Smoke/ceramic finish on grilles DIY

[tashakes]

I have always thought that there was way too much chrome on the grilles, but did not like the all-black look of the M6 replacements that are available (plus, I am no poser ). I am also a fan of the interior's ceramic finish on the dash pieces. So I set out to look for something similar to have on my grilles.

I found the Duplicolor Shadow kit at the store and gave it a shot. I like the results. My idea was to keep the chrome surrounds and paint the slats, but wanted the chrome to come through the black paint. This looks very close to what I had in mind and am pleased with the results. I may do the side gills as well but not sure. The nice thing about the grilles I see that the chrome surround can be easily separated, so there was no masking needed. Getting them off the bumper is a bitch, but with time and patience can be done without removing the bumper (search for a different thread for those instructions)
Here are some pics of the process and final result.

Pic 1 - Wash the grille so hoot ought and clean them with rubbing alcohol

2 - Separate the chrome surroundings by unlocking the tabs

3 - The grilles removed, pull on the plastic bumper to get your hand behind the tabs, use long screwdrivers, use trim removal tools ($5 harbor freight), get ready for nasty knuckles.

4 - Three light coats with the dark tint, and one heavy coat

5 & 6 - Then 2 light coats of clear and one heavy coat

7 - Compare end result with the chrome

8 & 9 - End result

[Bobby_Drake]

Not bad.

[Flash6S]

Interesting. Looks good but why wouldnt you do the surrounds as well. Im not sure i like the dual color look.

[Krasna]

tashakes:

Looks good and I agree that there's too much chrome (or faux chrome) on the car, but I also don't think pure black would complement my space gray paint.

I think you have a nice balance with what you've done - thanks for the writeup.