DIY black grill surrounds...

[fongaroos]

i removed both chrome grille surrounds, sanded them down, primered, primered, paint, paint, paint... and thats where im at right now.

the end result looks pretty good. its just flat black and has a nice matte finish. not too shiny and im hoping to get the surrounds onto the grille soon.

the last thing is... im wondering if i should do some kind of clearcoat...

i dont want the paint chippin off and flakin off as soon as i put the surrounds on the car so im wondering what you guys think.

should i clear coat it?

if i do clearcoat it...will the clear coat make the paint shiny? i actually dont want it shiny. i want it to have more of a matte finish.

also, ive tried two different kinds of clear coat. i used a lighter clearcoat on my other car and it turned out nicely...but wasnt as thick. the other clear coat i tried was a lot thicker and shinier but after a few months in the son it started to discolor. it was really strange...

any thoughts?

[Saturnine]

Well, what kind of a look do you want?

There are lots of different kinds of clear coats.. Super glossy down to Satin finish..

[fongaroos]

do you think i should clear coat it at all?

im looking for a clear coat that will look very MATTE.

i dont want it to be shiny cuz i want the surrounds to look like they are actually part of the black grille...

if that makes sense...

i basically want the entire grille to look like ONE PIECE OF PLASTIC with the shiny chrome rings on top...

[Saturnine]

I'd go with Matte or Satin gloss then

[imajn34]

Mmmmm, blacked out! I think it will look good Matte

[fongaroos]

how did you paint yours imajin?

[fongaroos]

well i finished it..

after MONTHS of debating whether i should paint it dolphin or black i finally finished it...

i think it looks pretty stealthy...but i dont know how long itll stay...

i hope it doesnt start chipping or cracking or fading...

but yah...

ill put up some pics later..

[imajn34]

I didn't paint them, I just bought OEM blacke out's

[pkancel]

Fong, I painted mine. The surrounds and the rings. Did it about a 6 months ago and sanded them just like you stated. Every once in a while a small chip, almost unnoticeable pops up, but a little touch up and its back to normal.

I didnt clear coat them because I feared it running or not coming out the way I wanted. Just painted and being semi-gloss, came out prefect.

[fongaroos]

and here is one more...not really a new mod... but 04.5s dont get that engine piece in the back..

i really wanted it cuz it makes the engine bay look so much cleaner...

STUPID RUSNAK!!! they tried to charge me for it...bastards!!!

so i went to another dealership... and they were SOO COOL! STUPID STUPID RUSNAK!!!

dont go to them!!! they SUCK!

[RippleChip]

Nicely done. Removing the chrome totally changes the front of the car.

[gearhead]

Whoa, looks great. Now I wanna do it--don't have the time/patience tho.

[fongaroos]

thanx...

it really doesnt take that long...

where is lakewood?

if you need help im in socal... around the arcadia/pasadena area...

[fongaroos]

ARGH!!!!

it looked really good for ONE DAY...

now i got like two rock chips on it already...

and the chrome is exposed...

how can i make it more resistant to rock chips?

[bbaudi382]

more paint?

[RippleChip]

Better priming. Then multiple thin layers of paint.

[pkancel]

Exactly what I did, sanded, primed and layered. Several layers and then after about 3 months, took them off, lightly sanded and layered again.

[gearhead]

Originally posted by fongaroos
thanx...

it really doesnt take that long...

where is lakewood?

if you need help im in socal... around the arcadia/pasadena area...

It's just north of Long Beach. I've been meaning to make it up to Arcadia for help in clearing my corners. Was gonna call MOXY --wonder if he's running out of beer?

Several layers and then after about 3 months, took them off, lightly sanded and layered again.

I knew I wouldn't have the patience.