kevin777

That turned out really good. Looks factory. Nice to see that it can be done. If you weren't on the other side of the country
I would ask you to paint my chrome.

I mess up painting a wall... more paint on me than the wall so no chance of DIY painting the truck for me.

Turned out really nice. Thanks for posting.

sincitizen

Subscribed

BRONCMAN

Subscribed here as well.. any idea what a body shop might charge to paint a Chrome XLT grilled white/ black like the FX4??

Norotso

Arg, want my chrome gone...!!

21RRF150

iTrader: (1)

It's very subjective to the area you live in. We've always done ''packages'' like, front and rear bumpers plus grille was $500. That includes all removal and disassembly, prep and paint.

rmp213

I've used this same process to paint the chrome pieces and badging on my 2006 F150. I used the equivalent materials from automotivetouchup.com instead of PPG and had fantastic results. I didn't need a whole quart of paint as I was only doing chrome trim, so their aerosol cans of color matched paint worked perfect for me. My only complaint is, I would wait more like half an hour to an hour (pending your environment) when using their brand of plastic adhesion promoter. I ended up stripping my badges and starting over because the paint wanted run from not letting it cure long enough before spraying. Here are a couple before and afters of my truck from automotivetouchup.com's products.

I painted the chrome mirror caps, and door handles red to match, and painted the badges the same sterling gray as the Raptor wheels. Cost me just over $50 in materials including shipping.

rmp213

mbullock, I'm just an amateur at body work as I've only ever done my own vehicles or helped buddies with projects, so I'd like your professional opinion. Do you have any good products/techniques for painting stainless steel bumpers? I've been wanting to paint my bumpers the same color red as the truck, but know stripping chrome off steel can be a royal PITA... What's your opinion/advice? thanks!

21RRF150

iTrader: (1)

Stainless steel? Are your bumpers different than the normal chrome ones? Have a pic?

If you're doing the regular chrome bumpers on these trucks, I'd stick as close to the original method as possible. I painted the chrome bumper with this method on a 73 camaro earlier in this thread.

Definitely get bulldog adhesion promoter though. I've been using it lately, and is way better than any other I've used. Definitely use epoxy primer on something that close to the road. A good sealer, then definitely activate your basecoat with a splash of hardener, and flex your clear. This all will help it holding out to rock chips. Get the best products that you can afford. If you want to look further, look up Armor coat. It's a spray film that is very chip resistant. When we slow down in the summer here, I may pull my bumper, repaint it, and just clear it with that stuff.

rmp213

Thanks for the tips, mbullock! You can see my bumpers in the before and after pics I posted of my PTM plastic trim I posted. I've heard from a few old timers (probably not familiar with the products your talking about) that said you need to completely strip the bumpers. Mine are just stainless steel bumpers, so it's good to hear I can use the same process as painting the chrome plastic pieces.

Would you say stick with a 400 grit paper to scuff the stainless steel bumpers? Most primers should fill the scratches that small I'd imagine. Thanks again!

thekevin

So how far will a 12oz. aerosol can go. I am guessing it would be plenty to ptm my grille but how much would I need if I wanted to do my bumpers as well.