should I plasti dip my front grille surround

I'm thinking about plasti dipping my front chrome surround. I have a black sand pearl truck. I would like to get new wheels too eventually but it won't be anytime soon. I can't decide when that time comes if I want black wheels or chrome wheels. After I do the front I may do the back bumper at a later date as well. What do you guys think yea or nah on plasti dipping the front chrome surround grille black?

 

I'm thinking about this also after seeing one in the BSM section. Check his out and see what you think. My truck is MGM, I think I will like it. If not, then I can add a color matched grill later. Plastidip is definitely cheaper for now.

 

Here is what I did with mine. Assuming you want it to be permanent then this works out nicely.

Removed Grill from truck










Taped off the grill but in the end I painted the entire grill. Sanded the chrome then the entire grill in the end.




Self Etching Primer sanded




4 Coats of Matte Black Stripe paint like used on classic cars. Painted the entire grill in the end.





Finished product








I did Plasti-Dip my emblems though









​

 

Go for it. Also consider doing the lower valence at the same time. Here's mine:

 

Looks good with the valance done as well. I just got a black satoshi and I was gonna change the color to SSM but I kinda like how it matches my dipped valance

 

Plasti dipped.

 

I don't know if I should do the lower valance since my truck is already black

 

wipe the grille with rubbing alcohol or dish detergent first to clean it? Also, do I need to tape off anything if I'm gonna take it off my truck and spray the whole thing?

 

I know, I'm a first gen but I plasti dipped my grill in anthracite and it has held up great.

Went from this:



To this:

 

Tape(painters tape) off anything that you don't want Plasti Dipped. You can use rubbing alcohol/water 50/50. I prefer to use dipyourcar.com Pre Dip Spray.

 

Well I just got back in from plastidipping my grille. There are a few places on the bottom inside where when I pulled the tape off it pulled some plasti dip off the chrome. I think I did 4 coats total. I'm not sure I like the Toyota emblem black or not. Debating if I should leave it black or take it off and leave it chrome for a little contrast. It turned out good for a first timer I think. I need to get my wifes camera and take a pic for you guys to see.

 

How long did you wait for the dip to dry before you took the tape off? 4 Coats are not going to be enough to last if you get rock chips in them etc. Be prepared to fit or add few more coats. The more coats you add the stronger it will be.

 

I waited about 15-20 minutes. Picked up some sticks in the yard and took my front mudflaps off to see if i like it. Then peeled tape. I knew i was going to mess up somewhere. How many coats should i hVe done?

 

I put 10 coats on my emblems and waited about 30 mins between coats. After the last coat I pulled the Plasti-Dip off the paint at about 10 mins while it was still soft so it wouldn't pull the Dip off the emblems. 4 coats isn't nearly enough to last. If you plan on leaving it look at my post above for a more permanent solution.

 

If you were using the DYC nozzles then 4 or so coats would be fine(I found 6 with DYC nozzles better). Since that the stock nozzles that come with the cans are crap, 4 coats isn't going to be nearly enough. I've done at least 6 with the stock nozzles and the dip is still very thin. Any nick in it, the dip would come off. I've had to do touch-ups on all the projects I've done with stock nozzles. Never had to do any touch-up with the DYC nozzles.

I would never leave it any more than 15 minutes when it comes to your coats drying. Where you're doing it, how hot/humid it is comes into play as well. You could have waited until the cows came home on every coat. It was just that last one you should have peeled as soon as the dip was laid. It's a learning experience.

 

I painted my grill frame today as well. I did about 8 coats. Came out pretty good. But I had a similar problem when pulling off the tape it pulled off some plasti dip off the inside bottom corner. I tried to respray it and it came out totally jacked up. Anyone have any tips on fixing blemishes instead of peeling the whole thing off and redoing it?

 

I did my surround and emblem a couple days ago. Not sure I like it on my truck because with the Black bumper it's too much Black.

 

Do you mean "jacked up" meaning it lifted up?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T0jEvxxTzE

This may help. Do you have pictures? We can guess and guess. Pictures are your best bet.

 

Depends on how bad it is. If it's really bad it will be hard to blend in and you might have to start over.

 

I like it but I don't like chrome so I'm biased.