Cheap customization - paint?

[Blue91Ex]

Hey guys, i have been itching to do something to make my explorer stand out a little bit more (besides the fact that 1st gens are very rare around here) and have been thinking about easy paint mods, very common on here, not so much in general, since i figure only a small amount of people with explorers are in this forum.

anywho, how do you guys think it would look if i painted the stock grill on my 91 black (i know, oh how original) but with my color, dark twilight blue, it might look kind of odd and out of place compared to the chrome.

I also thought of getting some of that (duplicolor?) ford color match paint, and doing it gloss in the body color of teh truck, maybe leaving the inner parts (that are currently grey and not chrome) the regular grey color, or flat black, and maybe just go the easy route and paint teh whole thing the gloss twilight blue? btw the twilight blue is color code 52 in case anyone was wondering.

If i color match the grille to the body, would it be better to paint the bumpers that color as well? or leave them chrome?

also, while this isnt really as much of a focus point as the grille, i plan on trying to paint the stock throwing star rims black until i can save up for soft 8s or comparable rims, would they be better looking flat black or gloss? gloss would be easier to keep clean and match the rest of the no-flat-colors truck, but i am worried gloss might be too flashy..

sorry for the long post but i would REALLY appreciate ANY feedback, opinions, ideas, advice, anything, i dont want to try something without any second opinions and end up with it looking stupid, but i have very little spare cash, and paint is usually a cheap and easy way to make your truck a little more custom.

thanks!

 

[Blue91Ex]

pic for color referance:
http://imageshack.us/a/img199/5780/dscf0107.JPG
(i dont want to post it in "img" brackets because it ends up being gigantic for some reason..)
the thing is i dont know if black would look good because it doesnt blend but it doesnt contrast either. also what about just painting the inserts? i have seen a couple people that did that but they had much brighter colors..

 

[dersch6221992]

macoo can probably do something for you for $1000 but if they fixed the rust and everything id say your looking at $2000....

you could always repair it yourself (plenty of how to on here) and then paint it yourself with bedliner or something.

 

[Jason94sport]

I wouldn't paint it. I'd use plastic dip, google it.

 

[Blue91Ex]

macoo can probably do something for you for $1000 but if they fixed the rust and everything id say your looking at $2000....

you could always repair it yourself (plenty of how to on here) and then paint it yourself with bedliner or something.

lol im just talking about doing the rims and grill/headlight trim not the whole truck, im talking about cheap custom touches that i can do myself. I am really just tryng to see what people think about painting the grill black, body color, or only painting parts of it, and what the opinion is on flat black rims compared to gloss black rims, as they are gunna get painted anyway as a temorary addition until i could get cragar soft 8s or something.
but thanks for the input anyway and any additional opinions on the thinsg i mentioned are still appreciated!

 

[dersch6221992]

honestly bed liner it in the spray cans. i did that to my grille, molding, and bottom half of truck. it looks 1000 time better! i would do my rims just havent gotten that far yet. it really does improve the look and help with rusting a little.

 

[Blue91Ex]

hmm interesting idea but im not sure how i would feel about having rough bedliner on a lot of the truck, (i do plan to bedline the body below the "shopping cart trim" but that is just because i live on a dirt road so rock chips in the paint make it rust even faster) i just want to see if anyone would think it would look good if i tried to make it look somewhat custom but still look like it could be factory options, if i end up going with the "offroad" look in the long run bedliner would deffinitly be an option for that sort of stuff though.

 

[Blue91Ex]

no one has any ideas or opinions? :/
(sorry if i seem impatient i just dont want to say screw it and go do something i will regret afterwards, i usually do things like this on impulse and sometimes kick myself after..)

 

[arco777]

If you do paint the stock rims and grill, prep first. Sanding, priming, prep spray. Having black paint flaking off your parts will make you look like a ricer tool It is hard to get paint to adhere well to chrome, by the way.

Have you considered powdercoating? Can be very affordable and much more durable and long lasting than paint, and the same results or better if you have a skilled powdercoater. A neat way to make wheels and other metal parts unique.

If you want a color matched grill, consider swapping a Limited model grill and headlight trim surrounds. You can find them in the junkyard with a little work and the grill is a different style than stock that looks pretty neat. Another option is a 89-92 Ranger grill. Also consider a Limited model front bumper, which is paint matched and can be fitted for fog lights. Another option is adding fog lights using the 1993+ Ranger front bumper valance, which fits the stock 91-94 Explorer bumper and adds two round fog lights.

Other options include a brush guard, aftermarket headlights (i.e. diamond cut), and billet grills. There are lots of options out there to look unique. Just don't half-ass it

 

[Jason94sport]

no one has any ideas or opinions? :/

Did you Google plastic dip? You can peel it off when you want too. I know several guys that coat their rims & it works out very well.

 

[dersch6221992]

Did you Google plastic dip? You can peel it off when you want too. I know several guys that coat their rims & it works out very well.

i have plasti dipped my street bike... it looks GOOD but its not durable at all. i put three very thick coats on and its really shows dirt like crazy... and comes off very easy.

i plasti dipped racing stripes onto my truck too. those have held up pretty well actually. plasti dip takes a lot of coats but in the end something touching it will rip it and then it will come off quickly

 

[Maniak]

honestly bed liner it in the spray cans. i did that to my grille, molding, and bottom half of truck. it looks 1000 time better! i would do my rims just havent gotten that far yet. it really does improve the look and help with rusting a little.

I have bedliner as the paint on our front bumper. It went from a nice black to a dull gray in about 1 year of Arizona sun.

Its was years ago that I did it so I can't say what brand it was.. Just pointing out that it will color change.

~Mark

 

[dersch6221992]

I have bedliner as the paint on our front bumper. It went from a nice black to a dull gray in about 1 year of Arizona sun.

Its was years ago that I did it so I can't say what brand it was.. Just pointing out that it will color change.

~Mark

i agree 100% mine has definitely faded a little over time... if you covered up and rust with it and didnt properly treat it the rust will win. also i did a shotty job on the grille and its coming off from rocks hitting it.

 

[snoranger]

i have plasti dipped my street bike... it looks GOOD but its not durable at all. i put three very thick coats on and its really shows dirt like crazy... and comes off very easy.

i plasti dipped racing stripes onto my truck too. those have held up pretty well actually. plasti dip takes a lot of coats but in the end something touching it will rip it and then it will come off quickly

Seriously? Plasti-dip doesnt hold up well?

Here's my plasti-dipped rear bumper:

As you can see the bumper is now twisted... The plasti-dip isnt even scratched.

 

[dersch6221992]

Seriously? Plasti-dip doesnt hold up well?

Here's my plasti-dipped rear bumper:

As you can see the bumper is now twisted... The plasti-dip isnt even scratched.

woah calm down there ....
that just one persons expierence.... mine was over plastic on my bike. its held up decent over the last month but for me atleast some of it has already worn away, and for me atleast it shows dirt like crazy.

 

[Blue91Ex]

thanks for the info guys, however some of it is a bit too expencive, and plasti-dip seems to be too easy to peel off, i was thinking more of trying to get a strong, OEM look but with a bit more personality. I do like the ranger bumper valence idea, as i saw one in the junkyard yesterday and was thinking to myself, that woudl look sweet but i dont have money for a bumper.. i am gong back today to return a radio though so ill ask about that valence.
As for finding a limited 1st gen with teh grill style, (which i think would look cool) good luck around here, i couldnt even find a regular 1st gen there, and ony 2 early rangers, 93 ranger and a 94 mazda..
Also, No one commented on their view on black stock rims, im gunna paint them anyway (cant powdercoat and dont have the money to hire someone to) so do you guys think gloss black would look to flashy or more refined/less ghetto than flat black paint?

 

[arco777]

Also, No one commented on their view on black stock rims, im gunna paint them anyway (cant powdercoat and dont have the money to hire someone to) so do you guys think gloss black would look to flashy or more refined/less ghetto than flat black paint?

Personally I think painted black wheels are overdone, but that's just me. If you do a forum search you can probably find pictures from people that have painted their stock wheels black.

If you do go black, I'd suggest gloss black. If you prep the wheels well and don't lay the paint on too thick, it could look good. For real nice results you'll want to follow up with a gloss clearcoat and some fine wet sanding should give you real nice durable results.

 

[Bobmbx]

Sand all the paint off, then hit it with a clear coat.

Then you'd have something unique.

 

[Blue91Ex]

Sand all the paint off, then hit it with a clear coat.

Then you'd have something unique.

haha, actually i considered that once but figured it would show off some of the rust lol.

and yea i know black rims are a little over done but i have only seen one painted set of 1st gen throwing star rims, and it was bedliner, but im just trying to make it a little more custom until i buy soft 8s or something similar. i also thought about trying to find some 1st gen sport trac/3rd gen sport wheels because i heard they have the same backspacing as 1st gens and all you need to do is cut a hole in teh hubcaps for the 4wd hubs, but i wont try that if it needs spacers.

 

[arco777]

i also thought about trying to find some 1st gen sport trac/3rd gen sport wheels because i heard they have the same backspacing as 1st gens and all you need to do is cut a hole in the hubcaps for the 4wd hubs, but i wont try that if it needs spacers.

These Sport Trac 16" wheels fit over my hub fine, but the offset tucked them way in. I am using 1.5" bolt on spacers to make them sit where they are in the pic.