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Ok so I’m looking to get my 2013 lariat’s chrome grille surrounding painted to match the kodiak brown. I always heard that you shouldn’t paint over chrome, but I figured I’d ask around to some local shops and see their opinions.
Out of 6 shops that I checked with, only one of them said they would do it. They wanted to charge $250 and said that they could not guarantee that the paint would stay on and look good.
Below is 3 pictures, one of my entire grille now, one of what I’m looking to get painted, and the other is an example of what I’m looking to get done, except in white.
I checked for the grille online, but i couldn’t find the same grille without it being chrome.
I also am debating vinyl wrapping it, though I would only be able to do a gloss black since I can’t find a kodiak brown metallic wrap.
anyway, if anyone has done something similar, or have any ideas on what I could do, please let me know! Thanks
I would paint the entire grill because...well...I HATE chrome. Just me. I painted my XLT chrome grill and it lasted for about 18 months and started flaking because of rocks hitting the grill and breaking the bond. I straight painted over the chrome which was a mistake. I then learned a little trick about a year ago. If you want to paint a chrome plastic piece, you should remove the chrome with...get this...oven cleaner. Oven cleaner will strip the chrome off plastic very easily. You can google how to do it. I do not know if you can strip chrome off a part of the body part or if you can how to do it without messing up the chrome you want to keep.
I would paint the entire grill because...well...I HATE chrome. Just me. I painted my XLT chrome grill and it lasted for about 18 months and started flaking because of rocks hitting the grill and breaking the bond. I straight painted over the chrome which was a mistake. I then learned a little trick about a year ago. If you want to paint a chrome plastic piece, you should remove the chrome with...get this...oven cleaner. Oven cleaner will strip the chrome off plastic very easily. You can google how to do it. I do not know if you can strip chrome off a part of the body part or if you can how to do it without messing up the chrome you want to keep.
AK4wheeler
I looked into doing that, though I don’t know how I feel about it. I know a lot of people use it to get the chrome out of their headlights, though the only thing I’m worried about is whether or not the plastic will be smooth enough to paint over. I’ve found the specific peice I’m wanting to get painted online for $160 so I might just order that and get it painted and installed. Will update this thread after I do it.
As AK4Wheeler mentioned above, the main issue that you would have is it starting to chip from rocks/debris causing damage. I've had 2 chrome grilles painted in the past on my personal trucks and overall had a good experience. Love the painted to match look, very clean. The alternative would be looking for base model (the black abs grille) and having it primed and painted. Keep us posted!
Once you strip the chrome off the plastic, it is smooth. You must sand paper the grill anyway with 500-2000 grit sand paper anyway to have the paint stick correctly. Also, if you do that and paint 3 coats then follow up with 3 coats or more of clear, it will be more protected. Should cost you a total of $40-60. Don't know where you are, but here in SC, wrapping a grill will be approximately $250. I ended up buying a black plastic grill from EAG. Looks sort of like a Raptor but instead of the DODD, I have the bar where I could use my original Ford emblem.
I used Plasti-dip on mine. Took off the grill, pulled the badges and hit it with multiple coats throughout the day. Probably took a solid 2 - 3 cans. Came out great.
That grille should be two pieces (center and outer ring). If that's all the chrome you're painting, then just buy the paintable outer ring. If you are painting more chrome, like me, then you will need some good epoxy primer/sealer and a good scratch on the chrome and as long as its CLEAN before you sand it and after you sand it, adhesion should pose no issues at all. Just remember to follow the TDS for any paint products you use and thicker/more coats is not always better.
05-11-2018, 08:40 PM
Painting a chrome grille?
