HELP ON PAINTING GRILLE

[f0rza0325]

I'm guessing you guys know what an i30 stock grille looks like, I just wanted to know the process for painting it black because I have been thinking about doing it. I just don't want to screw it up. Anyone have a decent process to paint it?

[tigersharkdude]

sand it down, and take your time. dont try to do it fast, take your timeuse a good primer, good paint and IMHO wheel clear(its thick)

take your time, and you will be fine. I rushed my grill a few weeks back and had to go buy a new one

[f0rza0325]

What is IMHO wheel clear?

[f0rza0325]

Also I was just wondering if anyone has ever found a black mesh grill for my car?

[tigersharkdude]

IMHO(in my honest opinion) use wheel clear. I dont know of any mesh grills, but you could jigsaw your grill up, and put mesh behind it

[MinisterofDOOM]

Yeah, tigershark dude's got it.

You need to sand or scuff THROUGH the chrome. Paint won't stick to chrome. The reason you want to use wheel clear is because it'll stand up to rock impacts better.

I painted my Q45 grille (very similar to the I30 grille) last summer and while it looked great at first, it ended up flaking badly because I didn't prep it well enough and didn't prime it. I recommend using a plastic primer once you've gotten through the chrome. Cover well with black paint (harder than it sounds thanks to the slats) but paint with multiple very light coats or you'll get bad uneven coverage and dripping/running. Finish off with a coat or two of wheel paint (light coats again for even coverage, or you'll get dull spots).

I'd also recommend letting it cure properly for a day or two before mounting it on the car and subjecting it to road debris and everything else.

[tigersharkdude]

If you go with krylon fusion Ive found out that clearing it makes it look dull.

[f0rza0325]

Anyone have a preferable brand for all these different types of paint?

[tigersharkdude]

i would use dupli color

[MinisterofDOOM]

Yep...I used duplicolor wheel coating.

[f0rza0325]

what about the primer and black paint? does it really matter what brand?

[tigersharkdude]

again Id say dupli color automotive primer and paint, can be had at autozone

[MinisterofDOOM]

what about the primer and black paint? does it really matter what brand?

Doesn't really matter which brand, but you need to make sure to get the right type of primer for plastic, or it wont adhere right or you might even melt the plastic of the grille due to chemical incompatibility. Only reason I recommend the dupilcolor wheel coatings is that as noted above they will stand up to road debris better.