Well, my old 2002's paint was getting in bad shape on the top of the cab, hood, and top of the shell so I dropped it off at Maaco this moring for their "best" paint job. I hope I will be pleased with the result.

I kept debating with myself whether to buy a new truck and sell it or get it painted. Since I am retired and don't usually put that many miles on it I went with painting. Only problem with that is that we sometimes use it on vacation for long trips? My wife doesn't want the vacation miles put on her Infiniti so we drive my 05 Magnum Hemi with 111k miles or my truck with 150k miles. I really like both vehicles and the only reason to trade either of them is reliability.

 

Go find someone that likes painting and get a quote.

Yes, it is time consuming. But that is what I did on my truck. I am very happy with the results.

Be prepared for some places to slap you in your face saying they don't have time for you. I will remember those saying they don't have time for me when I need *real* collision work done... Just saying...

 

Yeah, most body shops only want to do insurance work. That's where the money is I presume. I already dropped it off today at Maaco. I don't expect perfection because I'm not paying for perfection. Just hope it's good enough to please.

 

Did they give you an approximate quote?

 

Oh sure. We reviewed what I wanted done and I got a quote last week. There were no dents to deal with but the hood, cab top, and camper shell top will have to be sanded down to bare metal or fiberglass. Some rust had started on the top of the cab. that is what prompted me to get it done. I can tolerate clear coat peel, but not rust. It still is not cheap but I hope it will last for as long as I want to keep the truck. Supposedly a 4 yr. "guarantee" on their "best" paint jobs.

 

I picked up my newly painted truck today. I'm pleased with the job they did. I'll post photos soon. It was raining like crazy today. Makes me want to replace the faded headlights, paint the rusty trailer hitch and get the wheels refinished now!

 

Can't wait to see it!!!

 

Mee too.

I helped my dad R&R the lights on his '03 last year. We used these, and they still look sharp.(Parked outside facing the sun). Amazing how much easier it was to see at night...

 

Photos of the Maaco truck. I didn't bother with tring to get the stripes and FX4 stickers put back on. The truck is stock except for the 285/70x17 tires. 265/70x17 tires are stock. I drive out on the beach a lot and the extra flotation is a great thing.

 

Looks good to me.

For a truck that still gets used, painting it is well worth it.

 

What did it wind up costing?

 

$2,125 was the quote for their 4th level paint job and that was what the final price was. The top of the cab had a rusty spot the size of my hand, the hood was in bad shape so both had to be sanded to bare metal. The tail gate had rust on the bottom inside lip that took some repairing (My wife washed the tailgate with sea water at the beach and I ignored it!) and the camper shell was in bad shape with little paint on the top and lots of cracks in the paint that they repaired. Only the blue was painted. All the stripes and stickers that come on a Lariat FX4 were removed and not reinstalled. They did spray the inside of the bed too. It's not a perfect job but I'm happy. There is no overspray anywhere. It would have cost at least another grand to get a more perfect job at one of the better shops.

With a beautiful 2002 Lariat, why would I want a new truck? And that's why I got it painted. I test drove a new F150, Ram, Tundra, Tacoma, and Pathfinder. But, besides being a little quieter, there's not that much difference in the driving experience. My truck with the Superchips in normal driving feels as peppy as the new trucks unless they are in the sport mode. At least that's my thinking at this time.

 

Looks great from here. Wait awhile with the headlights. The grill has to come off and I don't want you to chip the paint.

 

The grille does *not* need to come off (but you still don't want to chip the paint.)


When you're ready, I think these would look great with the blue.



That looks like a good job from what I can see in the pics. All Maaco's are not created equally. It all depends on the ownership and painters hired. You must have a good one where you are.

 

Yours must have a better finish on the edge. The lights in the link I purchased did not go in without pulling the grill off.

Thanks.