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Painting over chrome

2

2T2-Crash

NAXJA Forum User
Location
WA state
I didn't find much with search.

I plan on painting my 87 Laredo in NATO 3 tone camo but am not sure about the chrome... The Laredo has a lot of it. Some of it like the door guards I can remove but what do I do about all of the other chrome parts? Bumpers, grille, light brackets and such?
 
What worked for me was polishing it with a 3M pad, then painting it with Hammerit non ferrous metal primer, then your finish coat.
 
If worried, take it down to bare metal first. Have you thought about selling the chrome and getting painted versions? Guys as who buy Harley's with too much chrome do that all the time and usually come out ahead.
 
You can find non-chrome trim painted plastic pieces at the junkyard reaaaly easily.

Headlight bezels, bumpers, window trim, badges etc. All easy to find and plentiful from base models...for cheap
 
Sand paper... like the 120 grit kind. IMHO steel wool is too fine.. youll be there all day. Especially on a rough camo "paint job"... youll never see the scratches.

Biggest part, is avoiding getting lazy on it...
 
xcm said:
Sand paper... like the 120 grit kind. IMHO steel wool is too fine.. youll be there all day. Especially on a rough camo "paint job"... youll never see the scratches.

Biggest part, is avoiding getting lazy on it...
Click to expand...

My he paint will be flat, the camo will be soft lines, all applied with a paint sprayer and a large air compressor.
I'm a function over for. Guy, I hunt with my Jeep and generally beat the hell out of it so I need a paint job that will adhere to the surface, but I can easily spray over spots that I scratch the hell out of.

I've always loved the three tone which is why I'm going with it. :)
 
If you haven't purchased the paint already, you might think about a satin or half flat paint. Depends on the paint, but some flat paint stains, Sometimes red clay stains won't come out again. The Calcium in some water or salt can also stain some flat paint.

I've had good luck with marine paints and have found them often to be way cheaper than high gloss automotive paints. I'm not talking about cheap paint, but Dupont marine or similar quality.

These work really well, http://www.homedepot.com/p/Avanti-P...ount-Quick-Strip-Disc-PNW040100D01G/202830913 , if you have large areas of chrome to rough up before using special metal (non ferrous) primer.
 
2T2-Crash said:
I didn't find much with search.

I plan on painting my 87 Laredo in NATO 3 tone camo but am not sure about the chrome... The Laredo has a lot of it. Some of it like the door guards I can remove but what do I do about all of the other chrome parts? Bumpers, grille, light brackets and such?
Click to expand...

I did this to my bumpers a couple of years ago. I used a hand held sander with 100 grit paper and sanded both bumpers down until I had good scratching all over. Next, I sprayed a layer of metal etching primer to create a good base and once dried, did a light wetsand with 600 grit. Next, I sprayed it with flat black. It came out great with no sanding marks visible and has held up very well.

 
Awesome! Thanks for the paint type tips and prep information everyone. I haven't gotten the paint yet, I will probably be doing this during the summer.
 
Scuff it until it looks very dull. I use apx. 320 grit. After it looks dull be very thorough with your prep work. An alcohol wipe down is never a bad idea.
 
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