Why are GM ~ GMC trucks & vans have poor paint jobs?

OrioN

double tap o da horn dooshbag
So this is the 3rd GM GMC truck i've driven soo far... all of them have peeling paint at the hood. What the eff, did they ran out of sanding paper to properly prep these hoods before paint???

So, i have to get another set of tires n brakes put on.

The final heat wave has passed with that last hurricane and the time is ripe for a cheapo Earl Scheibs (sp) paint job... i pulled behind the shop to start my ghetto paint job.

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2 x wally world paint cans (wasn't enough to blend in the whole hood) @ 96©

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Free weather bags n tape from FedEx (thanks! )

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Free doortags to block out the FX logo...

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Dang ugly mother hood. I be not in teh get toe, this time! Otherwise, id leave it like that to blend in with the get toe scenery.

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Moar bags to protect from the wind~ overspray

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Antenna condom! I like to keeps it black!


After one piece o sandpaper doing wax on wax off movements...

rinse with some h2oh, i tried to blend it in to the peeling paint from Mexico? !?

And Shazam!

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I started the engine to help aid in the "baked~ on " finish... was gonna do another sanding job to knock down the high spots, but ran outta paint.

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So a half butt job for practically nuthin' u cheapo contractor! Gimme a real stepvan or at least a used breadtruck!
 
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Operational needs

Virescit Vulnere Virtus
I try not to get into the Express vs Ground debate, but damn that's some trailer park/ghetto crap right there. And y'all wonder why we long time FedExers are embarrassed to wear the same company name on our uniforms and trucks as Ground. Rant over.

That said, very resourceful of you. You're doing the best you can with what you have. LOL.
 

cosmo1

Perhaps.
Staff member
My understanding is that there was a change in the paint chemistry back then. Was supposed to be more environmentally friendly.

All water based now. No more solvent based auto paints.




Also, most white paint (especially GM) is single stage. No clear coat.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
I try not to get into the Express vs Ground debate, but damn that's some trailer park/ghetto crap right there. And y'all wonder why we long time FedExers are embarrassed to wear the same company name on our uniforms and trucks as Ground. Rant over.

That said, very resourceful of you. You're doing the best you can with what you have. LOL.

Rattle-can wizardry is the norm in the trailer park. I've seen some Mexicans do quite a bit with Bondo and latex house paint too....more waves than the ocean and it looks SHARP. Never mind that the frame is bent and it tracks about a foot off.
 

Operational needs

Virescit Vulnere Virtus
Rattle-can wizardry is the norm in the trailer park. I've seen some Mexicans do quite a bit with Bondo and latex house paint too....more waves than the ocean and it looks SHARP. Never mind that the frame is bent and it tracks about a foot off.
Yeah, I don't know anything about that. Where I come from, body shops are the norm.
 

OrioN

double tap o da horn dooshbag
Ya, they're pretty nifty with doing MacGyver moves... i just got sick n tired of having the ugly truck.

The better part of the summer was humid until this weekend, so i can finally put some "lipstick" on this turd...LoL

Water based whatever, someone at the factory did a piss poor job with prepping fpr the paint dip process. I'll see peeling paint all the time on the road, mainly with chevy n gm. Chrysler takes 2nd place. Ford are pretty decent in my local area.
 

OrioN

double tap o da horn dooshbag
Did u catch the last part of my OP?

The mechanic that maintains the mechanical operations of the fleet has priorities. He's got no time for doing "touch ups "

He gave me the go~ ahead when i asked to do it after he slapped on the tires n checked the brakes.

I dunno what the boss is thinking though. 400 cu ft isn't alot of room for this coming peak, unless he brings in supplemental drivers.

I borrowed another contractor's p700 the past year so i can cover my area with no help. Currently i'm used to this boxvan or truck, whatever u call it...
 

STFXG

Well-Known Member
I try not to get into the Express vs Ground debate, but damn that's some trailer park/ghetto crap right there. And y'all wonder why we long time FedExers are embarrassed to wear the same company name on our uniforms and trucks as Ground. Rant over.

That said, very resourceful of you. You're doing the best you can with what you have. LOL.

That's ridiculous. I wouldn't rattle can anything because of the time involved. But paint is paint.
 

dmac1

Well-Known Member
When I worked in the paint dept at a GM assembly plant, on a pick-up truck line, the hoods and bodies came together from different points. On the conveyors, the hoods and fenders passed under a lot of machinery before meeting up with the cab and would sometimes have drips or smears of oil, sometimes many in a row. Just before entering the paint booth, there was actually someone who would wipe the spots of using just a rag and some paint thinner. I doubt the thinner had time to fully dry, or that the rag removed more of the oil than it spread around. I saw the same thing on pickups for years later, and then on a lot of Astro vans. There was no sanding. The fenders and hoods came into the assembly plant primed and ready to paint. Sanding would have meant re-priming and I never saw anyone priming.
 

bacha29

Well-Known Member
With all due respect Orion I hope that the contractor is paying you for you efforts to keep that unit appearing in a fashion that satisfies X. As a disposed of former contractor I know first hand X's sensitivity regarding appearance . But at the same time they couldn't care less about whether or the unit was road worthy. That was the contractor's headache. Given the current and future downward pressure on settlements there will be many more occasions when a contractor will have to choose between making the payroll for that week of get needed repairs done along with more incidents where the contractor's driver refuse to drive the unit and more wrecks involving faulty equipment. Keep in mind small cutaway units only have a projected life of about 180-200,000 miles. All the paint in the world won't do a thing for a metal fatigued chassis or power train that's at it's limit.
 

OrioN

double tap o da horn dooshbag
Btw you posted your contractors name and location. If that matters to you.

Wait... wut? !? Where? !?

Oh snaps! Mods, please delete those affected pix! Thanks

Oh thats a decommisioned truck from another state, but stilll remove em when u get the chance, mods...
 
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OrioN

double tap o da horn dooshbag
Dmac, ah i knew it was someone dropping the ball in the plant! Various complaints on various chevy gmc models, not just the work vehicles, with water based paint with no clear coat over it

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Here's yo stage one paint, el cheapo capitan GM!

It's been a long night... one guy, who orders lots of alcohol, was waiting for me... i didn't roll up to his front porch 'till 1800.

I showed him my trip odometer and it was shy of 100 miles! Told him they never found a replacement driver yet for my current route (i was planning to transfer on Labor Day) . Cut the chit chat n said i gots 30 more to go but that means 35 more miles... gah!
 

Code 82 Approved

Titanium Plus+ Level Member with benefits!
Based on the truck next to you with your locale, I blame acid rain, noreasters, peeing on your hood and driving too fast to do 280 stops before dark.
 
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