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Have any of you had good success with painting your chrome grill? what paints did you use? I'm looking to do this in my driveway and not at a paint shop and wanting to paint my grill black. any advice is appreciated thanks.
Painted Grill?
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Yeah I thought about plastidipping the grill but my neighbors have had no luck with it staying on more then a month. The highways in our area are littered with gravel trucks and it just chips way too fast
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If it's a real chrome grille, you can't paint it. You can't paint chrome and have it last; especially with it being on the front of truck.
If it's the chrome look, that plastic surfaced chrome, strip it first. Use sand paper or when I was at the dealership, (I asked the same question because I can't stand chrome anything), he said they've had people use a power washer to strip the chrome coating (no idea if that is right). That pastidip is only going to give you an idea but it will hold up if you strip the chrome plastic coating first. My old pick up had a fake chrome grille and I sanded the hell out of it and plastidipped it and it worked great. I just don't care for the pastidip look as it looks sort of cheesy.
If it's the chrome look, that plastic surfaced chrome, strip it first. Use sand paper or when I was at the dealership, (I asked the same question because I can't stand chrome anything), he said they've had people use a power washer to strip the chrome coating (no idea if that is right). That pastidip is only going to give you an idea but it will hold up if you strip the chrome plastic coating first. My old pick up had a fake chrome grille and I sanded the hell out of it and plastidipped it and it worked great. I just don't care for the pastidip look as it looks sort of cheesy.
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I've plasti dipped all my chrome and had no issues. My badges were 3-4 light coats, anything on the front of the truck is 5-7 coats because of the possibility of getting hit. Just make sure you clean the chrome really well and then wipe it down with alcohol before plasti dipping and it'll stick. I reapply the dip every few years once it starts wearing out.
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every few years? wow. well... maybe ill just give the plasti-dip a chance and do it once. Perhaps my neighbour has not been applying sufficient coats because I just saw him doing it probably 2 months ago and he already has rock chips in it. prep work seems to be key from what everyone has told me so far. sand and clean thoroughly before applying. I for sure want to do the grill and mirrors. I haven't decided yet on doing the wheels or not. at least the plasti-dip product has come down in price since its introduction so if I hate it I wont have sunk too much cash.
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Prep is key. I used it on my Ram's grille after cleaning and sanding it and honestly it held up fairly well for what it is. I could of done a better job on applying it but it was my first time using it. I want to do my grille, door handles and mirrors but my truck is "Java" and I'm not totally sure the black is going to look how I want it too.
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Don't do door handles, you'll start pulling it off with your hands. Been there done that.
You can/will get rock chips in it, but if you apply enough coats you might be able to avoid the plasti dip tearing. If it does tear it's not easy to just reapply in that area because you'll be able to see it so you may have to peel the whole thing off and start over.
My friend did his wheels and they looked great for about 6 months, but now they've faded after about a year. He even did the clear coat to make it look glossy. Also if you rub the rim on anything (not a big deal with our trucks, he has an Altima) it'll tear the plasti dip immediately.
You can/will get rock chips in it, but if you apply enough coats you might be able to avoid the plasti dip tearing. If it does tear it's not easy to just reapply in that area because you'll be able to see it so you may have to peel the whole thing off and start over.
My friend did his wheels and they looked great for about 6 months, but now they've faded after about a year. He even did the clear coat to make it look glossy. Also if you rub the rim on anything (not a big deal with our trucks, he has an Altima) it'll tear the plasti dip immediately.
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I know, that's why I want to get the mirrors/grille/door handles professionally painted the Java color so it all matches. I would imagine that would cost probably $500 to get it all done at a minimum. I had bought a super nice Java grille from a member here but in the end, it didn't work and I was pissed because it was a good *** deal and looked so nice when I set it up to mount it. Unfortunately, I had to send it back so now I'm hoping to find someone that could paint it all to match.
Also, the dealership told me the chrome is actually considered an upgrade vs the color matched and that I should leave it as more people would want the chrome if I ever trade it in or sell it. I guess it's a personal thing because I can't stand chrome anything and I think the color matched makes the truck look way cleaner and better.
Also, the dealership told me the chrome is actually considered an upgrade vs the color matched and that I should leave it as more people would want the chrome if I ever trade it in or sell it. I guess it's a personal thing because I can't stand chrome anything and I think the color matched makes the truck look way cleaner and better.
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