IS-F Style Grille for '06-'08 from Option Racing (ebay)- Part 2, Installed!
05-24-11, 11:45 AM
#61
It also bothered me that you could really see the engine bay stuff behind the grille. Interestingly, this eBay grille has more of an OEM-like fitment than the Blitz.Yeah, I plan to add the CF emblem insert, which I'll probably order tonight.
I'll post pics when it's all done.Thanks for taking more pics. Is the color best described as dark silver, or gunmetal? Have you considered painting the lower grille the same color to match?
Last edited by brociouz; 05-31-11 at 06:21 AM. Reason: Typo
05-24-11, 08:00 PM
#66
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The thing guys is i'm never on that side of town. It just so happened that I had to drop my sister's car off at the shop with her because she got into a minor accident. If I ever get time, or visit my sister i'll stop by..
05-24-11, 10:08 PM
#67
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Hey, no worries, thanks for trying! I managed to snap some close up pictures of another member's ISF grille and have been using that as a basis for color comparison.
Thanks for posting pictures though, I'm glad to see that it indeed looks much better painted!
Thanks for posting pictures though, I'm glad to see that it indeed looks much better painted!
05-31-11, 01:08 AM
#69
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Painted!
So, I got a chance to paint the grille this weekend. Here's a bit of documentation .
After removing the grille, I proceeded to tape up the emblem area.
(1. Because I reeeaally didn't want to remove the emblem. 2. Because I've never been particularly fond of the lines behind the emblem and decided to leave them black so they're less visible.)
I picked up a can of DupliColor automotive paint in Graphite Grey Metal from Auto Zone:
*I'd snapped a photo of an ISF grille and went in with this in an attempt to color match.
I also purchased some 150 grit sandpaper from Home Depot:
This ended up being way too much. I used about half a sheet and lightly sanded as much as I could. You can fold smaller strips of the sandpaper to fit in the open areas of the "mesh" to sand it.
After sanding it, I washed it with water and dried it off with a towel. Because I wanted to be extra sure that there would be a good clean surface for the paint to adhere to, I used some Q-Tips and alcohol to clean the grooves of the mesh:
Since I didn't want to get any paint on the lines behind the emblem, I taped up the backside as well:
.After removing the grille, I proceeded to tape up the emblem area.
(1. Because I reeeaally didn't want to remove the emblem. 2. Because I've never been particularly fond of the lines behind the emblem and decided to leave them black so they're less visible.)
I picked up a can of DupliColor automotive paint in Graphite Grey Metal from Auto Zone:
*I'd snapped a photo of an ISF grille and went in with this in an attempt to color match.
I also purchased some 150 grit sandpaper from Home Depot:
This ended up being way too much. I used about half a sheet and lightly sanded as much as I could. You can fold smaller strips of the sandpaper to fit in the open areas of the "mesh" to sand it.
After sanding it, I washed it with water and dried it off with a towel. Because I wanted to be extra sure that there would be a good clean surface for the paint to adhere to, I used some Q-Tips and alcohol to clean the grooves of the mesh:
Since I didn't want to get any paint on the lines behind the emblem, I taped up the backside as well:
Last edited by Lexitegra; 05-31-11 at 01:14 AM.
05-31-11, 01:08 AM
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Painted Part 2
After all the prep work, I used a blow dryer to remove any remaining water/moisture (you don't want to paint a wet surface).
Now the fun part! Here's what it looked like after 1 coat:
I ended up doing 3 coats on the front and 1 generous coat on the back. I let it dry for about half an hour between coats.
For the purpose of color comparison, here's a close-up of the grille before:
Here's a close-up of the grille after:
Reinstalled on the car:
Another Angle:
The grille no longer disappears into the shadows because the metallic flecks in the paint pick up light and reflect it. I very much prefer this to the plain black plastic! The paint was about $8 and the sandpaper was about $4. I'm not sure how well this will hold up but since it was extremely easy to do, I wouldn't mind having to respray it. I liked the grille before, I now love it!
Now the fun part! Here's what it looked like after 1 coat:
I ended up doing 3 coats on the front and 1 generous coat on the back. I let it dry for about half an hour between coats.
For the purpose of color comparison, here's a close-up of the grille before:
Here's a close-up of the grille after:
Reinstalled on the car:
Another Angle:
The grille no longer disappears into the shadows because the metallic flecks in the paint pick up light and reflect it. I very much prefer this to the plain black plastic! The paint was about $8 and the sandpaper was about $4. I'm not sure how well this will hold up but since it was extremely easy to do, I wouldn't mind having to respray it. I liked the grille before, I now love it!
Last edited by Lexitegra; 05-31-11 at 01:49 AM.
05-31-11, 10:42 AM
#72
I think leaving the lower grill a different color is a good idea for the exact reason you stated. The top grill stands out, but you don't see that the mesh pattern isn't identical.
Sidenote: I've been offline for awhile. Has anyone found a carbon fiber or solid emblem to cover up the horizontal lines?
05-31-11, 10:58 AM
#73
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.Have you gotten your CF insert yet? If you go BP on the front emblem, will you go BP all around?
05-31-11, 11:09 AM
#74
Definitely respect your attention to detail. Great work btw, it turned out perfect...Didn't you have your finals last week? For you to squeeze in this DIY makes you a champ 
Brociouz, when you do paint the lower grille, would you kindly disclose the removal process. I hope it does not require bumper removal.
Brociouz, when you do paint the lower grille, would you kindly disclose the removal process. I hope it does not require bumper removal.
05-31-11, 11:53 AM
#75
Another possibility to cover up the lines might be using the radar cruise control front emblem since IIRC it's a flat and solid disc, but I personally don't like the look of it.
Haha, thanks! I actually don't plan on painting the lower grille for that exact reason...because it doesn't match! I guess you could always try it and paint it black again if you don't like it (or photoshop if you have those skills). I'm an annoyingly matchy matchy person, so I don't intend to .
Have you gotten your CF insert yet? If you go BP on the front emblem, will you go BP all around?
.Have you gotten your CF insert yet? If you go BP on the front emblem, will you go BP all around?
Once again, you're just like me - OCD FTW. Given what you and rebs are saying I'll definitely keep it matte black for now. At least when the lower is matte black it doesn't attract attention.
CF insert is en route. I've decided to go with a chrome emblem instead of BP. I like the contrast of chrome, the fact that it matches all the other chrome on my car, and if I paint the grille a gunmetal-like color I think it would blend too much. The chrome also makes my CF emblem inserts really pop.
