Thoughts on painting this dually pickup bed

[Audiman]

I assume the fenders are bolted on fiberglass. The "correct" way to paint them is remove them - otherwise you have the risk of peeling where the seam is.

The challenge is finding someone that will do it. The above estimate of 12 hours sounds about right, but the shops around here are $150.00 - plus materials - would easily be $2K or more.

Having said that a truck bed in good shape is hard to find - I would get it if you need it.

Take them off and tell them you want it back with them still off.

 

[Fla]

I am in need of a "stone gray" colored F350 dully pickup bed. Came across this black bed, it has all the exact "options" as my F350. I would not need to use the tailgate.

Soliciting thoughts on the challenges of having this black bed painted to gray.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Heck, I would probably use it like it is. Given the condition of the paint on your truck I would spend the money to get it repainted instead of the bed. Painting the cab section black would be the obvious choice but you could use the black bed and the silver truck body and get creative with some kind of graphics or blending or a two tone paint job, and make the combination WORK for you.

I was on the road a few days ago and I saw an F150 that had a creme colored front but the rear end was that antelope brown that Ford used. But there was a black diagonal line about 2 inches wide running from above the front doors and down to just in front of the rear wheels, and that divided the two colors. It sounds pretty strange but it looked pretty decent.

If you wanted to keep it simple but not go all black, use the black bed and paint the cab something like dark to medium blue.

I've taken a couple of modern cars and painted only the top or the bottom half and painted them at different color from the original and the two tone paint paint scheme looked GREAT!

 

[Trav]

You don't want to do it on the truck if you want the front of the bed painted. Trailer it and remove the bed liner so the rails can be painted and tell them not to paint or install the tailgate, remove the tail lights. Painting it is easy enough, if the OE paint is good a good scuff and cleaning should do it before applying a shaded grey poly primer, sanding it, clean and spray.

Whatever quality of paint you choose do not skimp on the prep or primer, the better paints will live a lot longer and look as good as OE but the cost is higher, lower quality base/clear or single stage is cheaper but will not last as long before looking not to stellar.
You could do a lot of the prep work yourself if you want. Prices are all over the place depending on your area but figure 600 or a little more for quality base/clear and primer.

 

[Fla]

It would not seem difficult to have done. Transporting it, if not attached to the frame of the truck, would be difficult though. Proabably 2500 to 3000 here to factory paint match. Paint cost alone can be pretty high.

I'm wondering about the logistics of moving it around as well. I would think that a shop is going to want something that is mobile and that they can move in and out of their shop and the paint booth. What does the bed weigh? Would it be possible temporarily mount on a small trailer such as one of the cheapos from HF? Then GON would have a way to transport it and the body shop would have a way to push it around.

I'm thinking that maybe GON could use a small trailer, prefereably without a floor, and bolt some 4 x 4"s or 6x6s to it and set the bed on top and then bolt everything together. Add a set of trailer lights and he'd be ready to roll.

 

[SC Maintenance]

If it were mine - and its not - I would buy it, lock it down on a flat trailer, pull the fenders and lights, clean it thouroughly, remove the decals, etc - and take it to Maaco or similar. The Maaco paint won't look great, but the color will be close enough.

Its a truck not a AMG.

 

[meep]

depends…. Will this ever pay off financially? Will the buyer looking at a salvage title purchase be the kind of buyer that pays the top dollar that makes a professional repaint worthwhile?

I would prep it myself for one. Strip it down, take it apart, and sand the whole thing with 400 grit. That will cut the spray tech’s time at least in half. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’d buy 12 “color match” cans from autozone and have a go of it myself, let It cure as long as I can stand it, then clear coat with 4 cans of VHT rim and wheel paint.

or leave it alone.

or leave it alone and put the money into the cab. The bed is in better shape than the cab. This is probably the wisest use of money if paint matters, but a repainted cab could be very pricy including door jams and all.

 

[JWC86]

depends…. Will this ever pay off financially? Will the buyer looking at a salvage title purchase be the kind of buyer that pays the top dollar that makes a professional repaint worthwhile?

I would prep it myself for one. Strip it down, take it apart, and sand the whole thing with 400 grit. That will cut the spray tech’s time at least in half. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’d buy 12 “color match” cans from autozone and have a go of it myself, let It cure as long as I can stand it, then clear coat with 4 cans of VHT rim and wheel paint.

or leave it alone.

or leave it alone and put the money into the cab. The bed is in better shape than the cab. This is probably the wisest use of money if paint matters, but a repainted cab could be very pricy including door jams and all.

Good points but I’m pretty sure this one has a clean title unless I’m remembering wrong.

 

[Fla]

depends…. Will this ever pay off financially? Will the buyer looking at a salvage title purchase be the kind of buyer that pays the top dollar that makes a professional repaint worthwhile?

I would prep it myself for one. Strip it down, take it apart, and sand the whole thing with 400 grit. That will cut the spray tech’s time at least in half. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’d buy 12 “color match” cans from autozone and have a go of it myself, let It cure as long as I can stand it, then clear coat with 4 cans of VHT rim and wheel paint.

or leave it alone.

or leave it alone and put the money into the cab. The bed is in better shape than the cab. This is probably the wisest use of money if paint matters, but a repainted cab could be very pricy including door jams and all.

I completely agree with this. Also, unless I planned to sell the truck soon I would not put a lot of money into a paint job. But I don't know what GON's plans are for this truck.

 

[GON]

depends…. Will this ever pay off financially? Will the buyer looking at a salvage title purchase be the kind of buyer that pays the top dollar that makes a professional repaint worthwhile?

I would prep it myself for one. Strip it down, take it apart, and sand the whole thing with 400 grit. That will cut the spray tech’s time at least in half. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’d buy 12 “color match” cans from autozone and have a go of it myself, let It cure as long as I can stand it, then clear coat with 4 cans of VHT rim and wheel paint.

or leave it alone.

or leave it alone and put the money into the cab. The bed is in better shape than the cab. This is probably the wisest use of money if paint matters, but a repainted cab could be very pricy including door jams and all.

Meep, I plan on keeping the truck for many years. To answer your question "will this ever pay off financially"- I believe it would sell in under 24 hours for 15k more than I have into the truck.

The issue for me it is a truck I want and think I need, and a new one out the door is $115k (with taxes and dealer markups). I can't ever justify $115k. But I can justify what I have in the truck and making the truck close to non-exterior damaged. The key as others have mentioned is to "wait it out" to get the best price for the parts. The truck is fully functional, why do I need to fix the many exterior cosmetic issues today......

And to validate- the truck has what is commonly referred to as a clean/ clear title. Of note, if the truck had a salvage title- I would have a huge sense of urgency to fix the truck to normal condition. One can't register a salvage title vehicle in 49 states. So a salvage title must be fixed, and then inspected, to have a salvage title updated to a rebuilt title. A rebuild title can be registered in almost every state.

 

[GON]

Good points but I’m pretty sure this one has a clean title unless I’m remembering wrong.

Yes, the title is a normal one owner Texas title. When I title the truck, it will be a normal two owner title.

 

[GON]

Just a supplemental note. Two body shops within 30 miles of the truck bed in Texas. First body shop had good google reviews, but their phone is disconnected. Second body shop called me right back, I sent the pictures, and then the body shop went radio silent.

I have no knowledge of wrapping, I am going to look into that. In addition, Black is a popular color. Wonder if I just purchased a hood, two fenders, and four doors in black, and just painted the door jambs and roof black.

Finally, this truck is "D1 Stone Gray". A very unpopular color, even more so in DRW.

 

[Nukeman7]

Just floating around a few thoughts about your intention to make this F350 a "keeper" truck for several years:

1) You are now in a situation where time is on your side; therefore, your first goal would be to make the truck fully functional, licensed and insured for your intended use. As such, getting a replacement bed and all lights and features operational should override any cosmetic concerns like color matching paint.

2) The black bed in Texas looks to be in very nice shape and appears to have a bumper, tow hitch and (maybe) 5th wheel tossed in the bed. If the price is right and logistics make sense, it would make the truck functional with little effort. You could sell the tailights and tailgate from the original truck to offset some of the costs.

3) The existing cab/hood/fenders/doors are scratched up; therefore, it may make more sense to invest in repainting the front end black to match the new bed, especially if you prefer black over D1 Stone Gray. Personally, I would not consider replacing the doors if the current ones function and close correctly, especially since you indicated the interior was perfect. There are inherent problems with aligning doors that came from a donor vehicle...perhaps more so with a truck that was abused off-road.

4) You may have an opportunity for a future road trip that puts you in a city with a well-reviewed and reputable body shop where you can get a high quality, good value paint job like the Maaco in OK City discussed in post #13 by SatinSilver. No need to rush the paint decision unless your current HOA has issues with the appearance of mismatched colors. Do your research and find the right body shop, perhaps in WA.

Again, these are just some of my random considerations as viewed from a displaced and objective vantage point. While I don't have any "skin in the game", the BITOG community is closely following your restoration adventures and wishing you success. I think the toughest part of the F350 challenge is behind you and it will be coasting to the finish line from here on.

 

[Fla]

Just floating around a few thoughts about your intention to make this F350 a "keeper" truck for several years:

1) You are now in a situation where time is on your side; therefore, your first goal would be to make the truck fully functional, licensed and insured for your intended use. As such, getting a replacement bed and all lights and features operational should override any cosmetic concerns like color matching paint.

2) The black bed in Texas looks to be in very nice shape and appears to have a bumper, tow hitch and (maybe) 5th wheel tossed in the bed. If the price is right and logistics make sense, it would make the truck functional with little effort. You could sell the tailights and tailgate from the original truck to offset some of the costs.

3) The existing cab/hood/fenders/doors are scratched up; therefore, it may make more sense to invest in repainting the front end black to match the new bed, especially if you prefer black over D1 Stone Gray. Personally, I would not consider replacing the doors if the current ones function and close correctly, especially since you indicated the interior was perfect. There are inherent problems with aligning doors that came from a donor vehicle...perhaps more so with a truck that was abused off-road.

4) You may have an opportunity for a future road trip that puts you in a city with a well-reviewed and reputable body shop where you can get a high quality, good value paint job like the Maaco in OK City discussed in post #13 by SatinSilver. No need to rush the paint decision unless your current HOA has issues with the appearance of mismatched colors. Do your research and find the right body shop, perhaps in WA.

Again, these are just some of my random considerations as viewed from a displaced and objective vantage point. While I don't have any "skin in the game", the BITOG community is closely following your restoration adventures and wishing you success. I think the toughest part of the F350 challenge is behind you and it will be coasting to the finish line from here on.

X10. You might want to think about what color, or colors, you want the truck to be and considering having all of it painted that color. But as the man said; at this point time is on your side.

A final note: If you're going to keep the truck for you own use and you decide to paint it a different color, you might skip getting the interior door jambs and the like painted. You're never going to be able to paint the under-the-hood area a different color anyway. And once you put the bed on, you're not going to be able to paint the area between it and the cab. As I said earlier, my approach would be to find a way to blend the black bed and the grey cab with minimal work and costs. How about something like a Razzel Dazzel camoflage?

 

[GON]

X10. You might want to think about what color, or colors, you want the truck to be and considering having all of it painted that color. But as the man said; at this point time is on your side.

A final note: If you're going to keep the truck for you own use and you decide to paint it a different color, you might skip getting the interior door jambs and the like painted. You're never going to be able to paint the under-the-hood area a different color anyway. And once you put the bed on, you're not going to be able to paint the area between it and the cab. As I said earlier, my approach would be to find a way to blend the black bed and the grey cab with minimal work and costs. How about something like a Razzel Dazzel camoflage?

Found the bed at a auto parts yard in Odessa, TX. $1500, states new take off and in the color I have. He could not get me off the phone quick enough, so i sent a e-mail to confirm he has this color in his inventory. Waiting to hear back.

 

[Fla]

Found the bed at a auto parts yard in Odessa, TX. $1500, states new take off and in the color I have. He could not get me off the phone quick enough, so i sent a e-mail to confirm he has this color in his inventory. Waiting to hear back.

Wait! Now you're going to have to drive BACK to Texas!

 

[Donald]

I found a place in NY that did minor repair but really specialized in painting. A small one man shop. That kind of a ship would be ideal to paint the pickup bed.

 

[DuckRyder]

Painting the bed should be routine for a good body shop. Most of them will have a way to move it around, probably some kind of roller cart.

I personally would completely de trim it myself

 

[RhondaHonda]

I’d wait to find a bed in the truck’s color or put an aluminum or steel flatbed on it. Time is on your side at this point. Wrapping it, if there’s even a close color isn’t going to look right and will cost quite a bit to do, probably $2k+.

 

[heavy260]

If the bed isn't a match in Odessa I would find a car club and ask them. There’s usually a couple of body guys that have a home shop for after hours projects and their prices will be a little lower. Cash is king.

 

[joekingcorvette]

As heavy260 stated what you need to do is find a guy that does it on the side and get the hot deal. Personally, I would sand and prep the body myself and then have it painted.