My problem is I didn't use any primer. The website I checked said that paint didn't need primer and would "soak into" the plastic. It did not. It didn't even adhere to the plastic. Back to square one for me. And I've been driving without the grill for this whole week!

 

xtreme, where did you buy from? i have an xlt grill with black honeycomb but i want the chrome surround. the dealer i talked to said they were not seperate parts and was talking around 400 for a lariat grill. by the way my surround is dark shadow grey if anybody wants to trade.

 

gpeade, I bought on ebay. Just did a search for 04 f150 grille.The seller was only selling the honeycomb inserts in both the black and gold. He had quite a few and were listed as factory takeoffs. He wasn't selling the surrounds. Mine is chrome already cuz i have the lariat. I wanted the black honeycomb cuz my truck is black. I did see a couple of complete lariat setups, the chrome surround and the gold honeycomb going for around 75$ when i looked last. You could buy something like that and just sell the gold honeycomb. Hope this helps

 

xtreme1,

I just did the search and cant find any factory takeoffs. I have a XL and would like the XLT insert. Can you see if the post is still there.

 

I just did a search for the grilles and didnt come up with anything so i did a search for the seller his ebay seller name is stevenkroo. He has other things listed but no ford parts. He must have sold the grilles he had. I am going to email him tomorrow and see if he has anymore or can get anymore. I will post and let you know as soon as i hear from him.

 

Xtreme1,

Thanks for the help.

 

Hey Ct! I Want The Chrome Surround Off An Xlt Grill. If You Find A Complete Grill I Will Buy The Chrome Piece If You Don't Need It.

Will Also Let You Know If I Find Something You Can Use

 

Before I start this update I'd like to preface it by saying I am a very very very dumb person. And that's being generous. Yesterday I bought a can of Ace Extra strength spray can paint stripper. Today I lined up the grill outside and read the instructions. It said "Do Not Use on Plastic" So what did dummy do? Yes, I sprayed the grill insert and waited 20 minutes. Next I took a pressurized hose and the paint did come off. Problem is it also "wrinkled" the grill insert. Why oh why did I do such a dumb thing ? Anyway now I have a honycombed grill that is wrinkled. Maybe I should go with the "textured" look??? So, it appears I'll be sanding the grill (which I probably should have done in the first place) to smooth it back out. I guess the only good news is I can get away with just sanding the outter edge, since the inner section will be painted black and behind my stainless steel grill cover piece. If you've had a rough day or week, go ahead and laugh, I deserve it. Actually this is what I deserve: and

 

LOL. That's funny. But I'm laughing with you.

 

Another update:

It turns out the "wrinkling" I thought was the grill plastic was actually the gold paint over the plastic. So I went and bought another can of paint stripper and applied it. It took most of the gold paint off and beneath that is a dull flat black. It actually looked very cool and I almost just clear coated it that way with the gold flecks. The plastic was slightly affected, but not much at all. I just took some scrub brushes and smoothed it down. Next I cleaned it very well with dishwasher soap. Then I applied a plastic primer (which I should have done in the first place). After an hour and half I applied flat black paint. I used three coats and it looks great. The look is slightly textured but is unique and awesome. Lastly I bolted the stainless steel grill to it and put back on truck.