Grill paint

stina

New Member
Hi all .
I want to tidy up my front grill and light surrounds . They are not terrible , and most wouldn't give them a second glance . However i think they could look tidier . Is it possible to spray plastic with rattle cans ? I'm thinking satin black and picking out the edges in silver to achieve a factory look . Any tips on preping / painting plastic , anyone on here done the same ?
:D
 
Hi Stina,

Yes, I've done this. Somebody had painted them previously, so I just stripped them back with Nitromors. The finish of the plastic itself is keyed enough to take paint reasonably well anyway, but I ran over it with one of those fine sanding sponge pad things. I sprayed it up in gloss black from a rattle can. You can't really tell on the grille, but the area around the headlights really looks nice and shiny. When it had dried, I knocked back the gloss finish on the leading edges of the grille and brush painted some silver Hammerite on (which dries to a slightly rubberised finish so is more durable than enamel).

The only additional thing I did was to paint on the silver circles around the headlamps, which were present on the pre-launch series 2 cars (KXC 675H) as photographed in the brochure, but deleted from production cars.

Michael
 
T cut actually takes the silver coating off which will make it easier to get a good finish.

I painted mine with spray paint for vinyl and plastic and then Jane painted the the silver lines in for me with Humbrol enamel paint.
 
I'm sure you could buff the plastic up if you wanted to, with an orbital sander/polisher and the correct compound.
But Stina you mentioned satin so that wouldn't really fit the bill would it?
Satin will chip more easily though compared to a hardened buffed paint surface..
Jim
 
I'm looking for a factory looking finish , don't know if satin or gloss is closer to original .
Now i also don't know if i need special vinyl paint :shock: :? :LOL:
 
Hi, have you tried 'Boiled Linseed Oil'? I kid you not, It is a well known plastic rejuvenator.
Two caveats though, leave it a day to dry properly before subjecting it to road dirt, and
secondly keep the used cloth's in water or burn them otherwise they self-combust!!

I sense disbelief, I know I was doubtful as well at first. But go ahead and Google it.

Colin
 
I used autoglym bumper care on mine. Seems to bring the plastic finish up nicely. I haven't bothered touching in all the silver bits as I like the patinad look.
 
O.k guys , i bought a can of car plan gloss black and a silver touch up brush . pictures when i've had a go at it .
 
Retouched the silver on my grille with a small brush and a spraycan of bright chrome paint. Very satisfying job, done in a jiffy but it really lifts the appearance of the front end.
 
Hi, have you tried 'Boiled Linseed Oil'? I kid you not, It is a well known plastic rejuvenator.
Two caveats though, leave it a day to dry properly before subjecting it to road dirt, and
secondly keep the used cloth's in water or burn them otherwise they self-combust!!

I sense disbelief, I know I was doubtful as well at first. But go ahead and Google it.

Colin

It's worth Googling for the "entertainment" factor alone, this innocent sounding liquid is NOT user-friendly, either in content ,or reaction!
John
 
I have posted some photos of a complete set of NOS series 2 light surrounds and the grille. I purchased them almost 25 years ago, and they have been kept in their original bags and stored in a dark cupboard, so no fading has taken place. As can be seen, the finish is certainly not gloss. The rear of the surrounds is actually gloss, but the sides and fronts is if anything closer to a matt finish. They would be a satin finish at the very best.

I have always used ArmorAll on mine, and after almost 40 years of use, there is next to no difference in the appearance. I have seen those that have taken on a grey Matt look, so a rejuvenation process would certainly be worthwhile in such cases.

P4110405_zpsa1cbe3b3.jpg



21d1b277-800c-411d-b86d-bb23077e4e1d_zps48757d9d.jpg



P4110409_zps044eab04.jpg

Gloss rear, but not sides and front.


Ron.
 
That's exactly where I am today. All into the bath with lots of domestic cleaner. Screws and washers into a pot of Kero, for a stiif toothbrushing later. I have seen a couple of American "products" recently that will bring up the Black, so I'm not going to paint that. For the Silver trim. I used a small green kitchen sponge, applied silver paint to it, and dabbed it on the grille. Not bad. (Apart from the errors I've just noticed :rolleyes:)

One of the rubber "shoes" is missing. 60p, Wadhams, shut for Holidays.
 

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I just use a dab of clear shoe polish and then give it a good buff.
I’ve never tried to repaint the silver edges as I’m not sure I’m accurate enough, always scared I’d ruin it.
 
I did mine with silver touch up paint from Halfords. The paint comes in a small bottle that you can either open to reveal a little brush, or can use the other applicator - its a needle like applicator, and is perfect for this purpose, the paint 'capillaries' its way out on contact, and it delivers slowly enough that excess is not an issue - was also suitable for picking the word 'Lucas' out in the covers of my foglamps. Really easy to use for fiddly stuff that requires a good straight line.
 
I just use a dab of clear shoe polish and then give it a good buff.
I’ve never tried to repaint the silver edges as I’m not sure I’m accurate enough, always scared I’d ruin it.

Try the above method for the silver. Green Squidgee and Hammerite Silver. Apply small amount of paint to sponge and dab it on. None (or very little) gets on the black plastic. Easy.

Cheers Mick.

I meant to ask you, have you discovered the wonders of the Kickdown on your Auto yet? I loved that. Mine was quite stiff when I got it, don't think the previous elderly owner ever used it. One or two kicks and she engaged!
 
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not sure if its me you were asking Brian - but mine is a manual, so no kick down here, but everything else continues to just get better, cramming as much driving in as i can before the salt appears, sadly not too long now - but have a list as long as my arm of wee jobs to go through over the winter, some of which will inevitably turn into bigger missions quite probably!
 
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