Restored Grill

[Beast12]

You painted your grill and everything? What did you use? That's what I have got to do to my 85 F150 flareside. Looks great! -Matt

[88grandmarquis]

Beast12, I used Rustoleum Auto Gloss Black and a clear coat (can't remember the brand, it's the one at Walmart).

After making sure it was clean, I taped it off and applied two coats of gloss black. After that dried I applied two coats of clear coat.

Thanks for all the compliments. I'm really happy with how it turned out. Makes the chrome stand out nicely.

[WigWag]

Looks great. Not overbearing or "cheap" looking. I think you gave it a very aggressive look by making the remaining chrome stand out. I hope I take as good of care of my ride as you do yours.

WigWag

[Beast12]

Originally Posted by 88grandmarquis

Beast12, I used Rustoleum Auto Gloss Black and a clear coat (can't remember the brand, it's the one at Walmart).

After making sure it was clean, I taped it off and applied two coats of gloss black. After that dried I applied two coats of clear coat.

Thanks for all the compliments. I'm really happy with how it turned out. Makes the chrome stand out nicely.

So you taped off the chrome and painted just the black areas black again. Then you waited until it dried and took the tape off and used clear coat on the black AND the chrome? My chrome on my truck is faded. Will the clear coat make it look like yours or is there something else I should do?

-Matt

[88grandmarquis]

There areas I painted were the gray on the grill. The bezels were really faded and looked bad. I left the tape on when I clear coated it. I did not clear coat the chrome. I think that even if your chrome is faded, it will stand out nicely. When it is against that dull gray it just doesn't seem to be very noticeable.

Here's the steps I took to do it:

1. Pulled off grill and bezels. Very carefully removed the signal lenses and FORD emblem. It's a 100 times easier with these off.

2. Scrubbed bezels and grill down real good in the bath tub with a very small amount of dish soap (just a few drops to get some suds). Make sure it is completely dry before anything else.

3. Taped everything off. I used Scotch Tape brand Auto Masking Tape that I found at Walmart in the auto department. Get the wide tape. To get the tape straight on the grill, I centered the chrome on the tape and trimmed the excess off with a utility knife. I just ran the knife along the edge of the chrome. It works real slick. Kind of a trial and error thing. Oh, and I only needed one roll of tape.

4. Applied the first coat of gloss black. I was able to apply a second coat after 10 minutes. When you do the grill you will have to paint it from the front and the back. Since there is that little lip in back I had to come from behind. I did the second coat a bit heavier than the first, making sure I covered everything.

5. I applied the first coat of clear coat after the paint dried for about 30 minutes to an hour (or until it is dry to the touch). I applied the second layer of clear coat when the first got to be a bit tacky, maybe 10 or 15 minutes.

6. Let it all sit for two hours or more. Pulled off the tape. Put the emblem and signal lenses back on. Put everything back on the truck.

7. Sat back and enjoyed the new look.

Hope this helped. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.

[Beast12]

So you didn't do anything to the chrome at all? My chrome is looking a little faded. It's not shiny like it should be. Maybe I will have to get something else for that.

-Matt