G37Xtreme

I've been running the midnight grille for close to a month now and it's sweet as hell. However, the lower grille looks dull and boring now. I'd like to spruce it up.

Has anyone ever had their lower grille painted midnight black? I assume that would be more than $100 for a paint shop to do...

So I suppose I need to DIY this myself.

Any suggestions?

ETrev

Painting the honeycomb material in a black metallic may not pop as much as the inner slats on the grill itself. However, I remember another member mentioning these chrome pieces for the lower grill a while back that definitely bring it out a bit more. I think it could compliment the midnight black quite well, especially the sport trim.
Found the post:

G37Xtreme

I like the chrome trim, but I am interested in making the black lower grille even darker. I could add the trim later if I want to break up the black area, but my first step will be to go darker, so I guess painting is in order.

I've done about 15 minutes of youtube research on painting plastic...any tips on this?

I do have attention to detail and I know painting is all in the prep...so this could take me more than a day to complete...any thoughts also on driving without a lower grille?


EDIT:

I see two methods. The first method is easiest...and that's to buy a newer paint which claims not to need primer. The second is to start with a couple of coats of adhesion promoter and then do the final top coats with a plastic paint which is flexible.

I wonder, is the 2-in-1 option kinda like shampoo-and-conditioner in one; where it's a compromise? A jack of all trades is a master of none...
Or has paint come a long way these days, and an all-in-one plastic paint solution is all I'll need with no priming. I simply refuse to sand...but I will clean THOROUGHLY and don't mind priming if it helps the final product.

Furlow

I agree with you that if you paint the upper grill, the lower grill stands out and looks dull. I painted the inside of my upper grill matte black, and did the same to the lower so it matches now. That said, I did not DIY, my paint shop did the work. Didn't seem very expensive to have the lower grill done, but I already had my bumper off for the upper grill so...

AroundTheG37

iTrader: (8)

I painted my matte to match the bottom but it kind of stands out too much on a black car. Debating going to gloss.

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

The matte black finish really shows well in this pic. Actually looks more satin than matte, but tomato. I went with the same design, but in gloss black slats, with a hint of metallic flake. Essentially, what the slats on the Midnight Grille look like.

Painting the lower grille isn't something I've ever strongly considered, mostly because you have to show a front tag in NY. But I'd love to see pics of it done.

Furlow

I'm in CA and we're definitely supposed to have a front plate as well. I refuse to drill holes in my bumper, especially after everything I went through to get it looking right. I'm considering the Rho plate that uses the tow hook. And also the "show n go" as well.

G37Xtreme

Which paint did you use, and can you link me to a picture which shows your grille well? I thought you had the midnight grille, but it seems you painted it instead right?

I am going with either a gloss black, or a gloss black with some flake to more accurately match the midnight grille.

Once this project is done, imagine how dull the black plastic around my fog lights will look...I suppose those are next in line after the lower grille.

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

IDK the paint name. I told the shop "gloss black with a light metallic flake", and they did the rest. I wasn't too particular, in that black is black is black. (Someone is going to flame me for that, LOL)

G37Xtreme

I spoke to one local repair shop and they wouldn't take the job. He said that the paint won't last, and would chip easily due to the nature of the plastic. It had something to do with the intricate sanding needed in that area.
Ultimately, he has a lifetime guarantee on his work and wouldn't consider this project.

So I'm off to the next shop to see what they say.

If I end up doing this myself, what steps do I need to take to get the most life out of this paint? I am thinking about trying this stuff...it says resists chips after 7 days of curing, so can I drive for 7 days without the lower grille?



Also, do I want satin or gloss? I'd like the end product to be rather glossy, like the grille, but I figured that the clearcoat would give me the gloss I need...so do I want the paint to also be glossy? Does this make a difference?

ToeKnee Sea

I did this on my non-sport and i am very happy with it.

AUR11

My friend had mentioned me doing this to my car as well right when I first put my midnight grill on. However I have a front plate and that sort of hides the lower grill as Rochester mentioned. I wish I didn't have to run a front plate, but on my darker colored car I found this plate cover for 7 bucks on Amazon to help keep it from standing out as much.

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

^^^
In New York, plate covers are illegal on public roads. The tag needs to be exposed so that it isn't obfuscated, intentionally or otherwise.

So, double-whammy

But I did what I could considering the constraints. In the pic above, notice the small profile black frame, and the fender washer bolts in gun-metal gray. And the NY tag colors actually work with the amber turn-signals and my custom fogs.

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

On-topic to this thread... how about the cross-hatched section framing the fog lights? It's an integrated molding on the non-sport bumper, but on the sport bumper, those are seperate pieces that can be easily removed. Might as well paint those to match the slats in the grille... right?



Also, this has probably been asked dozens of times, but can the lower grille be removed, or is it an integrated component of the bumper?

Or can it only be removed from the sport bumper, like the fog trim?

G37Xtreme

Yes indeed. I plan on painting those as well, but just now learned from you that they aren't removable

I better practice my masking skills

EDIT:

This development changes everything now that I let it sink in. My plan was to remove all 3 pieces and clean/prep/paint them…then clear coat…and reinstall. I was prepared to drive around for a few days without those pieces while everything dried and I took my sweet time. This throws a wrench into the cogs…as now, my pieces have to dry outside and if I try to drive before it’s cured, I could end up with insects lodged into the pieces…

Hmmmm…maybe I’m a little off on my time duration. How long should it take for each coat of plastic paint to dry?