Black Grille
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Super Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 745
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From: Wilmington, NC
2012 C63 Black Series, 2003 Hummer H1 KSC2, 2003 Hummer H1 HMCO, 1997 Hummer H1 HMC4, 1969 Jaguar E
Black Grille
Alright... I know there have been a few guys asking about this and I was going to do mine too, so I should go ahead and get the ball rolling....
How do you recommend painting the stock grille black to get quality results and prevent the majority of rock chips...
I was looking at the grille the other day and was about the start the project but held off.
I want to take the grille apart into 2 piece (chrome front and black back)… but as I looked at it I noticed there are a million little lock tabs…. Does anyone know the best way of taking the 2 apart without breaking all the tabs…. I know they tend to break real easy.
Next… I planned on sanding, priming and painting but what products do you recommend… I have used Rustolium Plastic for my emblems but wanted to get your 2 cents on that…. I worry about easy rock chips, I know its inevitable but… I just want to do it right the first time so I don’t have to do it every time a small rock hits it.
Thanks everyone !!
How do you recommend painting the stock grille black to get quality results and prevent the majority of rock chips...
I was looking at the grille the other day and was about the start the project but held off.
I want to take the grille apart into 2 piece (chrome front and black back)… but as I looked at it I noticed there are a million little lock tabs…. Does anyone know the best way of taking the 2 apart without breaking all the tabs…. I know they tend to break real easy.
Next… I planned on sanding, priming and painting but what products do you recommend… I have used Rustolium Plastic for my emblems but wanted to get your 2 cents on that…. I worry about easy rock chips, I know its inevitable but… I just want to do it right the first time so I don’t have to do it every time a small rock hits it.
Thanks everyone !!
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From: Houston
2003 W211 E55, 2003 W220 S600
In terms of the rock chips I got my kidney grills on my bmw professionally painted. I still had rock chips on them. So I had to get them painted once a year.
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Joined: Dec 2008
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From: orlando,fl
e55
Alright... I know there have been a few guys asking about this and I was going to do mine too, so I should go ahead and get the ball rolling....
How do you recommend painting the stock grille black to get quality results and prevent the majority of rock chips...
I was looking at the grille the other day and was about the start the project but held off.
I want to take the grille apart into 2 piece (chrome front and black back)… but as I looked at it I noticed there are a million little lock tabs…. Does anyone know the best way of taking the 2 apart without breaking all the tabs…. I know they tend to break real easy.
Next… I planned on sanding, priming and painting but what products do you recommend… I have used Rustolium Plastic for my emblems but wanted to get your 2 cents on that…. I worry about easy rock chips, I know its inevitable but… I just want to do it right the first time so I don’t have to do it every time a small rock hits it.
Thanks everyone !!
How do you recommend painting the stock grille black to get quality results and prevent the majority of rock chips...
I was looking at the grille the other day and was about the start the project but held off.
I want to take the grille apart into 2 piece (chrome front and black back)… but as I looked at it I noticed there are a million little lock tabs…. Does anyone know the best way of taking the 2 apart without breaking all the tabs…. I know they tend to break real easy.
Next… I planned on sanding, priming and painting but what products do you recommend… I have used Rustolium Plastic for my emblems but wanted to get your 2 cents on that…. I worry about easy rock chips, I know its inevitable but… I just want to do it right the first time so I don’t have to do it every time a small rock hits it.
Thanks everyone !!
Super Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 566
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From: Australia
03 E55 AMG
I removed the chrome section carefully with a small screw driver one click at a time then sent it to the dudes who do the electroplating and asked them to drop it in the acid bath which removes all the chrome and copper, then I sent it off to the spray painters for a few coats of semi gloss black. Done!
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From: Oklahoma City
04 e55
I did mine on my own. It does not look professionally done, but doesn't look bad either.
I took the grill off and, like Finney, took some time with a screwdriver to remove the chrome section from the black portion of the grill. It is not difficult, once you get it started. It is time consuming, however.
Then, I took course grit sand paper and sanded the chrome. Three coats of black spray paint and two coats of clear later and I was finished. The entire process took about 4 hours (I am not sure about this, but that is a decent guess.)
I decided to do it on my own, because I made an assumption (whether correct or not) that rock chips were going to happen. Based on that assumption, I decided that I would probably have to repaint the grill over time.
I have a 3 or 4 small chips and will probably do another coat when it gets warmer. I may be making this sound much worse than it really is, but if you are a perfectionist, I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself.
I took the grill off and, like Finney, took some time with a screwdriver to remove the chrome section from the black portion of the grill. It is not difficult, once you get it started. It is time consuming, however.
Then, I took course grit sand paper and sanded the chrome. Three coats of black spray paint and two coats of clear later and I was finished. The entire process took about 4 hours (I am not sure about this, but that is a decent guess.)
I decided to do it on my own, because I made an assumption (whether correct or not) that rock chips were going to happen. Based on that assumption, I decided that I would probably have to repaint the grill over time.
I have a 3 or 4 small chips and will probably do another coat when it gets warmer. I may be making this sound much worse than it really is, but if you are a perfectionist, I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 745
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From: Wilmington, NC
2012 C63 Black Series, 2003 Hummer H1 KSC2, 2003 Hummer H1 HMCO, 1997 Hummer H1 HMC4, 1969 Jaguar E
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Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Oklahoma City
04 e55
I don't have any pics of it. I haven't paid attention to it, but after my post this morning, I did look at it at lunch. It is definately time for a repaint. It is hard to tell because my car is so dirty today (tornadoes and storms through OKC yesterday), but it looks like there are multiple chips.
After I get it washed tomorrrow, I will have a better feel for how bad it really is now and give you an update.
After I get it washed tomorrrow, I will have a better feel for how bad it really is now and give you an update.
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From: Los Angeles, CA
2005 E55
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Joined: May 2006
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From: Australia
03 E55 AMG
Yes, it's reactive to the metallic layer only.
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From: San Diego
2015 S212
I removed the chrome section carefully with a small screw driver one click at a time then sent it to the dudes who do the electroplating and asked them to drop it in the acid bath which removes all the chrome and copper, then I sent it off to the spray painters for a few coats of semi gloss black. Done!
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Joined: May 2006
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From: Australia
03 E55 AMG
They were doing some other stuff for me and chucked it in for nothing. Not sure of the acid formulation though.
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From: chicagoland
08 E63
does anyone know if u can vinyl wrap the front grill? i know people do it on the chrome trimming around the windows and was wondering if it can be done on the grill? 
how durable will it be to outside conditions (i.e. salt, rain, car wash) ?
how durable will it be to outside conditions (i.e. salt, rain, car wash) ?
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From: Khalifonia.
4 wheeled car.
I had my grill painted by my body shop. They kept it in one piece. I don't know how much they sanded it down but not a whole lot I'd venture to say. I did it a couple of months ago but it's already chipping, despite the several coats of clear applied. Inevitable.
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From: Fairfax,VA
06 E55
so what would be the best way to paint then. Mine is chipping pretty quickly. Did anyone use Plasti-Dip Spray? I used it on my other cars and it holds better than after its painted from the body shop
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From: San Diego
E55
That actually sounds like a good idea... but might be hard to do. Anyone willing to try? Mine is getting sprayed right now. Should I tell the body shop to sand it down first?
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From: Tampa, Florida
06 SL65 / 97 993tt /11 Suburban/ 2012 GTR (AMG è la mia Famiglia la Bestia è la mia protezione)
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From: Central Florida
2013 Chevy 427 Torch Red
My grill was vinyl wrapped 3 months ago along with the window trim. Absolutely zero chips ,marks or other blemishes thus far. Close-up available in the Mars Red post in the C63 forum.
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nascar
