Painting the Grill on a ’99 XLT
I finally bit the bullet and decided to paint the grill on my ‘99 XLT; I was just tired of the chrome surround.
My dilemma was whether to paint it to match the body color ( metallic chestnut ) or the flat black of the bumper cover and my X Spec air dam. I decided to go with the flat black.
First the grill must be removed. I followed the procedure so well outlined at http://www.grillcraft.com/installs/installs.asp?action=view&install=24. It took about 10 minutes to remove.
I wanted to paint the mesh behind the grill a contrasting color; I choose silver. The mesh was held in place with the infamous plastic Ford “plug like” fittings. They were simply pried out with the end of a flat head screwdriver. The Ford emblem was removed. Now comes the only time consuming part; the sanding of the grill to remove the chrome. This took about 1 hour and many sheets of sandpaper. Next, the mesh was thoroughly cleaned and primed. After that, 4 coats of silver were applied and allowed to dry overnight.
The grill was painstakingly cleaned and primed. Four coats of flat black paint followed this. The assembly was allowed to dry overnight.
Reassembly was as easy as the disassembly. First the screen was snapped back in place followed by reattaching the grill assembly. The total time involved was less than 10 minutes.
Total cost was less than $20 and included the sandpaper(s), a can of silver paint, a can of flat black paint as well as a can of primer.
I am pleased with the project and the “look”.
I finally bit the bullet and decided to paint the grill on my ‘99 XLT; I was just tired of the chrome surround.
My dilemma was whether to paint it to match the body color ( metallic chestnut ) or the flat black of the bumper cover and my X Spec air dam. I decided to go with the flat black.
First the grill must be removed. I followed the procedure so well outlined at http://www.grillcraft.com/installs/installs.asp?action=view&install=24. It took about 10 minutes to remove.
I wanted to paint the mesh behind the grill a contrasting color; I choose silver. The mesh was held in place with the infamous plastic Ford “plug like” fittings. They were simply pried out with the end of a flat head screwdriver. The Ford emblem was removed. Now comes the only time consuming part; the sanding of the grill to remove the chrome. This took about 1 hour and many sheets of sandpaper. Next, the mesh was thoroughly cleaned and primed. After that, 4 coats of silver were applied and allowed to dry overnight.
The grill was painstakingly cleaned and primed. Four coats of flat black paint followed this. The assembly was allowed to dry overnight.
Reassembly was as easy as the disassembly. First the screen was snapped back in place followed by reattaching the grill assembly. The total time involved was less than 10 minutes.
Total cost was less than $20 and included the sandpaper(s), a can of silver paint, a can of flat black paint as well as a can of primer.
I am pleased with the project and the “look”.