tlzx9

Hi there,

I am having my grill painted. Are there any tips/tricks to painting the metal portion of the grill? I know the plastic pieces will paint with no problem, but will the metal?

Also, can you take apart the front grill without taking off the entire front bumper?

Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

Cheers!

Mr. NC

Isn't the whole grille plastic?

tlzx9

It may be but a portion of it around the "A" Acura is shiny and metallic. Does this paint fine like anything else? Can you take apart the grill without taking off the front bumper?

tobwac

in order to take out the grill you have to take the front bumper off

Nexson

Ok, I am going to clue you in on what exactly needs to be done to paint this grille. First off it needs to be completely taken apart.

The actual grille is plastic and plated by aluminum or whatever the finish is. Needless to say you cannot treat this grille as if it was plastic, it needs to be sanded with 80 grit, then the 80 grit scratches refined with 180 grit. From here you can either use a self-etching primer or an epoxy primer. I always use an epoxy primer, but I reduce it instead and use it as a sealer. It goes on much nicer as a sealer, as you don't need the thickness of the primer. At any rate, the epoxy bites into the 180 grit scratch and creates a chip/flake resistant barrier for rock chips and such. It is always a good measure to follow up with a urethane sealer after this, which adds extra cushion for the paint. I use DS694 for this, by sherwin williams.

After that, you can get to the color and a quality clear. This result will give you a finish that is more resistant then your hood or bumper.

Good Luck!