BBP color keyed Grille mod

It's holding up fine so far I had a pro do it

 

to pd3dbrown (original post) or any one else that knows - Your grill looks great - I am new to this but wanted to know why you used the Valspar clear coat over the black (3rd step) and then the 2 part clear coat in the last step over the final paint. Couldn't u just use the 2 part clear coat in the last step instead of using the Valspar in the 3rd step over the black paint? (another words skip the Valspar clear coat and clear coat everything at the last step with the 2 part clear coat.)

thanks - just asking because I am getting ready to do my grill and would like to know why you clear coated in 2 different steps of the process

 

@zeagle50 Not sure if this is why he did but the valspar is flat and the 2k clear is glossy. Maybe to add a shine? Thats what I got from it. I almost wish I would have used a flat clear through the entire thing though. Doesnt look bad though.

 

The Valspar clear is flat, and would be used over the black if you are wanting a flat or matte black finish. The 2k clear would be used over the color matched portion as it is a high gloss to match the rest of the paint on the truck. If you want the black to be glossy instead of flat, you could use the 2k clear on the whole grill, IMO that wouldn't look very good though.

 

It doesnt look very good haha. I sprayed a coat and then realized it was the wrong clear coat. Ill redo it eventually.

 

For people wondering/asking about the durability of automotivetouchup.com's paint. The paint, base coat and clear coat is extremely durable. But it is essential that you use the two-part clear coat. I have painted a handful of projects with this stuff and the paint has matched spot-on every time. Even the 3 part Cadillac Pearl White came out perfect.

 

I went ahead and did the work today. The sanding and taping take the most time.

 

No, sorry. I meant paint > plastidip. Not painting over a layer of plastidip.
I'm suggesting not using plastidip at all. Just rough it up with a scotchbright pad, apply adhesion promoter, and then several coats of your color paint. Then some clearcoat on top of that.

 

I joined the party! Much happier with the look now!

 

Looks good and in my humble opinion the TRD sport grill stylin ques are much better than the over priced Heritage/Pro version

 

All - Great thread, and great pics . . . I'm thinking of doing the same to my 2017 MGM Sport, leaving the bezel, crossbars & center emblem chrome (similar to Ice8). Couple questions please -

1. Masking Tape - For all that masked off the crossbars, when did you remove the tape to avoid the paint/clearcoat from "pulling up" at the edges ? Immediately after last clear coat, or did you wait a few minutes ?
2. Sanding/Scuffing with Masking Crossbars - Was everybody just super careful to avoid sanding/scuffing the crossbars, or did you mask the crossbars first and then sand/scuff ?
3. For the MGM owners - Did you use MGM color to match the body color, or a black (flat, satin or gloss ?) to match the lower fog light grill color ?

I know the last question is a matter of personal taste, but I value everyone's opinion.

 

OP thanks a bunch. I was so close to Plasti-dipping my grill. I had already bought the supplies. I am much happier with your result over plasti-dip.

I'm one of those that hates fake chrome. But, I decided to see how it would look with the original smokey chrome for part of it. After the adhesive promoter, I did 2 coats flat black for a primer, 3 coats red OEM base coat, and three coats clear coat. This was my first time working with automotive paint and clear coat. Make sure to use a filtered mask/respirator. The clearcoat will kill you! It turned out decent but not perfect on close inspection. From a few feet away it looks goods. The biggest hassle was keeping the bugs and dust off while drying. I rushed it a little and and put on a coat of red too thick. Biggest suggestion is taking your time. If you screw it up let it dry, lightly sand out your mistake and try it again. For me one can (12oz)OEM Base coat was barely enough. If I had a second can I would have felt better in taking my time to fix the mistakes. Also I used a spay can handle for all but the red. The red can wouldn't stay in the handle. Other than the red, I recommend using a handle. Only $8 at Home Depot or Lowes. If you don't, watch your finger placement on the paint nozzle. I let mine wander out over the nozzle and a bubble of paint built up on the tip of my finger causing some spatter on the parts. (Oops). Also the OPs recommendation of scoring the edge of the masking tape with a knife before removing it is a must. I did have a couple areas where the paint started to pull up when I was removing the tape.
For the Toyota emblem, I did 4 coats smokey plasti-dip and 1 coat black plasti-dip. I had never used plasti-dip before and want to try it. It turned out decent and has a nice texture. Glad I didn't do the whole grill with it though.
Total cost was about $85. The mask was $30 of that.

 

Thanks for sharing! Super happy with the new look, DIY all day

 

These look awesome guys, and a great mod for someone who doesn't have 300+ to drop on a new grille!

 

How should I go about taping this?

 

Anybody have any advice for sanding the bezel? Or did you just paint it without sanding/scuffing? It seems to be a different material than the middle part and I can't get the shiny finish off with the scuff pads

 

Grille looks very nice. My favorite for 3rd gens by far. Nice work man!

 

Actually bought all the stuff for this from Automotivetouchup and decided to buy a new grill instead in anyone’s interested I’ll ship to you.

040 super white
2 part clear coat
Adhesion promoter
Scratch pad