[JanWeber]

Looking for someone who can repaint both the interior and exterior of my steel trailer. My plan is to scrape off the superficial rust, treat with a "rust reformer" type of product and spot prime. Trailer is solid, just needs cosmetics to last another 13 years (1998 model Jackson). I'd go NJ/PA/NY or further for a good job, Any ideas?

[Trakehner]

This is a simple one. Head to the auto-paint shops. Earl Schibe always advertised, "I'll paint any vehicle for $X.00".

Do your own scraping and taping, they'll prime and paint (and may even use an electrostatic method which really makes for great rust prevention. If you've got any electrical work to be done, do it before they paint. Might be worth having them undercoat your trailer, inside the fenders too! Don't forget to pull out your floor mats.

[MeghanDACVA]

Be sure to get it sandblasted though to get ALL the rust off and smooth out the pits, etc.

Lesson learned.

[CFFarm]

Just a reminder. Make sure you wear a mask and protective clothing while scraping and sanding. I redid a '74 Shoop. Any auto painter should be able to spray it.

[JanWeber]

Actually, the auto body shops WON'T do it. They need a spray booth and it's too large. There was a truck body shop I used years ago for some minor work, but they're no longer there. There's little rust on the exterior - just some near a few of the welds - some rust along the seams inside. The metal is "galvanealed" which is an additional layer of protection between the paint and the metal. Don't think I want to sandblast and remove that! Maybe I'll look online to find another truck body shop - hopefully one that doesn't see dollar signs when they hear "horse trailer"...

[Bacchus]

I have an older Jackson that I'm going to have painted too. Great trailers.

I've had quotes from $1,100 to $1,500 at professional shops around town. (It's a two-horse, fully enclosed with dressing room.)

I have a friend who's going to do it for me (everything) for around $800. We are going to tarp off our RV shed and do it in there. You can use some type of enamal paint -- can't remember what he called it. It's not too expensive. He even said he could probably do it for less than the $800 with this paint. (He's a professional house painter.) I'll give more info when I get it.

[cutemudhorse]

See if Glick's is still around Leola PA. They do bodywork and maybe sell trailers. At least they did. . .

[JanWeber]

Bacchus - where do you live? Think he'd like to do two?

[DennisM]

The MAACO shop in Frederick, MD, did mine several years ago.

[Bacchus]

Bacchus - where do you live? Think he'd like to do two?

I'm in central Kentucky -- might not be worth the drive

[JanWeber]

Thanks - you're right - guess I'll go with the truck body shop in North Jersey. Don't know what it's like elsewhere, but here environmental controls are strict and require sealed spray booths. Wish my local MAACO had one, but no.

[clanter]

We contacted our trailer manufacturer and arranged for them to re-do it as a quality control experiment one winter. They actually reversed the trailer through the plant, disassembled it, sandblasted to then reassembled it.


Took three weeks and it looked just like new.