Clear Coat is Shot; To Paint or Not to Paint?
 

Redrover was not garaged for a few years, and because the roof rack was in the way the roof was not waxed regularly. I can't say for certain whether or not waxing the roof would have made a difference, but what I can say for certain is that the clear coat has failed across much of the roof.

If bad paint was limited to the roof I might ignore it more easily since the roof is not as visible, but the bonnet on the truck is from a boneyard truck and the clear coat is failing on it too.

I've gotten a couple quotes to have the truck repainted and they're $3,000+ (including some very minor bodywork). Yikes! I don't know that the truck is worth that much!

I've been told that the cost of the red paint is one of the factors. I was told two gallons would cost $900+.

I could go with a low-end paint job that might be <$1,000, but from what I've been told the low-end paint job won't last more than a few years.

I could also just leave the truck as-is, but I'd like it to look better. I'd appreciate any well-informed suggestions, information, or advice. Thanks.

I am in the same boat. Mine is white though so from 15 feet it looks ok. The roof however shows bare aluminum. I’d paint it but it’s too tall to fit in my garage. I would like to hear from a couple of people that have done it or had it done and how they feel about the results.

The roof is actually showing bare...steel. Not aluminum. Might want to get that coated so it doesn't rust.

It obviously depends on what you want to do long-term with the truck. If keep for a long while, paint. If anything just for corrosion protection. If it's just a mule that you'll drive into the dust, don't paint.

Glad you told be about the roof. Clock is ticking I guess.

I was looking at doing something for my roof. Kind of running out of money now but has anyone looked at getting a vinyl wrap for the roof? https://www.rvinyl.com/vinyl-wrap.html

I recently had everything BUT the roof vinyl wrapped. I'm going to have the roof painted instead.

That is a massive area for UV sun baking, so I'd rather have true paint there. Just my $.02


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...90e5828b4.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...32c277ab1.jpeg

Plasti-Dip the the option I went for for my P38 with the same issue. Benefits are it's very cheap. 3 cans will get the job done. Doing the top black is now more common. Example the new Defender has an uncharge for a black roof. It can be removed if you don't like the results so the risk is only about $20 and an afternoon. Lot's of videos on Youtube.

The vinyl wrap is an interesting idea, but I don't know what data there is about how it holds up long-term. I'm also curious about what it costs. Plasti-Dip for the roof is also an interesting idea, and I suppose I could get a black out vinyl for the bonnet.

What I hoped to hear was from people who really understand paint about the pros and cons of the less expensive paint jobs.

If you're only painting your vehicle and you're willing to put in the time, consider doing it yourself with a foam roller. You can get results comparable to the economy paint jobs for far less. This is especially true if you're just doing the roof and hood in a different color than the rest of the body.

https://www.cartalk.com/blogs/craig-...eum-and-roller

Looks amazing! Did you do it yourself in your garage? I am considering it myself, although the paint is still in good shape, but I don't like the color and it would conserve the original paint.
I saw a video where the roof was done with vinyl too. Of course, it requires removal of the roof bars.