Black Chrome OEM Grills
12-14-2007, 11:01 PM
#1
Black Chrome OEM Grills
How many people would be interested in Black Chrome OEM grills for the G37S? I'm thinking of buying the paints & doing my Grill myself, and if it turns out well, thought I might offer them to others, so this is kind of a feeler.
12-15-2007, 12:45 AM
#5
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12-15-2007, 07:12 AM
#7
Have you ever done this before? What kind of paint will you use? Auto lacquer is really the only thing that will hold up.
I've been thinking about doing the exact same thing. I've got an airbrush that I use to paint model cars, planes and spacecraft. I also have a source for pre-mixed auto lacquers to shoot.
My only hesitation is removing the chrome from the stock grille. I think the way to go is to strip the chrome off, as opposed to sanding it. Unless the surface is perfectly smooth, the chrome will highlight every imperfection in the base surface.
I know several guys have had their grilles painted by body shops, but I wonder how the grilles were prepped. You can paint over the chrome, but I have my doubts to how long it will hold up long term.
It's a great idea that would solve the biggest gripe I've got about the car - the chrome front grille. Thanks for asking.
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12-15-2007, 12:30 PM
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Painting the grill is a recipe for disaster: I did something similar on my previous car and the rocks chips, after 12 months, made it look horrible - like swiss cheese. Unless the grill is actually plated and, therefore, not subject to chips, it will not age well.
Lee
Lee
12-15-2007, 01:15 PM
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Painting the grill is a recipe for disaster: I did something similar on my previous car and the rocks chips, after 12 months, made it look horrible - like swiss cheese. Unless the grill is actually plated and, therefore, not subject to chips, it will not age well.
Lee
Lee
12-16-2007, 02:15 PM
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While I would agree that the quality and prep will certainly slow the process, any painted surface will be a victim of rocks and road debris. Even the best of painted surfaces on an old Mercedes (12 step process) or a Porsche are victims- which is why 3M makes such a killing on their clear masks. A good friend of mine owns a body shop and actually coached me on the proper process to paint the emblems on my old Lexus. I used a 6 step process which included surface prep, primer, several very light coats of paint and several very light coats of clear. It looked GREAT for about 3 months and then started to look like swiss cheese.
Here is my plan: I plan to take my emblems and potentially my grill to a local jewelery store that can do nickel plating. Because it is an electrical process that actually atomically bonds the metals, it is not subject to chipping and will wear for years before slowly fading (unless you don't use any sort of chemicals to clean them and keep them waxed which will give a lifetime of wear). The process will be fairly inexpensive.
IMHO, this is the best route... YMMV.
Lee
Here is my plan: I plan to take my emblems and potentially my grill to a local jewelery store that can do nickel plating. Because it is an electrical process that actually atomically bonds the metals, it is not subject to chipping and will wear for years before slowly fading (unless you don't use any sort of chemicals to clean them and keep them waxed which will give a lifetime of wear). The process will be fairly inexpensive.
IMHO, this is the best route... YMMV.
Lee
12-17-2007, 02:37 AM
#15
Those are Volk GT-30's
Anyways, as far as my qualifications, I'm in construction so I do a fair amount of everything (paint work included). I have a automotive paint sprayer / compressor & all that, plus it doesn't take much to paint a grill. It will require a few coats of paint w/ wetsanding in between followed by a few coats of Clear.
I probably will wait until after the New Year to do this. I'll keep this updated when I do my grill w/ the results.
Anyways, as far as my qualifications, I'm in construction so I do a fair amount of everything (paint work included). I have a automotive paint sprayer / compressor & all that, plus it doesn't take much to paint a grill. It will require a few coats of paint w/ wetsanding in between followed by a few coats of Clear.
I probably will wait until after the New Year to do this. I'll keep this updated when I do my grill w/ the results.