Drove to work today and I cannot begin to tell you what a difference in shifting these two small items make. The shift pattern is tight and it goes into each gear smoothly. During my test drive around the block it was great but on the way to work this morning is where I really noticed a difference. I highly recommend spending the money on this simple upgrade. You WILL NOT be disappointed!

 

Nice work so far and loving the attention to detail. Gonna dig into TB cleaning and injector service here pretty soon, so I'll be coming back to read through that in a month or two. Keep up the nice work man!

 

Thanks! I appreciate it. Cleaning the upper EFI and injectors will make a difference. My truck is all stock and I could tell right away. Good luck with your project.

 

So I know I originally said I was going to do a roll on paint job and I still want to but the bottom line is I just don't have the spare time to do it right.

I went to the best paint and body shop in town and got an estimate and after all was said and done I was quoted $6000.00 to put the truck back to factory spec. That included striping to the metal, priming, fixing all dents, removing the stripes and decals, replacing all stripes and decals, base/clear and a lifetime guarantee.

He basically told me I was not his best option because he knew the truck isn't worth that much even with a better than factory paint job and I wholeheartedly agreed with him.

So after some careful consideration I got an estimate from MAACO. Yeah, yeah, I know but here are the details anyway. To strip the truck, re-prime, and paint with single stage plus mixed clear, I was quoted $1600.00. That is less than a quarter of the other quote and quite frankly a much better choice time and money wise for me. That also included a 4 year warranty as well.

Sure I could rattle can, or roll on but I just don't want the truck to look like crap because of the time I could invest in it. I saw some of there work first hand and honestly for what I will be using the truck for it fits my needs just right. Anyway just thought I would share. Thoughts?



This trunk lid was a piece that had just finished. I think that looks pretty darn good for a single stage paint.

 

Good luck bruh!

 

Let us know how the Maaco job goes. I have considered it a time or two myself. I think it will be fine considering the value of the truck.

 

I will def let everyone know the end result. It boiled down to a few things to point me in that direction. Money, time, and the wife actually said she is tired of looking at it with crappy paint job...lol. I'm in the military so my time is very limited. When I have free time the majority of it is spent with my family. I also have a brand new baby girl so she gets most of our attention and rightfully so.

Will share pics when it's all done.

 

Nothing like new parts! Getting ready for my paint job next month.

 

Well sports fans...after some disassembly the truck is at the paint shop (MAACO). Took everything off except the rear bumper and tail lights. As with said disassembly of a 20+ year old truck, I realized I am going to have a lot of little cosmetic stuff to buy. New window runs, grille clips, fender well clips and lots of misc small hardware before it will be put back together completely. Will post pics once I get it back next Thursday.

 

 

Back from MAACO. Definitely looks ten times better. I didn't do any body work and you can see all the little dings because well...it's black and black shows everything. There are plenty of flaws you can't see but I am going to do a video review to cover all of that.

I ordered all the windshield trim clips so once they come in I will put that back on. I installed my new mirrors and tailgate handle today to.

It is a ten foot paint job for sure but now I have a decent place to start from when I decide to fix the imperfections later.

 

Before I drug it I out of my Grandfather's barn where it had been sitting for almost 5 years.

 

Looks pretty dang good man! At first I thought those chrome things sticking up from the bed were exhaust stacks but then I realized it was just the roll bar. lol

 

Thanks. Make no mistake, it is absolutely a MAACO paint job. They stripped it, primed it, and painted the whole thing in 4 days. There are lots of imperfections that you can't see in the pictures.

Gonna clean up the roll bar before I put it back on. Gonna put some roll in bed liner in the bed too.

 

Getting ready for a refresh.

 

After painting all the vents.














Looks pretty darn good to be 23 years old! Very happy with how it came out.

 

All done with the grill. All new clips and new screws for the emblem.

 

 

5 bucks + to replace the 3 emblem screws...stealership!!!

 

About $1.00 a piece for the grill clips (11) total to be exact.