I want to paint my faded grill shell along with the side trim, what kind of prep work is required. I see some of you people have done this. Hio silver comes to mind. thanks.

 

Greetings.

320 wet/dry (wet is easier).

Prime.

Paint... the first coat is a tack coat... a light misting. Full coverage at this point is discouraged! .. let it tack up so the following two medium wet coats don't run on ya. Allow for proper flash time (evaporation) between coats. In warmer weather, I like to wait about 15 minutes in between to allow bonding.

 

Clean with Easy Off oven cleaner and foil til you get off the anodization off and then prep the surface (sanding) to give the paint something to grab onto.

Here is an idea on what it will look like.

 

Thank you for the quick reply, did you use rattle cans. I have some satin black Plasti coat that I,m planning on using on the grill and side trim.Oh I,m converting my 79 to 77 grill, I like them better. thanks

 

So when using the easy off will I need to do some scrubbing with a soft brush? I have all the pieces off the truck. Have the wide chrome with black plastic and the race track chrome. thanks

 

Yep.. shake, shake like a rattle snake.

I hindsight, I'd prolly apply a clear.

 

No the Easy Off is corrosive to aluminium, but it will help get the anodizing off along with the foil or steel wool.

 

Ever here of buffing compound and a buffer? That alum will polish up like new and look 100 times better than rattle can paint.

 

All that's happened to your grille shell is that the clear anodizing has faded to a milky white. The truck is 40 years old. It happens. Please do not paint your trim as it so often looks like junk. I like HIO's, but that's an exception. His whole truck matches the look and the way he did it was tastefully. Grab yourself some sandpaper and a bucket of water and polish out that aluminum. It will look better than new when you're done. Re-anodize it when you're finished. It is not expensive.

 

You can also powdercoat the shell for a longer lasting finish.

 

As others have stated please, please do not paint that trim. I along with others would gladly buy the faded trim. As for the grill shell/grill, I would wet sand with some 400 because that is my personal preference when doing stuff like this. The 400 will leave smaller scuffs and take longer but will also turn out very nice once painted over. I would suggest using either a gravity fed spray gun and some single stage paint because it would be the easiest, but if you want to do it right use 2 stage paint, base than clear, to help give it a nice shine and look. But please don't paint the trim, just pull it off and don't paint the trim

 

Just to be clear... should he paint the trim?

I am about 50/50 on keeping the racetrack trim. I'm going flat black with the paint and I'm going to put on aftermarket bumpers when I can. I actually have a lot of oem parts in good condition that I would like to trade for aftermarket parts.

 

My truck grill and trim have that milky white, I've tried all kinds of polish, Mothers Aluminum Polish, Quick Glo, they only seem to work for a day, then fade away, I did wipe it down with oil once, looked great for like a week, then faded, I haven't tried sanding the finish off though, if I try this, how long does the trim keep a shine ? and where would I have trim re-anodized ?

 

Hey Joe ,where you goin with that gun in your hand.I just had to say that.....I just took stuff to M&Z anodizing in Pa not far ,they do great work,,,Rt 74 Dallastown.hope that helps

 

This will happen with any bare aluminum. It does not naturally mantain a shine, which is why they get anodized afterward.

And no, you can not anodize a chrome equivalent. For a bright anodizing you must polish first and then anodize.

And also no, you can not paint a clear overtop as the paint will not stick to the smooth surface.