Here are some tips for removing chrome from sport grille prior to painting.
08-09-2008, 08:06 PM
#28
MBWorld Fanatic!
Its ready for painting tomorrow morning i'll start the painting. Going to paint it Flat black.
My pictures are off my LG Dare cell phone
My pictures are off my LG Dare cell phone
Last edited by Spec_Davis; 08-10-2008 at 09:46 AM.
08-10-2008, 10:04 AM
#29
MBWorld Fanatic!
Check it out this morning i painted flat black:
then clear coat next
Its Done!!!
have pics but they are with my plates shown will edit them later.
then clear coat next
Its Done!!!
have pics but they are with my plates shown will edit them later.
Last edited by Spec_Davis; 08-10-2008 at 05:44 PM.
06-15-2010, 01:08 PM
#35
MBWorld Fanatic!
Do you think a 3M paint scuff pad will work pretty well? It feels like a rough version of the little green scrubbers in the kitchen sink but I am not sure what the equivalent grit would be. I picked one up as it seems it would be pretty easy to get into and around the smaller areas around the star.
06-15-2010, 05:25 PM
#37
MBWorld Fanatic!
08-07-2010, 12:13 AM
#39
MBWorld Fanatic!
Well it was me, a small flathead screwdriver, and 2 hours. The star came off very quickly, but I did not manage to get any of the chrome bars off. The longer tabs came off fine, but some of the smaller tabs just do not budge! Anybody else that had trouble with the small tabs?
11-03-2018, 03:02 PM
#42
Super Member
I like to have instructions on how to do things. I haven't seen any regarding removing the chrome pieces on the sport grille. I just did it about an hour ago and thought I'd post some pics to help you folks see what is involved. It's not difficult, but you have to be careful. It gets easier once you get used to the flexing limits of the plastic. Do this at your own risk. I can't take responsibility if you break your stuff. I hope this is helpful. Here goes:
I did not do this, but I suggest removing the star first. It is very easy. The plastic ring surrounding it is very flexible. Flip the grille over and find the prongs at the ends of the lower points on the star. They are shorter than the prongs at the top point of the star. Take a small flathead and just carefully lift the plasitc, that surrounds the black star piece, over the short prongs. Do the other side. Now push the star from the bottom and you'll notice it slides right out.
Front view of top prongs:
Now the tedious part. You'll need to do this 18 times. Again, you will be working from the back of the grille. I masked the front of the grille in anticipation of the chrome strips scraping against the grille while removing them. I am glad I did it, because that is exactly what happened. The tape totally protected everything. Oh yeah, don't tape the chrome strips down.
With a small flathead screwdriver, pry the tabs of the chrome strips and the tabs of the grey plastic grille apart. The screwdriver should be touching the spots of each piece as demonstrated in the next two pics. I am showng this with the parts separated so it's a little easier to see. I used a twisting motion. Do all of the top longer tabs, then move onto the lower smaller tabs for each strip. The smaller tabs are really hard to move. The plastic is flexible enough to be a little rough with them. I am not sure if I will remove the black plastic strips at the top and bottom. They are on really tight. They're black and I'm painting the grille matte black, so I probably won't remove them.
And there it is:
I did not do this, but I suggest removing the star first. It is very easy. The plastic ring surrounding it is very flexible. Flip the grille over and find the prongs at the ends of the lower points on the star. They are shorter than the prongs at the top point of the star. Take a small flathead and just carefully lift the plasitc, that surrounds the black star piece, over the short prongs. Do the other side. Now push the star from the bottom and you'll notice it slides right out.
Front view of top prongs:
Now the tedious part. You'll need to do this 18 times. Again, you will be working from the back of the grille. I masked the front of the grille in anticipation of the chrome strips scraping against the grille while removing them. I am glad I did it, because that is exactly what happened. The tape totally protected everything. Oh yeah, don't tape the chrome strips down.
With a small flathead screwdriver, pry the tabs of the chrome strips and the tabs of the grey plastic grille apart. The screwdriver should be touching the spots of each piece as demonstrated in the next two pics. I am showng this with the parts separated so it's a little easier to see. I used a twisting motion. Do all of the top longer tabs, then move onto the lower smaller tabs for each strip. The smaller tabs are really hard to move. The plastic is flexible enough to be a little rough with them. I am not sure if I will remove the black plastic strips at the top and bottom. They are on really tight. They're black and I'm painting the grille matte black, so I probably won't remove them.
And there it is:
