just painted my front grill (the chrome part)!

love67 · 09-13-09, 01:45 PM

hi guys,
i just painted my front grill and i just want to share some pictures with you guys

i was asking the body shop about painting the grill, and they said $100

so i DIY, it is about $25. (I don't know if im did it right tho, so don't say i mess up your grill if you copied it)
i use the TAMIYA primer, TS-6(matte black) or your choice, TS-80 (flat clear) or your choice.

first take off the front grill and clear it, make sure there is no dust or anything.

then spray the primer for several LIGHT LIGHT coats , wait like 3 mins for the spray to dry before the second coats.

then spray the base color of your choice, mine is matte black. again, light light coats and wait few mins to dry.

then clean coat, and again several light coats and wait between which coat.
and you are done!

on the car

thanks for looking
Nick

Hoovey2411 · 09-13-09, 01:51 PM

I like it. Nice job!

Phil888 · 09-13-09, 01:52 PM

how come you didnt sand off the chromes. I dont think its going to stick for too long , cause thats how my was done and certain spots are already chipped.

hmm did wait atleast a day or two before putting it back on? Other then that it matches really good.

xuningshen · 09-13-09, 01:54 PM

looks nice man, but i at first used that model car paint... (tamiya) and it came off for me, it did not stick well at all, i found that scuffing up the chrome, using adhesion promoter and duplicolor paint works wayyyy better as far as it not chipping. my emblems and stuff started chipping within a month after using that model car paint =\ its been 2-3 months and my whole front grill, (the surround, the grill and the emblem) are holding up extremely well w/ duplicolor

love67 · 09-13-09, 02:19 PM

=o=! i didn't know! i just heard people said prime it, base color and clear coat...
and i asked the hobby shop, and they said should be ok...
xuningshen, can you send me some link of what you use for primer, base color and clear coat? thanks
Nick
oh wait! you mean my paint is fine, just use adhesion promoter or i have to re do it and get their primer, paint and adheston promoter?
thanks

Initial G · 09-13-09, 02:40 PM

Love the matte black look. Well worth it and cheaper than the $110 the bodyshop was asking. How long did it take? Keep us updated if the paint starts to chip away. Good jb nonetheless.

nmpeter · 09-13-09, 02:40 PM

Nice, I need to paint mine. I hate the silver trim on my car.

IS350Livin · 09-13-09, 02:48 PM

I have a black IS and I finally did the grill black and I'm extremely glad I did...I haven't had one negative remark about it. I did sand the sh-t out of it first and then used 5 coats of black rustolium for plastic and then 5 coats of rustolium high gloss laquer...Looks AWESOME!

love67 · 09-13-09, 03:02 PM

anyone knows where can i find duplicolor stuff in store or online?

SpecLexus · 09-13-09, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by love67

anyone knows where can i find duplicolor stuff in store or online?

Any auto store should have it. Advanced auto parts have it for sure.

kbkura · 09-13-09, 03:40 PM

Great job, man... looks good! Was it difficult to take of the trim? How do you do it? Thanks!

alan003 · 09-13-09, 04:51 PM

wow!! looking good bud. time to do mine :]

trixxx519 · 09-13-09, 05:18 PM

nice congrats, need to do mine also
i need to paint my grill mrm, does auto shop have this color?

xuningshen · 09-14-09, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by love67

=o=! i didn't know! i just heard people said prime it, base color and clear coat...
and i asked the hobby shop, and they said should be ok...
xuningshen, can you send me some link of what you use for primer, base color and clear coat? thanks
Nick
oh wait! you mean my paint is fine, just use adhesion promoter or i have to re do it and get their primer, paint and adheston promoter?
thanks

thats funny because the hobbie shop said the same thing to me, i said wait this is toy model car paint/lacquor, will this hold up outside and to elements? they said yup, they obviously don't know **** about their paint. because mine didn't hold up very well. or they just wanted me to buy it. that paint is seriously overpriced for a little little can. i ended up redoing it the next weekend w/ duplicolor semi-gloss black at pepboys, which looks flat.

i didn't primer, i kinda thought the adhesion promoter would act as a primer. and so far it hasn't worn off at all. and i wash my car at least once a week
and what i did was, (don't blame me if it doesn't work for you, and i probably should've used a primer after the adhesion promoter)

sand
rinse & dry w/ cloth that doesn't leave lint & w/ gloves so u don't get oils on it
adhesion promoter (3 light coats)
base coat (lots and lots of light coats)
clear coat (i only put 2 light ones but just put as many as u see fit)

it helps to not install the grill for at least a day. let it dry up alot. it may be dry to the touch after an hour but it isn't completely dry. and it doesn't completely cure for a few days to a week. so just wait a day, leave it in the garage to dry and then install it.

JVT · 09-14-09, 12:57 PM

Nice job!

I'm going to use a different method with my grills...going to use vinyl instead. This will give me the option of going back to chrome if I like.

I'll give it a shot this week. If I fail, I'll have a pro do it.