jlewissystem
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Hello all!
This is not my idea: i've seen a few guys do it and i really liked it, so wanted to show my process in this. I am not a painting pro, so dont take this process as bible. Just wanted to put out my ideas, even if it's just a starting place for others.
Tools Needed (I will explain all as we go)
Be sure to wipe your grills down with a degreaser/cleaner and wipe with water.
Once you have the grills removed, we'll use painters tape to cover the all grills:
Using a trim tool or flathead, push down and follow the "indents" around the grill. This will help to cut the painters tape (to shape):
Showing all grills with pushed down indents:
Take your exacto knife and follow your indents, to create the shape of where the paint will land:
After you cut and pull away the tape, the tape might not be exactly close to the ridge (depending on how well you cut). Use a trim tool to "run the channel" or push the tape back towards the middle:
All 4 trimmed and prepped. Ready for paint. Be sure to give 1 last wipedown with water (Soap if you feel the need)
For the rear grills, i would suggest taping the speaker holes on the back of the grill. It will help spray not come back up and accidentally show paint on the grill (from the underside). You shouldn't have to worry about the fronts:
Since the front grills have tabs, they are already elevated, but i would suggest using something to elevate the rears, so paint is not adhering to both your grill and your painting surface. I used a cut 2x4 and an old box of plugs. (You can see how i already did my Mojito grills in this pic):
READY TO PAINT.
I bought color-matched paint from paintscratch.com. 1 can should do all 4 grills.
I bought clearcoat from Amazon.- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W2D806Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. You should only need 1/2 can for 4 grills.
NOTE - Besides the Hyper White, i would suggest using a white primer as a base. My Mojito turned out great, but i can tell that it's "slightly" darker than my Jeep's Mojito. If i were to do this again, i would prime first.
Make sure to shake your cans properly prior to spray and during the spraying process. Hold the can about 10-12 inches from the grills, make sure to use nice even strokes and fully depress the spray nozzle. I did 2 coats at the same time, rotating around the grills as i went. The point of the 2 coats was to make sure that i was spraying everything, the screw holes and the bottoms of the outside - wanted to make sure that i had good even coverage. I did 4 rounds total of color - 4 double rounds, based on my comment above. I did 2 rounds of clear. I painted color 1 day and let dry overnight, then did the clear the next day and let dry overnight:
When you remove the tape, it may pull some paint from the channels:
I used a touchup pen to paint these. I only did 1 coat, but feel free to do more. A steady hand wins on this one. Paint thinner and a Qtip will help with any unwanted paint that happened to get on your grill:
Here's an optional section. I didnt want to use the same chrome screws that came off of the grills and i liked the contrast of black, so i ordered some new screws (from eBay). They are M4-16mm button head socket cap - https://www.ebay.com/itm/M4-0-70-x-...hash=item1cb5ec8db3:m:mwB3pnP3O3P4WwEr_ZUA5xQ
I also used some #10 washers and painted those (twice) with scrap black gloss touchup paint:
Reinstalled:
Enjoy, improve on the process...keep MODDIN!
This is not my idea: i've seen a few guys do it and i really liked it, so wanted to show my process in this. I am not a painting pro, so dont take this process as bible. Just wanted to put out my ideas, even if it's just a starting place for others.
Tools Needed (I will explain all as we go)
- Spray Paint (Paint matched)
- Spray Paint (Primer) Optional depending on color
- Spray Paint (Clear Coat)
- Exacto Knife
- Painters Tape
- Trim Tool or FlatHead
- (Optional)
- M4x16mm screws
- #10 Washers
- Black touch up paint
Be sure to wipe your grills down with a degreaser/cleaner and wipe with water.
Once you have the grills removed, we'll use painters tape to cover the all grills:
Using a trim tool or flathead, push down and follow the "indents" around the grill. This will help to cut the painters tape (to shape):
Showing all grills with pushed down indents:
Take your exacto knife and follow your indents, to create the shape of where the paint will land:
After you cut and pull away the tape, the tape might not be exactly close to the ridge (depending on how well you cut). Use a trim tool to "run the channel" or push the tape back towards the middle:
All 4 trimmed and prepped. Ready for paint. Be sure to give 1 last wipedown with water (Soap if you feel the need)
For the rear grills, i would suggest taping the speaker holes on the back of the grill. It will help spray not come back up and accidentally show paint on the grill (from the underside). You shouldn't have to worry about the fronts:
Since the front grills have tabs, they are already elevated, but i would suggest using something to elevate the rears, so paint is not adhering to both your grill and your painting surface. I used a cut 2x4 and an old box of plugs. (You can see how i already did my Mojito grills in this pic):
READY TO PAINT.
I bought color-matched paint from paintscratch.com. 1 can should do all 4 grills.
I bought clearcoat from Amazon.- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W2D806Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. You should only need 1/2 can for 4 grills.
NOTE - Besides the Hyper White, i would suggest using a white primer as a base. My Mojito turned out great, but i can tell that it's "slightly" darker than my Jeep's Mojito. If i were to do this again, i would prime first.
Make sure to shake your cans properly prior to spray and during the spraying process. Hold the can about 10-12 inches from the grills, make sure to use nice even strokes and fully depress the spray nozzle. I did 2 coats at the same time, rotating around the grills as i went. The point of the 2 coats was to make sure that i was spraying everything, the screw holes and the bottoms of the outside - wanted to make sure that i had good even coverage. I did 4 rounds total of color - 4 double rounds, based on my comment above. I did 2 rounds of clear. I painted color 1 day and let dry overnight, then did the clear the next day and let dry overnight:
When you remove the tape, it may pull some paint from the channels:
I used a touchup pen to paint these. I only did 1 coat, but feel free to do more. A steady hand wins on this one. Paint thinner and a Qtip will help with any unwanted paint that happened to get on your grill:
Here's an optional section. I didnt want to use the same chrome screws that came off of the grills and i liked the contrast of black, so i ordered some new screws (from eBay). They are M4-16mm button head socket cap - https://www.ebay.com/itm/M4-0-70-x-...hash=item1cb5ec8db3:m:mwB3pnP3O3P4WwEr_ZUA5xQ
I also used some #10 washers and painted those (twice) with scrap black gloss touchup paint:
Reinstalled:
Enjoy, improve on the process...keep MODDIN!
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