Anyone tried to paint their grill without taking it off as well as the rear silver piece? I'm thinking of giving it a shot and doing it by myself, and if it looks horrible than I will remove it and have a body shop do it, so I figure I don't really have anything to lose. So I was just wondering if anyone here has given this a shot! Thanks!

 

dont do it, and dont do it if you dont have proper paint materials/paint system or experience, it will chip and look bad otherwise. Let the pros do it. The grille has to be completely taken a part, sanded down and epoxy primered, then base and clear.

 

^^^what the hell does that guy know, he works out of his garage!!!!

Just kidding...listen to him, he knows what he's talking about.

 

Nexson I saw your write up and it was awesome! What would it cost to have you do it? I'm just too lazy to go to all that work...sigh, wish I had the time

 

Don't be lazy!! Unless you don't have the proper equipment or tools. The threads shows you what it takes to do the job.

 

Rattlecan grille on a $45k touring sedan?

Maybe sell the car and find a Tempo to spray on first. :/

 

The rattle can has the same paint that a spray gun would, it just doesn't distribute it in such large quantities. If done right, you CAN get decent results with a spray can.

On a side note, Nexson, DO YOU do side work out of your garage!?!? Since you're local, I'd pay you for future endeavors.

And if you take the "I spent so much on my car"...don't bother modding it at all because for 45 grand, you'd hope the manufacturer had gotten it right from head to toe.

 

Spoken like someone who has no idea how enamels, acrylics, and oils differ, and the difference between reduction temperatures based upon the environment.

Buy a Tempo.

 

So instead of being condescending and knocking the guy for trying to figure out how to paint his grill, why don't you enlighten us all. Cost of the car is irrelevant unless it makes you feel better about other things in life you may be lacking in.

And from experience, I've gotten decent results from a rattle can. Given, not as good as professionally painted, but it was passable at the time.

Oh, and since we're on the topic, you can go to a place where they mix automotive paint for you and they can actually put it into whatever application method you want, even a rattle can.

 

I get the concept of taking out tonsils. I know where they're located, and I could probably lay someone on my kitchen table and yank them out with a pair of diagonal cutters and a soldering iron. If my kiddo needs it done, I'm going to opt for taking him to the surgeon though.

Someone starts a thread off with "how to I as lazily as possible spray paint my grille without taking it off my car". It's just bait. You're not going to help anyone with such an idiotic notion of customization.

I'm not being condescending; I'm calling a spade a spade. Enough time wasted here; there are people legitimately looking for help modifying or changing their vehicles, not making them look like Mexican lawn furniture.

 

My car, my desires, I've spray painted many different objects and seen fine results from a rattle can, I figure why not try it myself, I have nothing to lose. If it looks like s#@t I can take it off and have it done professionally, they are going to sand it anyway, so in my mind I have nothing to lose, so if I want to f-up my 40K car so be it!

 

i chuckled, but I'm also used to reading Psuedo's cynicism lol.

but to be fair to OP, I don't think anyone has tried it yet. You may be one of the first when you try. just be very liberal when taping it off. and post pics. people like pics.

have you thought about just wrapping it with vinyl?

 

I agree with everything you said other than telling people to go get a tempo or questioning how a mod is done because of the cost of the car. That's an azzholish thing to do and in my opinion. A spade is your opinion.

Anyway, not everyone has 200 bucks to pay a pro...and not everyone is over 30 yet to realize that if you ain't going to do it right, don't do it at all. That said, I didn't sand when I painted mine originally, but it looked pretty damned good even with a paint can. If I hadn't gotten the rock chips, I probably would have left it as is. Prep matters...and especially finishing it properly and wetsanding and compounding after to make it look glossy. You can achieve those amateur results.

 

If you don't have the $200 to pay a pro, then you should probably be spending money on something else, right?

$200 is pretty generous. Figure $50 in materials and 5 hours labor at shop rate, which is usually $50 an hour or so, IF you remove it and take it to them. I suggest you let them reinstall. Lots of those RonJon grilles look like smashed asshole because someone cheaped out on a professional fitment.

 

^^^that much I'll agree with. But my point was, we only know that now because we learned from experience and are in our 30's. I didn't always take that approach. I used to take the easy way out most of the time and eventually realized that just ends up costing more and wasting my time.

 

check your PM bud

 

^^^^ Rockstar, when you're just kidding, put your type in red, which denotes sarcasm.



And by the way guys.....I think I smell pee, could that be from the pissing match that's trying REALLY hard to get started????

.....just sayin'.......

 

Right...forgot the red text, got it Steven. No pissing contest, just difference of opinions...but clearly since we're both over 30, we're too mature for it have escalated at all.

 

^^^^this thread is full of win. OP let us know what you decide to do and how it turns out.

 

Use plastidip.I did mine will post pict soon

 

Plastidip actually does look pretty good, and I don't think it chips!

 

Plasti-dip? The stuff for dipping tool handles in rubber?

 

I wouldn't recommend plastic dip on a car with such class.

The stuff put it in the spray bottles is not what is sprayed through the gun. Rattle cans are 1k whereas most materials sprayed through a gun are 2k. Basecoats flow out better and do not mottle as easily when sprayed through a gun. Everything through a gun is just way better. Rattle cans are fine for interior projects but I wouldn't recommend them for UV resistance.

 

plasti-dip are for temporary jobs.. not meant to last no more than a month.

 

Nexson, I really wish I had a little garage set up like you...I concur, hard to even get near your results with a rattle can.

 

Take it to the dealer or bodyshop...it only cost me $200...plus they put 3M tape over it...looks so much better

 

Please post pics, would love to see what it looks like...

 

Yes, I do.

This was my job when I got home last Friday from work. I do my work on the weekends.

http://floridastreetscene.net/showth...98#post1705998

 

Hmmm...well, I'll check it out but I've seen some of your threads before and I would gladly pay a fellow forum member that is as anal as I am about things looking good to the do the work before paying some half assed body shop.

 

body shops are all about production, I am more about quality.

 

yep...so when i decide to fix my dented front and rear bumpers...guess who i'll be calling to do my repairs?

 

I've taken out many a grill and spryed them. If they are going to be black. I think the biggest challenge you are going to have is matching the paint color. Not a problem if your not that picky!

 

the dealer where i live, he screws up the grilles, i always see them chipped up at the dealer, he scuffs and paints.

 

...Acura of Pembroke Pines?!?!? They have some nice guys there...but I've had some questionable experiences there.

 

I've sprayed down many things as well, I'm not anal about the colors matching up, I'm going to do the rear piece with black plasti-dip and see how it looks, if it ends up looking like s#*t I can just take it off, I'll post pics when I'm done..

 

Hopefully you pull this off. However if it ends up like the epic fail I think it will here is a link for a cheap grill:

http://cnj.craigslist.org/pts/2659727751.html

 

if you were gonna give it a try and paint your own grille with spray can. Why not at least take it off the car and spray it far away from the car? shouldn't take too long to remove it.

 

So I painted it last night with plasti-dip and it actually looks fine, the only problem is that the color is a matte and didn't match up at all, so I magically pulled it off, which was the whole point of the plasti-dip, I actually like the silver piece actually being silver, might take it to a body shop and have the beak done though...

 

You know you can actually add color to the plasti dip...i painted one of my engine covers with it and then painted color over it...you can probably spray clear on the plastidip after it's it's dry.