Sorry long over due...
I am sorry I do not have any pictures, as I was expecting them from the shop where I had the work done.( didn't happen )
I have a 2011 Black Limited EL, former "Men in Black" Vehicle I bought at 36k miles. Back deck and front hood both had the paint cancer.
As I reported way back I was fed up with Ford not doing anything so looking at $1200.00 or more to have it repainted ( just the rear deck) I decided to go to the salvage yard for a replacement deck. I found one with only very minor cancer on the bottom lip and proceeded to pull mine off and replace it with the salvage one.
After a tedious taking off removing all emblems and stripping it to only the shell I took it to a shop for Powder coating. I found a dealer online in St Petersburg Florida that had the "tuxedo Black" powder to match, but the shop talked me into using a Black powder they had already saving some money.
They proceeded to strip it by sand blasting it down to bare metal. They then applied a Prep coating prior to avoid future galvanic erosion and then an Epoxy powder coating primer.
Last coat was the Black, with metal flake and followed by the clear coats.
Result: The sand blasting was a little too aggressive especially showing minor dimples where the body was unsupported on the inside. The color was not a 100% match , was a little grey and not 100% black, but due to the fact there is not connecting body to really notice it was fine. They did apologize for the "dimples" but at this point not really anything they could do to fix it. I had this done last Oct and to date ( March 2018) it seems to be holding up well. They also guarantee it for three years against any peeling . The clear coat also seems to scratch easier then the OEM painted coating but again this is minor.
Will I get the hood done? No. I am looking at replacing it with an after market Steel hood and having it painted to match. ( I honestly do not trust anyone to paint the aluminum properly where it will not peel again) The hood must match the fenders 100% and this may be an issue, I also think the hood has too many areas and thinner then the deck hatch and the blasting my do more damage which will only show up after the final glossy coats are applied.
Total costs: $900.00 for the salvage deck hatch, still have it in my basement.
$ 500.00 for the powder coating, as this was an extremely low price due to the shop owner gave me a huge brake as a type of R&D project.
Would I do it again ? Yes. However I would pay more for the "tuxedo Black Powder" and match it better and now that I know would ask them to be gentle with the sand blasting and buffing of the final coats.
The BIG Question is: Why doesn't FORD Powder Coat the panels and avoid this whole mess?
And last for those who don't know this Ford and all the other Mfgs contract out the lines in Mfg. A sub contractor on Ford's line has the responsibility for the painting. It is almost impossible to find out the company that has the job, but they put them out for bid. Ford also dictates the "costs" and the final analysis is that they ( sub) are forced to cut corners to make a buck.
By NOT mixing Steel and Aluminum the F150's and trucks should be a much more reliable finish as we all know the aluminum gets contaminated or the "prep" puddles and does not dry properly when they mix the two on the same line. This is NOT unique to Ford, GM, Dodge and others have had the same issue. I promise to post some pictures of the deck when the sun returns to Ct .
Links:
http://www.allpowderpaints.com/powder-coating-colors/ford-tuxedo-black/
Another reason why many stopped using it on larger vessels after experimentation with the material.
