I have no knowledge on paint work for trucks. However, I would like to get my 03' re-painted black. It black right now. Basically, I just need minor body work done and just the exterior re-painted.

What are some of the price quotes I should expect to get? $1600 would be my price range. IT's also and older truck, so a top notch job isn't necessary.

 

what state are you located in?

Most "cheap" paint jobs are cheap b/c the mix the color and clear coats and spray 2 coats of that mix on and then just buff it... which leaves you with orange peel and a paint job that lacks a nice clean smooth look and ends up wearing out in 2-4 years (depending on where you live).

a true paint job consists of using a primer, a color and a clear coat where there is 1-2 coats of primer, 2-3 coats of color (sometimes 4 for Black), and then at minimum 2 coats of clear... with some wet sanding and a real good buff (and some other steps I left out) you will end up with a VERY nice paint job that will last longer than your truck...

Moral to the story is make sure that wherever you go they are using a separate clear coat and color coat... even if you have to pay a little extra, and make sure you INSPECT every inch of the car before you pay... b/c painting trucks SUCKS for the painter b/c he's gonna have climb all over the place to paint everything.

Also Black and White are hard colors to repaint sometimes... so expect to pay a little more than $1,800. A real nice shop will charge in the range of $2,100 - $3,500

 

Right now I'm at the point where I want a new truck but can't quite afford it, So i want to fix up my old one to last a few more years.

I plan on spending $5k to fix it up but being an 03', that is already 75% of what the truck is worth. However, $5k is a whole lot cheaper than a $35k new truck.

In your opinion, what grade would you get? that being said, I would hope I could get a new truck by the time a cheap paint job would last.

Plan so far is: paint job, new tailgate, rear bumper, headlights, cv axles, brakes, maintenance(engine oil, diff oil, etc) and a bed liner.

 

post some pictures let's see how bad the paint really is and I'll give you a real opinion on what I would personally do....

 

I will post some when I can, basically the rear fender is peeling clear coat, under the passenger door window seal is peeling, and the normal dodge paint fade starting on the hood and roof.

Would flat black be any cheaper? or semi-gloss? I really would prefer a less reflective black color since my truck has a very rugged/ blacked out look.

This is when the truck still had nice paint and new tires.

 

you can get enamel paint pretty cheap..Ive painted for years and all my work trucks consist of one tons to semi..The paint last years ..Preparation is key..I can make enamel paint look like base coat clear coat.
Base coat clear coat I do on classics or project cars or trucks. Its bit more and looks good..base coat clear coat will look deep if done right..Primer wise you just need to primer when you have bare metal or if you patched something or blending in something to get the finish product smoothed out..unless your doing a total restoration .You can save $$ if you prep most of it your self and then have it shooted..You want to use 320 for the final sand on your prep..Stop at zipper paint shop like Maaco or Earl shibe and see what they can do for ya..them guys use enamel paints..

 

its important that any bare metal is coated with one coat of Etching primer (acid based to etch into metal) then the primer filler can be used on top. other wise you will not get proper adhesion. (this makes a big difference on hoods or bumpers that are exposed to rock chips)
If they are using non catalyzed primer or primer without a harder, like lacquer primer. that would be a bad thing. Make sure they use a good primer on top of the etching primer .
Also Bondo will shrink for 9 month so you can pick up your truck and It looks straight but few month down the road the bondo will suck in and look wavy..if you could get the body work done first left in primer then brought back few month later that would be best (after being park in direct sun when possible.)if your having much bondo used..
Also,,, so you know ..the reason so many cars peel after a few years is cuz government regulation only allows for 1mil of paint no more. So after a few years in the sun the paint gets too thin to adhere.. that’s why u should always wax ur top surfaces at least once a month

I painted cars for 20 years professionally

 

I'm pretty sure to paint the entire truck is going to be more than 1600 bucks. I had to get my whole rear panel (The right side of the bed) repainted a few years ago after I scratched it up bad. That one section cost me 500 and that was with the friend price. But he did match it in my mind damn near perfectly and you would never know it had been scratched up

 

I had my whole 1997 Dakota repainted black, and it ran $2600.

I'd like the Candy Red style red on my Ram when I get it repainted, the same color as the new 2013 Viper, but they have about 8-9 layers of clear coat, or so I read in car and driver magazine. And that ain't gonna be cheap!

 

Damn, $2600 is a lot of money for a 10 year old truck. I keep getting quotes from local shops in the $1500 range but that is sight unseen. I am in the socal, orange county area.