I have a 09 Ram 1500 the I bought new and truly love. Its in very good condition except for that clear coat and paint. Its Black so has blistered and peeled on the roof and hood. 15 years of Texas sun have done a number on it. Just wondering what others have paid for a complete repaint. And should I go with the full Base/Clear or a good Single Stage? Not trying to make a show truck, just get another good 15 years out of it.

 

That is NOT going to be inexpensive...... thousands of dollars. There is a LOT of work involved in just the prep, Unless you want a Mako paint job.... They just mask the glass, and spray everything else......

I might be more tempted to get an estimate to JUST redo the hood, and roof, and buff out the rest..... Significantly cheaper.

 

Does not sound like you plan to do any of the work yourself. Paint is really labor intensive .... to do a good job anyways.

Also cost of paint can really get out of hand quickly. Hundreds of $$ per gallon of paint $100 for a gallon of primer, need special hardeners and other additives .... you can easily rack up $800 just in paint materials.

I have very limited knowledge on paints, I know the more you can do yourself to prepare the truck for paint .... like sanding, is a huge cost savings.
How much bodywork does it need? ...... You have a gloss black truck, I suggest to keep that color ..... A full color change is a lot of work.
If you have multiple dings or dents, gloss black shows everything. ... Any body work you can get out of the way will help on cost. Anything you can do will help.

Sounds like you would be fine with a single stage paint .... Summit Racing offers : Paint, Single Stage, UV Stable, Acrylic Urethane, Gloss, Jet Black, 1 Gallon for $108.
A real painter will scoff at it .... Been thousands of Hot Rods painted at home in the garage with it and looks great years later.
I plan to use it on my daily driver truck, is a 1991 chebby truck. Can get all materials for about $200 for paint.

Last month marks 1 year I painted this truck, I'm very pleased with the paint. Spends most of it's life parked in the driveway, only under the carport when I'm working on it.
This is single stage enamel from tractor supply, I add a can of universal gloss hardener to the gallon, $16.99 from NAPA and $20 for a can of thinner sold to work with the paint. ... total about $100.
I just started working on the rear fenders last month so not painted yet.


I feel the low gloss enamel paint looks fine on a old truck ... it is cheap, if needed it is easy to touch up because it is single stage. I painted the truck outside with a $15 HVLP gun from Harbor freight.
Almost embarrassed to admit the gun has about 2K miles of paint sprayed through it .... I was going to buy a new gun, the old cheap gun just does a great job.
The acrylic urethane paint will be more what I think you want on your truck, will be easy to work with .... just be sure to prepare the truck properly .... spend all the time you need for that.
Use a proper primer for a base coat for the new paint ..... When ready you can spray it in a couple hours .... took me only 4 years to prepare this one to spray.

 

Thanks for the replies. The body work needed is minimal. I'm just going over the options and trying to decide how to get it done. I have painted a few in years past but that been a long time ago and I had garage space then. If I were to do it today it would have to be in my driveway with trees, bugs, and birds an issue.

 

I was hoping some others would have chimed in. I'm just use to doing things myself .... not always right but by golly I did them.
I have heard so many horror stories about painters not following through ... or painters jail, where the vehicle is stuck there for long periods of time.

My neighbor had his cousin paint his truck. The painter father died and left the painter $2+ million dollars ... he said F it and sold everything and went on a cruise around the world.
Neighbor got his truck back but missing the tailgate and some other small pieces.
Another time the painter removed the masking tape and peeled the paint ... owner wants it repaired before final payment .... painter is pissed and starts stripping carburetor and other performance parts.

I just feel you either do it yourself or take it to a reputable shop. The shop will have set rates and usually busy with insurance work .... you can ask for a quote.

For a daily driver you can do a pretty decent job outside. Twice a year. .... Spring before the bugs get crazy, fall after the bugs die off.
If you have dirt or dust you can wet it down before you spray so it wont blow with the wind. ... you just need a few hours for it to dry enough so things do not stick to it.
And if you use a single stage, you can always do touch ups later if needed.

I painted my truck in October and only had 3 flaws that I noticed. 2 runs and one light spot where primer barely shows ... it was dark also. ..... All easy fixes for the future.
So you have a couple months to prepare before spring .... once all prepped, just pick a day and do it.