dantheman1540

I just realized your truck is 2wd with coil springs and I know nothing about those front ends so I should just keep my mouth shut lol. Either way I know it will ride good on the coilovers.

shakenfake

lol I was gonna mention that but I'm glad I let you figure it out

I would run those tires you were talking about. I chose these ones because they are .7 inches taller than a 275/45 and only .4 inches skinnier. They look a lot beefier though imo

dantheman1540

Yeah I have a super fat and bulgy 285/50 now but they are getting old, loud, and not so great in the rain. Hard to beat a set of brand new Michelin Defenders for free, the skinnier tire might yield a little better mpg as well as being sportier and easier to break loose around turns.

1BRAVO1

$56 an hour seems to be in the middle of what is considered acceptable so it seems that what is in question is the number of hours needed/estimated to complete the job.

Is 140-150 hours to paint a truck of this size and condition reasonable? I guess that is the $8K question....

It seems high to me, maybe someone with a little more knowledge on this can chime in.

shakenfake

I say it is a bit high but I don't know. I'm waiting on my buddy at a GM dealer who knows a guy who does the paint and body work. He is pretty good and does it at cost basically.

Probably won't hear back from him until next year though he takes forever to answer sometimes lol

1BRAVO1

Hopefully we don't have to wait that long, I'm interested to see what he has to say.

Especially on the estimated number of hours needed.

arthursc2

iTrader: (5)

I did it alone, but I would almost promise I had 200+ hrs into my truck. Some of that was body modifications and repairs, not just paint removal. Replaced a rocker, had dents to stud and pull, welded the hood, cut the 1/4's; etc

shakenfake

I'd like to believe I have some hidden skill somewhere but body work and painting is not it. I thought about trying this out myself but I just don't think I could do it.

Definitely don't have half the issues you have and my body work is sooooo minimal. I have a scratch on my bed that has apparently bent the metal, don't know if I believe that or not, and then I have one dent in the door that requires a hammer to take out. Easy as you like. The majority of what some consider body work is just sanding down to the bare metal and then painting.

It's all good though, it will get done eventually haha. Currently looking at getting some coilovers next week and hopefully getting the drop done by December. Come tax season we will see if I can get the truck painted or not. I'll spend serious time looking then. I was just looking for a good opportunity this year since I had an extra car to drive around for a few months.

arthursc2

iTrader: (5)

As you have learned, paint removal is a lot of time consuming and anti-fun work

Once they get in there and start blocking, you will be surprised what almost 20yrs has done to the body you think is "straight"

Don't underestimate the skill and time to do it. Truth be told, I'd pay the 8k if you are happy with the work you see in their lot/booth next time you visit

shakenfake

Oil leak solving time Yay!

Leaking oil on rear passenger side of the engine. I do not believe it to be the rear main as the inside bellhousing and flex plate look bone dry. I have felt around up top near the cam sensor and it feels pretty dirty and greasy but nothing comes off as oil, just black not brown. When I originally saw it there was oil all over the oil filter and the driver side as well but after cleaning and driving it is coming up only on the left for now. I was thinking crank sensor o-ring but I do not know if it would move all the way to the other side like that.

Once again truck is showing it's age, right when I spend $1500 on suspension parts too...