Questions about painting (and removal)

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Deblackmon3

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The original paint on my car is in pretty good condition, but there are scratches all along the bed and door, with some chips every now and again that have rust. How should I go about getting my truck repainted? I'm thinking I should strip to metal, remove any rust and repair/replace the bed, reprime and repaint, either in the same color or possibly a cobalt blue with gunmetal mopar rims (the original ones that are still on the truck).

$T2eC16FHJGQE9noMZKvyBR(DZ3JBdQ~~60_35.jpg

The only problem I have with stripping to metal is it's very time consuming and can get really expensive. It would be cheaper to buy a new bed, put body filler on the scratches and just repaint it the same color it is now, but I want a better paintjob then half-assing it like that.
 

crazzywolfie

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painting a truck gets expensive which is why i have not done mine yet. the only place that you will have to take it down to bare metal is the rusty spots. otherwise you should be able to scuff up the old paint real good and paint over it.
 
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Deblackmon3

Deblackmon3

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painting a truck gets expensive which is why i have not done mine yet. the only place that you will have to take it down to bare metal is the rusty spots. otherwise you should be able to scuff up the old paint real good and paint over it.

That's a relief. I had one local company say they could repaint my truck the same color (after going down to bare metal all the way around and priming it then painting it) over the course of a month. They quoted me 4.5 grand. So, I just said "f**k that" and I plan on doing it myself with the help of a friend who does body work for a living.
 

crazzywolfie

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well taking it down to bear metal is the best way but not always necessary. you really need to get rid of the rust so that it don't come through the new paint and scuff the old paint good so that the new paint sticks good.
 
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Deblackmon3

Deblackmon3

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well taking it down to bear metal is the best way but not always necessary. you really need to get rid of the rust so that it don't come through the new paint and scuff the old paint good so that the new paint sticks good.

My reasoning behind taking it to metal would be to find any rust spots that could be built up behind the paint that isn't visible.
 

dodge dude94

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You'd know it if there was rust behind the paint.

You'd know it if there was bondo that's bad. I'm having to deal with this crap myself.

Basically, wash the truck REALLY WELL, and go over it with a fine tooth comb and see what areas might be issues and document them (pictures). Those are the areas you'll want to take down to the metal. The rest you can scuff up really good (Dewalt 6in variable speed sander works well) and prime, and then paint.

Either way, I think no matter how much you spend on it doing it yourself, you'll still be better off then having the shop do it.
 
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Deblackmon3

Deblackmon3

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Those are the areas you'll want to take down to the metal. The rest you can scuff up really good

Wouldn't having some areas down to metal and skipping other areas make for an uneven paintjob? Or am I literally just trying to confuse myself and make this harder than it actually is.
 

dodge dude94

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Wouldn't having some areas down to metal and skipping other areas make for an uneven paintjob? Or am I literally just trying to confuse myself and make this harder than it actually is.

As long as you scuff everything up and you're not having to grind out bad bondo like I am you should be fine.

Just use etching primer and prep everything properly.
 
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Deblackmon3

Deblackmon3

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As long as you scuff everything up and you're not having to grind out bad bondo like I am you should be fine.

Just use etching primer and prep everything properly.

As far as I know, bondo has never been used on my truck, so I'm lucky. I just have a hole in my bed 4 feet wide and like 10 inches long. It spread to the chassis too, I discovered. I need to take that bed off and get rid of that rust fast before it reaches the rear diff case.
 

dodge dude94

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As far as I know, bondo has never been used on my truck, so I'm lucky. I just have a hole in my bed 4 feet wide and like 10 inches long. It spread to the chassis too, I discovered. I need to take that bed off and get rid of that rust fast before it reaches the rear diff case.

You might just replace the bed. Chassis isn't much of an issue as long as you don't have rust-through. Grind it off, paint it with POR15. Done. The diff isn't much of an issue either. I have NEVER see a diff rusted through.

Ever. And I've seem some nasty **** in my 3 years messing with Dodge forums and stuff.
 

crazzywolfie

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ya. you have seen all the rusty pictures i have posted of my RC and all the work i had to do to save it. IMAG0679.jpg

i agree that you just have to look at and go from there. the frame should be fine and just require some rust paint like POR15 and it should be good for many years.
 

dodge dude94

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ya. you have seen all the rusty pictures i have posted of my RC and all the work i had to do to save it. IMAG0679.jpg

i agree that you just have to look at and go from there. the frame should be fine and just require some rust paint like POR15 and it should be good for many years.

Your rust was one of the ones I was thinking of, yes.


:gr_grin:
 

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