Great another chrome delete post....

Hey guys I own a 2018 cement sr5 crewmax. Im getting a bulge and grill surround from a 2020. I want to attempt to paint chrome 2020 grill surround and bulge to match my cement color.

I plan on sanding the chrome off and using rattle can primer and paint. Anyone have tips on what rattle can paints have the closest match to the cement color?

 

If there is a PPG auto paint supplier in your area they can take a scan of your paint and provide a custom mix rattle can for you. They can get the shade exact. You will need to use an Adhesion promoter and a primer and also clear coat over the color. i like 2k clear best, it hardens over 24hrs. Ive done this on black mirror covers and door handles that were not textured and it turned out great. Ive not tried it on chrome but other members have and were happy with the results. YMMV

 

I ended up ordering adhesion primer, color match paint, and 2k clear coat from automotivetouchup.com. just have to order bumper ends and wait for it to warm up to paint.

 

Its harder than you think. Painting the chrome doesn't work well for most and you end up paying $500 for color matched parts after all.

 

I'm gonna try to strip as much chrome as I can off the grill was free so I'm willing to try.

 

When I tried it on my 2013, I had it completely down to the plastic underneath. Whatever is used in the plating and bonding process is what causes the paint to have issues. Mine actually cracked. I was not going that route again on my 2020.

 

Do you know what type of plastic the bulge and surround is? What type of primer did you use?

 

I used some stuff from Automotivetouchup.com. its been a while.

 

Did you use an adhesion promoter?

 

There was another post a couple months ago where the OP was trying to paint some chrome parts red. I think he was using duplicolor brand paint. He did the AP then Primed, color, then 2k and was happy how they turned out. i dont think he ever updated how well it lasted in the long run tho. Another person commented that they with the same route as he did but scuffed the chrome with a scuffing pad first and it still looked good 2 yrs later.

Again i didnt see this with my own eyes, just an internet stranger that read about another internet stranger, so how much weight does that carry? I just threw out a chrome grill, surround and bulge, now i wish i kept them to experiment on.

I used SEM brand Plastic Adhesion Promoter as it is what the paint shop recommended, SEM brand Self Etching Primer, PPG Custom tinted RapidMatch adjusted base coat, and then 2k Glamour High Gloss clear on my door handles and mirrors. The first time i tried the duplicolor stuff but the tint was just too far off. Again i was painting black "ready to paint" parts that i had scuffed, not plastic chrome.

 

Did you have to order the SEM brand primer? Or is this somthing I can get from a store like autozone? I think that is the only thing that I don't have. I've got the adhesion promoter, paint, and 2x clear coat. So it looks like I just need a good primer. I didn't see anything available from automotivetouchup.

 

The local paint store had it in stock. Looks like you could order it from Amazon. Not sure about autozone or parts stores. Is there an auto paint supplier in you area? I am sure they could provide you with a good quality primer. Or does the web store you ordered the paint from recommend anything specific for their brand of base coat? If there is a primer in the same product line as your base coat it should work very well. I wouldn't focus on it being self etching. Above all follow each layer's instructions to the letter. Flash and cure times as well as application temperature should be observed as recommended. For laying down the clear you may want to wait until it is quite warm or if your garage is heated or a booth is available that would be great. I prefer to wait until temps are 80 or above for clear. It helps to keep it from running as you will want to lay it down a bit heavy in a short time period. There are some good videos on YouTube about rattle can clear techniques.

 

Almost forgot, after scuffing it wash with dawn dish soap or similar to remove any oils, after that only handle with gloved hands. Wear a dust mask or respirator when painting especially during the clear. It's nasty stuff for your lungs. And clear is only good for 48 hours after you "pop" it. So if you have other stuff that could use some clear have it prepped and ready also, that clear is not cheap.

 

So how far should I go on the scuffing of chrome pieces? Should I get it down to plastic or would 220 be good enough? And what is the order of application Adhesion promoter then primer? Or is it primer then Adhesion Promoter?

 

The pads I have are 360 grit. If it were me I wouldn't try to remove all the chrome as I would be afraid of the remaining plastic being too thing and easily broken. You just want to scuff it all over enough to dull the finish. That should be enough for the primer and paint to stick to.
After scuffing wash with dish soap and dry. From here on only handle with gloved hands. A tack cloth can remove lint if you need it. Next use the adhesion promoter exactly as directed on the can. It may make the piece look splotchy, no big deal. Primer as directed on the can, thin coats. Base coat again as directed by manufacturer, thin even coats. Then clear coat, check out the maker's web site for flash times and curing.
If you were doing a hot rod you would want to wet sand, but with a Toyota it would make it too slick. New cars always tend to have some very slight orange peel and matching that makes it look right. If there are any runs you can wet sand to fix just don't get carried away as you can go to far really quick.
After the clear cures polish with a quality product and a good pad. Then a sealant, wax or ceramic.

 

I saw an ad in the marketplace that was selling some chrome parts. In the ad he offered to strip the chrome before shipping in case someone wanted to paint them. I just had to ask how he would strip them. He said he would use an acid bath to do the trick. I have no experience with this but figured i would pass it on to you. Here is a link to the ad, there's not much to it he just offers to do it for me if i buy them (i don't wanna). I'm sure the ol' interwebs could send you in the right direction if you want to look into it.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/fs-chrome-mirror-caps-and-door-handles.73837/#post-2091500

 

So discovered that I can get the chrome to separate from the plastic using a grinder with a paint and rust remover disk. It bubbles off the plastic to were I can peel it off. It's alot of time consuming work but I'm getting it down to bare plastic.