The Ins And Outs Of A Professional Paint Job

Total Transformation Project Rust Bucket Before Painting

It’s been a long performance road for Project Rust Bucket, our ’89 Dodge D250 with the 5.9L VE-pumped Cummins engine. When we recently made nearly 1,000 rwhp on a chassis dyno, we felt the truck was due for a visual transformation that matched its performance. And that meant paint! While on the hunt for paint shops, we concentrated on businesses that specialized in fleet and utility vehicles, as pricing is usually pretty reasonable compared to vehicle restoration shops. Just down the street from our El Segundo, California, office, we ran across Scheib Paint and Body, in Hawthorne, California.

Total Transformation Sanding The Body Filler

Specializing in everything from basic touch-ups to fleet vehicles to classics, Scheib Paint and Body was willing to work with us to provide a paint package we could be happy with, for a price we could afford. We wanted the body to be reasonably straight but weren’t concerned with every pin-sized ding—Rust Bucket is still a pickup truck, after all. In the end, we got out the door for about $2,500, a pretty good price considering the amount of rust that was on the Dodge.

Owner Carlos Castellon mentioned that if it wasn’t for the immense amount of sanding, the whole job would have been closer to $1,500. Follow along as our truck is transformed from an abandoned-looking derelict, to something we can actually be proud to be seen in.

After the Bondo was applied with a putty knife, it was sanded down to match the surrounding sheetmetal. This process is more art than science, and getting a good, clean look takes a lot of practice.

After the Bondo was applied with a putty knife, it was sanded down to match the surroundin

Before Paint
Before you take your truck to the paint shop, there are a number of things you can check or replace that will make life easier. Check the body mounts, door hinges, lights, chrome, bumpers, and grille for cracks and breakage. In our case, since we didn’t need perfection (and we were in a hurry), a new tailgate and new taillights were the only additions to the truck other than the paint.

“When we recently made nearly 1,000 rwhp on a chassis dyno, we felt the truck was due for a visual transformation that matched its performance. And that meant paint!”

The only major bodywork our ’89 Dodge D250 needed was due to this dent, which occurred while the vehicle was parked. Now, thanks to some careless Los Angeles driver, we needed a bit more Bondo.
The only major bodywork our ’89 Dodge D250 needed was due to this dent, which occurred whi
Once upon a time, we ran side-exit exhaust on project Rust Bucket, and we cut it a little too close to the side of the bed. The heat from the pipe cooked a small part of our bedside, which also needed to be touched up.
Once upon a time, we ran side-exit exhaust on project Rust Bucket, and we cut it a little
Our tailgate was pretty hammered, and rather than try and repair it, we scored this $100 junkyard piece thanks to Harvey Grant of J&H Performance in Redding, California. The lesson here is to scour your local picking yards for parts—it’s often cheaper and easier to replace components than it is to do a massive amount of bodywork.
Our tailgate was pretty hammered, and rather than try and repair it, we scored this $100 j

When getting a paint quote or doing it yourself, don’t forget all the little hidden spots, such as doorjambs and underhood areas. Often, it won’t cost much more to paint these spots, and they’ll make the truck look so much better. In addition to the doorjambs, we also got the top of our firewall repainted where it had been peeling.
When getting a paint quote or doing it yourself, don’t forget all the little hidden spots,
In a testament to what a skilled bodyman can do, Rust Bucket’s dent was all but gone in a few minutes with a little working over from the guys at Scheib. A light coat of Bondo smoothed everything out so it could be primered and painted.
In a testament to what a skilled bodyman can do, Rust Bucket’s dent was all but gone in a
While people cringed at the amount of rust on our first-generation Dodge, after a few seconds of sanding, there was shiny metal underneath. If you live anywhere but the West Coast and see rust like this, run. It’s probably rusted all the way through.
While people cringed at the amount of rust on our first-generation Dodge, after a few seco

After the entire truck was sanded and primered (by far the most labor intensive part of the job), it was masked off for the spray booth. While some emblems were removed, most of the trim was just taped off.
After the entire truck was sanded and primered (by far the most labor intensive part of th
The entire vehicle was prepped and primered in one shot to make sure no moisture or rust crept in between the prep and paint.
The entire vehicle was prepped and primered in one shot to make sure no moisture or rust c
The doorjambs were also roughed up, and the interior was masked off so it could receive the same bright white hue as the rest of the truck.
The doorjambs were also roughed up, and the interior was masked off so it could receive th

Paint isn’t so good for the skin or lungs, so our painter had this cool spray suit on to protect himself during the painting period. After a couple of days worth of prep work, the paintjob itself only took a few hours.
Paint isn’t so good for the skin or lungs, so our painter had this cool spray suit on to p
Lots of tape and retaining our same weatherstripping meant nearly a whole day cleaning paint off chrome and rubber. If you’re looking to save some labor, here’s another task you could complete yourself if you have a steady hand.
Lots of tape and retaining our same weatherstripping meant nearly a whole day cleaning pai
The difference a paintjob made to our old, bucket of rust was shocking. After a final inspection for runs, drips, and imperfections in the paint—and with some new wheels and tires (see sidebar)—we were ready to hit the road.
The difference a paintjob made to our old, bucket of rust was shocking. After a final insp

Total Transformation Mickey Thompson Tires And Wheels

Wheels and Tires Make all the Difference
After we got the truck painted, the almost universal response was: “Man, that looks good—but you need some wheels!” Our stock steelies obviously weren’t going to cut it, so we went to Mickey Thompson and picked up a set of cool SideBiter wheels and Baja STZ tires. The wheels are available in 15- to 17-inch sizes, and the STZ tires are available in fitments as large as 33x10.50R20 for those of you who have four-wheel drive vehicles.