for-real acrylic, or will they use that dreadful , EPA-approved water-based glop your truck (and mine) came with?



Will they use a hardener or will they just let the paint cure slowly? Some shops use more hardner than needed, to get the truck done sooner. Paint with too much hardener is prone to chipping. Just the right amount of hardener makes a more durable job that's chip resistant.



Changing colors is a lot of work, unless you don't mind that the truck looks very obviously like it was repainted a different color. (If mine were red, I would also consider a color change, but that's a personal taste thing. ) To do it right, you need to remove the bed, gut the engine compartment and paint it, and paint the doors and jambs. You may be able to get away with a two-tone job using the OEM red and a second color. Place the red parts so that the red engine compartment and door jambs look natural. Many two-tone trucks were done that way at the factory.



Will they fix little dings and dents unrelated to the weather damage as they prepare the truck? I'm sure you've seen vehicles where dents were just painted over.



While you have the bumpers and body parts off, this is a good opportunity to recoat the graying bumper pads, door handles, and black trim with black "bumper coat" by SEM. It comes in a rattle can, and is available at auto paint suppliers. The stuff is great.



Planning to keep the truck until the next Millennium celebration? This is a good opportunity to blast-clean the inner fenders and all the body pinch welds. Then slather Rust-Oleum 7769 "rusty metal" primer into the voids. That will effectively slow down any rust that has started (a rare problem in Arizona!), and partly fill the pinch voids so as to reduce new water infiltration. Let it cure a week or more before paint day.



Take out the plastic inner fenders. You will need new plastic rivets when you put them back. A pain, but worth it. Wash the fender lips with an SOS pad to get road grime off, and to get a head start on the paint shop's prep. (Even the best shops tend to neglect fender lips. ) Actually, it's OK to lightly wash the whole truck that way, but I focus in on the tedious areas that accumulate grime and wax. I think it's kind of fun, but then I have a high pressure job.



More questions? Just ask. I'm not a paint expert, but I have painted a number of vehicles, and prepared many more.
 
Wonderful, now that's what I'm talking about. Yes, as a matter of fact, I am planning on keeping the truck until the next millenium. I'm going to have to look for a shop that does good work and willing to cooperate on the extras. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on the color switch. I'll be thiking about it over the next couple of days, I'm sure I'll have something to ask after I talk to a few shops. Thanks. Anyone else?
 
A member who is having trouble posting emailed me this:





Hello, the member with the hail damage should call King Collision in Knoxville at 947 5940.

I have known Bill King since 1989 and have been completely satisfied with his work. If the member has State Farm insurance; King Collision is an authorized State Farm estimator.



Thank you, Bill Sutphin

2001 2500 H. O. w 6 speed
 
Hey Matt Shumaker, How does BASF paint rank? The shop I want to go with (referred to above by local member) uses BASF. They will paint using primer, base, clear. The paint comes with a nationwide lifetime warranty. The shop warrants their work for as long as I own the truck. They found hail damage on every panel and will paint the entire rig. I will be getting a new hood, all else will be repaired. I'm considering a two-tone utilizing the red, but may just go with the stock scheme, hard to decide. Thanks.
 
Paint Brands

I have no personal experience with BASF paint, but it should be a perfectly good brand. BASF is noted for making some of the most colorfast pigments on Earth. Also, it is one of the brands that Chrysler lists paint codes for, on Page 23-3 of my 1996 TSM.



The brands that Chrysler lists are: PPG (Ditzler), BASF, DuPont, S-W/Acme/MS and Akzo/Nobel Sikkens. Only the last name is new to me, but the last time I bought paint myself and painted a whole car with it was in 1977, using Nason (which I really liked). I painted part of a FSJ in 1987, with S-W (Sherwin Williams).



I would not hesitate at all to use BASF. It wll be the quality of the preparation and application that will make or break the job.



By the way. What's the name of the painting company you ar looking at? They sound interesting.



Matt
 
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