The paint is still drying....

[2brian0]

Ok so the paints not dry, the car is dirty, and the lighting for the pictures isn't great but I just finished color matching my grill (well half of it) and I wanted to share the results. Would have done both sides at the same time (would have saved me a lot of time but wanted to have a comparison photo for everyone.....very pleased with the results so far. Will post finished results when the car is clean, the new paint is buffed out and the lighting is good....

[guitarmn07]

hmm... so far I think I like it. The chrome mustache kinda looks odd, but I like it. But with that chrome color repainted to match...I think it looks better... hmm... we'll see when you finish the other half.

I look forward to seeing it completed.

[SHIFT_CR]

yea it looks good!!

[mcheddadi]

b

Ok so the paints not dry, the car is dirty, and the lighting for the pictures isn't great but I just finished color matching my grill (well half of it) and I wanted to share the results. Would have done both sides at the same time (would have saved me a lot of time but wanted to have a comparison photo for everyone.....very pleased with the results so far. Will post finished results when the car is clean, the new paint is buffed out and the lighting is good....

Blasphemy!

[SHIFT_COUPE]

Interesting idea. I'll decide if I like if after you post some more pics, preferably in the daylight

[Goon]

Yes, I wanna see it all finished. So far, it's getting to me!

[2brian0]

Ok so the lighting still sucks and the car is still dirty but I finished the other side tonight. Will post final pics this weekend in the sunlight with a clean car. Just my opinion but I think it looks 1000% better than the chrome handlebar mustache....I'm sure there will be haters.....At least now I can live with my grill until someone steps up and makes a good aftermarket...

[Goon]

Think I can get a shot with the sun.

Everything looks awesome at night. :p

[generic808]

Nice job, it looks much better than stock! Ever thought about blacking out the entire honeycomb grill? I think that may even look better!?

[2brian0]

The thought did cross my mind but it would involve a lot more work (i.e. taking off the bumper) so I figured I'd start small. Plus I haven't seen it in the sunlight yet to see if the shades of black match. Once that is all figured out, I'll make my final decision. Besides, I'd still rather just get rid of the whole thing with a nice aftermarket black billet or something. Just figure this would hold me over until someone came out with one. I love the look of my car but hated those chrome pieces...

[LongBeachCoupe]

Thats not a bad idea until they come up with a black grill for me... I hate the shape of the grill though its so hard to dry off...

I like the way it looks though, what did you use to paint it?

[dangeris]

I love the look of my car but hated those chrome pieces...

I'm with you. I'm not feelin' those chrome pieces either. So how did you do it? Did you take them off or painted them right on the car? What kind of paint did you use? Spray can or HVLP? Details brother, details!

[2brian0]

Didn't want to leave you guys hanging until the weekend so I rushed home today to snap some pictures in direct sunlight. Keep in mind the car is still completely dirty and I have to wait another day before I can buff and polish the painted pieces. However, you can see in these pictures that the color match was pretty much dead on. Even up close it is hard to tell the shade difference in the blacks. As for the other questions on how I did it, pretty simple. Was going to take the whole thing off but after looking at it, seemed like a big job. So, I just did an extremely careful job of masking the car off and I painted the pieces on the car. I sanded the chrome to rough it up first with a very fine grit sandpaper and then just used duplicolor automotive spray paint (4 coats) followed up with 3 coats of clear. Just went on their website to find the paint that matched my color code. For you guys out there with black its DS100 and clear is DS125. Was going to go to the dealer for the paint but figured I'd roll the dice and try this first. Figured the worst thing that could happen was having to do it twice. Now that I look at it (and generic808 also suggested it) might do the whole honeycomb too. If I go that route I might just shell out a little money and have a paint shop do it. Although I'd rather someone just come out with a decent looking grill so I can scrap the whole stock one....

[SHIFT_COUPE]

I like it!!

[dangeris]

That looks Awesome! thanks for the inspiration. I'm definitely going to do this project but with A20 Code Red! WooHoo! I can't wait!

[Goon]

Thanks for the pics in the sunlight.

I like it. Now, I gotta decide if I want to do it to my precision greys. I really hate the honeycombs. At all, the paint over the chrome made it a little easier on the eyes. humm....... Big decision.

That and it feels like it'll be tough to find Precision Grey, so I might have to go to the dealer or something.

[Vhernandez919]

I Like it!!! Thanks so Much for sharing. Very Cool idea and Excellent Results!

[SHIFT_COUPE]

If anyone else is planning on doing this mod could you do a brief write up with some pictures in the process? Would be nice to have for future members and for those that need a little extra assistance. I'll give you a custom title if you do any sort of write up Fair trade This applies to anything in the future.

[2brian0]

sorry I wasn't thinking or i would have taken pictures along the way. it wasn't hard to do at all (biggest thing you need is patience). if anyone has questions, please don't hesitate to ask....anything i can do to rid the world of ugly handlebar mustaches....

[Cali 2 Balti G]

That and it feels like it'll be tough to find Precision Grey, so I might have to go to the dealer or something.

Why would you go anywhere other than to the dealer? This is where you want an exact match with the paint - not something that is close. Black may be the exception -= where you can get away with Pep Boys or some other outlet.

[rjdmmfl1]

2brian0.... very nice... from certain angles, it looks like one piece, and the mesh appears to float in the center... the current mesh gives it a very nice contrast and the center chrome nissan logo noticeably sticks out and complements your chrome wheels. I haven't been too impressed with any of the current aftermarket grilles available.... Good job ... I def like it better than stock....

[2brian0]

Thanks, I am definitely glad I rolled the dice and took the gamble. Can't wait to get it cleaned up tomorrow and buffed and polished....Well, my injen just came in today and I just walked in the door so I have to go start tonights project....

[dangeris]

It was such a beautiful day that I decided to paint those chrome mustaches on the A/C. So I called up the local auto body supply store on the way to work through the bluetooth system of the A/C and had them mix up a batch of A20 Code Red paint. All day the only thing I can think about was painting. When the time came, I rushed home and began taping off the car. I then taped it more with paper. Mixed up the basecoat and started shooting. It didn't occur to me to take pics of the progress untill I was shooting the last coat of clear. sorry guys. But here are some pics of it just a few hours later. I realize it's night and it's with the flash so tomorrow I'll take more pics of it during the day. Let me know what you guys think!





Basically after I got done taping, I rough sanded the chrome with 180, then 220, the 320. Then shot a coat of bulldog adhesion promoter, the 2 coats of 2K primer, then 3 coats of dupont base of A20, then 3 coats of Dupont clear. Took a dinner break and smoke break (about an hour) and started to take off the paper and masking. Tomorrow, I'll let it bake in the sun for a couple of hours before wet sanding and polishing. Overall I love how it looks but then again, it's my coupe.

[generic808]

It looks good! A lot better than stock!

[dangeris]

It looks good! A lot better than stock!

Thanks! now I have to update the pic in my signature.

[Goon]

Wow, that red really shines out. It looks really good. The mustache isn't so distracting at all!

Very nice!

[mcheddadi]

It was such a beautiful day that I decided to paint those chrome mustaches on the A/C. So I called up the local auto body supply store on the way to work through the bluetooth system of the A/C and had them mix up a batch of A20 Code Red paint. All day the only thing I can think about was painting. When the time came, I rushed home and began taping off the car. I then taped it more with paper. Mixed up the basecoat and started shooting. It didn't occur to me to take pics of the progress untill I was shooting the last coat of clear. sorry guys. But here are some pics of it just a few hours later. I realize it's night and it's with the flash so tomorrow I'll take more pics of it during the day. Let me know what you guys think!





Basically after I got done taping, I rough sanded the chrome with 180, then 220, the 320. Then shot a coat of bulldog adhesion promoter, the 2 coats of 2K primer, then 3 coats of dupont base of A20, then 3 coats of Dupont clear. Took a dinner break and smoke break (about an hour) and started to take off the paper and masking. Tomorrow, I'll let it bake in the sun for a couple of hours before wet sanding and polishing. Overall I love how it looks but then again, it's my coupe.

I think I just died a little inside. Why is your red pink? is it lightning? (I hope) show us some better pics !

[SHIFT_COUPE]

Doesn't look pink to me! Looks awesome!!

You guys are causing me to strongly consider this

[2brian0]

Glad I was able to inspire someone else to take the plunge. Although it sounds like you did a much more professional job than I (your going to inspire me to redo mine cause now I think I took the easy road). Maybe we can start a trend and rid the coupe world of this aweful design flaw. Great job, I think it looks awesome!

[Goon]

The anti mustache does remind me of how my old 99' Solara was designed, which was attracting with the anti-chrome.

Maybe that's the design the the Coupe needed.