Has anyone painted their stock grilles? I've been thinking about painting mine black to match my car, but was looking for tips on how to do so before I went this route. Is it something I could do myself, or would it be something that would definitely have to be done by a body shop? Thoughts?

....note, I've also thought about cutting out the honeycombs before painting, so all of them are open to allow air in.

 

didn't it come black ? if I guess no , why not try trading someone ?

 

It's black, but it's a Molded In Color black, not a gloss painted black. I thought it would really hide well if it was the same gloss black as the paint on my car.

 

Check out the grille on my car. Basically identical to the Roush 9 bar grille but got it for less than half the price at American Muscle.

 

A local body shop pulled and painted the pony to match the grille. They did a really nice job, and I like the look of the piece.

 

Sounds good, but I'm looking to keep the honeycomb and fogs in the grille, just would like the honeycomb to be gloss black.


Got ya....so probably best to have a body shop do the work.

 

You can check with a body shop to see if that is possible. I am not sure if the paint is going to stick the plastic grille. Perhaps it needs to prepped a certain way??

 

someone here opened up all the honeycomb on his bullitt grille a while back. i can't remember his name. i think he dremelled the holes.

 

Exactly what I was thinking of doing, followed by some sanding and painting. I was just curious if it would work out well or not.

 

it came out nice. i can't remember his sn and i can't find the thread. maybe it is one of those that were lost in the server crash.

 

oh.... found one of them: https://themustangsource.com/f691/po...do-mod-463635/

i thought there was one where it shows exactly how he did it, but i can't find it.

 

Thanks Gary! I'll post in that thread and see if he's still subscribed to it and can give me some pointers on getting the paint to adhere, etc.

 

You could do it yourself, but to do it right (without a compressor/HVLP sprayer)it will be somewhat expensive.
1-Clean the part.
2-Degrease with either Dawn detergent or a prep spray such as http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd-prepall.cfm ...Detergent is the safer bet with plastic parts though.
3-Scuff all surfaces to be painted with 600 grit wet sandpaper. I like to use 3m or Norton brand sandpaper.
4-Clean and degrease again. Use latex gloves when handling the part from this point on to avoid getting oil from your hands on it.
5-Apply adhesion promoter. I recommend this http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd-bull...n_promoter.cfm
6-Apply 2k epoxy primer. I recommend this http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part.cfm
7-Allow primer to cure and then lightly scuff all primed surfaces with 600 grit wet sandpaper.
8-Clean and apply 2k urethane primer. I recommend this http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_spra...edium_gray.cfm
9-Allow primer to cure and scuff surface with 600-1000 grit wet sandpaper(your preference on the exact grit). At this point you can block out(even out by sanding) the surface if there are any imperfections such as drips.
10-Clean and spray colormatched 1k urethane base color coat. I recommend ordering from this site. http://automotivetouchup.com/spray_paint_matched.aspx
It should be on the correct page when you open the link.
11-Wait for the solvents to gas out. A good indicator of this is the paint will look dull and dry. Approximately 2-3 hours depending on how many coats you lay down as well as thickness of each coat. Two light coats should be plenty.
12-Apply 2k urethane clearcoat. I recommend http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_2_part_2k_aerosol.cfm
13-Allow to cure. At this point you can wetsand with 2000grit wet sandpaper and buff as needed. This is not a required step and probably not needed on a grille.
Some side notes and precautions:
Always wear a respirator when using 2k products(a dust mask will not cut it!!). The products I listed are true 2k in aerosol cans. Once the catalyst is released, you must use the product within 24hrs. 2k urethane is what is used in modern body shops/car factories. You can go the cheap route and use enamel or lacquer rattle cans from pepboys, but it will not have the durability and UV/chemical protection that 2k urethane gives you. The base color paint is 1k urethane, so it does not have a catalyst and can be used for multiple projects.
Follow directions that come with the products to see cure times, etc.
Do not wax the painted part until 3-6 months have passed(This is to allow all remaining solvents to gas out. Wax can trap these solvents and cause havoc).
Paint when the temperature is between 65-100 degrees and low humidity.
Lastly, I have used all the products and sites listed and have had very good results.

 

Wow, thanks DD! I'll have to bookmark this one for spring and give it a shot.

 

Excellent instructions. Bookmarked this one for future projects!! Thanks for taking the time to put this together..