Painted front grille surround

Painting my front grille surround was my little project to start of the summer with my truck.

With how impressed I am of the results, I have decided to share it with you all.


I have just completed it and it's finishing its final drying stages and I'm letting it cure overnight before I put it on in the morning.

Here's the steps I took:

First I sanded the surface with 120 grit paper

Next I cleaned the surface and preped it using prep solvent.

Then I used dupli-color adhesive promoter(3 coats, followed directions)

Next I put on 3 coats of dupli-color self-etching primer.

Then I used the base color which I ordered off of here:

http://www.automotivetouchup.com/spray_paint_clearcoat.aspx?gclid=CJaI653mm80CFYSAaQodXzYMpA

I ordered the grey metallic color for my Tacoma and it matched PERFECTLY

I also ordered the high gloss clear coat from here and added 4 coats of that the ensure a glossy look that matches the body.

I will add pictures with the grille installed as soon as I can

 

Well done sir!! How long did the whole painting process take??

 

Under 24 hours

 

Yea i must not have done it correctly cause mine is chrome again. It stayd on for a month then came off in strips when using high preassure nozzle during a wash. Going to vinyl next

 

I'm hoping my job will last! Vinyl would be cool.

 

I spent just over 200 bucks and got a TRD grill for my PreRunner. The amount of time and labor doing it your way makes me glad I bought one. Ha. But I understand if DIY is a hobby for many of you.

 

You definitely probably have better quality and will probably outlast mine greatly but we will see how it goes. I considered just getting the trd grille but I'm on a budget haha

 

Before:


After:

 

Love it

 

@Tylandus

 

@Gamble819

Nice work! Definitely looks OEM! The chrome grill on mine was cracked and glued (to keep the logo on) by the previous owner. So my replacement was not just a frivolous and narcissitic act, but one out of necessity too. I figured that since it needed to be replaced anyway and considering my strong dislike of chrome, the TRD would be best.