Painting Grill Surround *Pics*

So after becoming officially addicted to Tacoma World, i caught the mod bug and caught it bad. I started by painting my badges black and knew i had to keep going from there. My next project is painting my grill surround and doing the satoshi mod. I searched around and found that i hated chrome and wanted to go with all black/white look. I decided to paint my grill surround white and failed (look at the pics) I hated how the color didn't match perfectly and chose to just do it black and it didn't come out half bad...

THE PROCESS
1. Sand the hell out of all the places you are gonna be painting. I used really fine sand paper as to not scratch the plastic too bad.
2. Clean the grill surround with some water and make sure there is no dust/pollen/crap on it.
3. Tape down the middle part of the grill and make sure everything is covered. This was probably the most time consuming part of the project because it was hard to get the edges (look at the white grill)
4. Start priming. I used 3 coats of primer to make sure i got everything.
5. Paint your grill with the color of your choice. I did 2 coats and it came out better than i expected.
6. Use the clear coat to finish it off. This gives it protection and really helps. I tested it out by trying to scratch it and the paint held like a champ.
7. Let it dry, put it on, and admire your work!!

In the end i was proud of myself because i have never done anything like this. I owe it all to you guys for helping me out!! Thanks TW!!
Questions??? Comments???


As you can see the paint didn't match perfect and it began to get under my skin

Finished Product!!

Here's the paint i used. I got all of it from autozone...

 

black looks 10x better...nice work.

 

for sure looks way better. now you need to get on the BHLM. it blends in really well with the black grill. also vinyl/ paint the lower bumper center black too. ive got mine all done you can check it out for a good reference. good stuff tho man

 

Where can I see your pic(s) of the center bumper painted black?

 

the camera link thats in my description, scroll over then click it and it will bring up my pics. but heres a quicky for ya.

 

daftcon yours looks perfect!!! I was planning on doing the BHLM next when i get the time.

 

BHLM next?

 

Yes sir!!

 

cant you take off the little surround that you actually need to paint? isnt there like clips holding it to the regular grill surround?

 

Are you talking about the headlights?
If youre talking about the grill then the middle part of the grill is part of the grill surround so you have to tape over it to paint it

 

ohh and daftcon...
...who dat?!

 

im talking about the plastic piece that is smooth. it looks kinda like a faceplate.

 

HAHA yes sir! i like it. im from the metairie/ destrehan area, but im stuck up here in AR for now. which isnt bad, not too far from home

 

and thanx for the props too!

 

Nice work Carter. Plan on doing something like this to my truck pretty soon

 

Thanks down south!! appreciate it man!