hey i have a 97 ext cab F150, i was wondering about how many gallon of paint it would take to paint my whole truck. i would be looking to paint everything except for the engine bay. And if i need to get a primer and clear coat

 

Are you going to do this job yourself? If not you need to talk to the shop first. You probably won't save much by buying your own paint and it may not be a paint that they are comfortable squirting.

I would guess maybe 6 quarts to do the truck and you would be best to use a sealer before the color. Whether you get a clear depends on what type of paint you select. There are single stage paints and base coat/clear coat systems. A single stage is probably what you want unless you want to step up to about double the cost of materials for a good base/clear.

Nason make some inexpensive and decent paint. That's what Maaco uses and I've been happy with the 5 or 6 cars I've had done with it. On the other end of the scale is Dupont, PPG, House of Color ec. For an older daily driver its not really worth it in my opinion to go base/clear.

I had one of those high end paint snobs tell me my Guard's Red Stepside I had Maaco shoot would "turn pink in a year" I kept the truck 3 years and it baked in the summer sun and looked as Red as the day I got it painted when I sold it. That Asshat didn't know his *** from a hole in the ground. And he worked for a high end paint supply store!

 

what ever you do, do NOT go to Maaco to get ANYTHING done! By far the worst paint company to do any work with, absolutely horrible!

 

Boooo Tarheels! Yay Wolfpack!!

Seriously though, I don't know squat about auto painting

 

If you want to spend $4,000 on a paint job for a vehicle that's worth $6,000 go ahead.


I've had about 30 cars (personal and my dealership) painted by budget shops through the years and never once thought I was ripped off. Howevere, there can be a difference between Maacos shops, so you need to find a decent one! Look at the cars that have just been sprayed and decide if they meet your expectations. And if you get the least expensive paint job they offer, and don't have them do any needed body work, then yes it won't be great.

In addition they won't detail the vehicle much after the paint. So you might have to spend an hour removing overspray ect. Ah lets see.....Save $1,500 and do a little detailing or no?

I've had Camaros sprayed by budget production shops and sold some of them for good money. I had one 1969 Camaro, with a Maaco job, and the guy bought the car without even driving it.

I had Earl Scheib squirt a 71 Camaro in Blue with White Z28 stripes and drove the car for two years and the paint stayed perfect. First guy who looked at it bought when I put it up for sale.

My friend had his 67 Camaro done by Maaco a year ago in Carrera Red with Black Z28 stripes and it turned out damn nice for less than $1,000!

I am looking for a 68-72 Vette now for a driver and if it needs paint it will go to Maaco.

If you have a high dollar newer vehicle, or a trailer queen/keeper, then yes spend the money for a custom shop paint job.

And when your $$$ paint gets scratched up you will be