Club 80-90 Forums

Evening all - had a quick scan thro the forum and found a few answers but not the one I'm looking for!

I need to spray my front grills - they are looking tired and the chrome finish is past its best - was thinking a matt black. Question is - what paint shall I use - is there a brand eg Plastikote or something that's long lasting??

Cheers

cruz or covekid made a wide one from 2 and painted it, looked good too
mm

i did mine matt black i used halfords truck bed liner spray
painted over chrome vw badge 2yrs ago still looks like i did it today

Hi, I've done this a few times on different upper and lower grills. I experimented a bit so they are by no means the definitive method for doing it just what I've tried. The first grill I a gave a thorough rub down, cleaned and then primed with plastic primer. For the top coat I used halfords satin black and really couldn't fault it. I've used other brands of satin black on other projects, but none have matched the halfords one for adherence.

The second grill i did I rubbed it down, cleaned and then sprayed it with a plastikote textured painted. This was to replicate the textured finish of the grill that can be lost when you rub it down. It takes a while to dry properly, but does the job. I then grey primered it before applying the satin black.

The final grill and the current one on my van I rubbed down, cleaned and then plastic primered before spraying with stone chip. This also gives the grill a textured look. I didn't grey primer over the stone chip just straight on with the satin black. The finished job looked sound and has been on my van for a couple of years with no sign of deterioration.

Have a go yourself.

A good clean with a scotch cloth then plasic primer, satin black looks good, & i put 2 coats of clear satin on for good measure. 3 years ago still looks good

roy

Cheers all for the info - looks like I'm off to Halfords tomorrow evening !

Me too....love this forum for ideas

Gentle sand blast then satin black from local motor discount shop, no primer. No flaking, best looking bit on my van. Sprayed the badge with chrome look paint but the shiny look doesn't stay for long - just looks like alloy now.

WHS^^^

I did mine two years ago and they still look good, I also did my wiper arms, front and back bumpers, wing mirrors, fridge vents and rear plastic air intake grills. The transformation was amazing, my tired shabby van looked 100% better. I did use primer on the metal bumpers though

[quote="nevill3"]WHS^^^

I did mine two years ago and they still look good, I also did my wiper arms, front and back bumpers, wing mirrors, fridge vents and rear plastic air intake grills. The transformation was amazing, my tired shabby van looked 100% better. I did use primer on the metal bumpers though

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! Had not thought about doing the intake grills & wiper arms - I reckon I'm on for weekend of tarting up every piece of plastic on my van!!

good tips! I've also read in other places "halfords plastic bumper paint" works well, need to do mine when I get my van back

metalmick8y wrote:cruz or covekid made a wide one from 2 and painted it, looked good too
mm

http://forum.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic.p ... wraparound" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

An old pic. I have since disposed of those "2 minute idea whilst sat on the bog" inadequate wing mirrors

Thought I'd add an update!

Blimey - got to say I'm well impressed with the Halfords truck bed spray - came up an absolute treat - will add a pic tomorrow!

Its kind of textured but looks to be a really resilient finish - totally recommend it to jazz up ya plastic!

chuggers72 wrote:Thought I'd add an update!

Blimey - got to say I'm well impressed with the Halfords truck bed spray - came up an absolute treat - will add a pic tomorrow!

Its kind of textured but looks to be a really resilient finish - totally recommend it to jazz up ya plastic!

Did you get a picture of this in the end? Interested to see.

Yes!
Before:
After:

The photos don't really do it justice - it looks better in the flesh