Painting the Grill on a ’99 XLT - aldive

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”.

 

[Rangeraddict]

woah.. this thread was started in 02, brought back in 04 and now again in 06, will it come back again in 08?

I'm a few years late and a couple dollars short but it looks good.

 

[jimwww]

Awesome.. I plan to do the same thing..
What black flat paint did you use? (exactly)
What grit of sandpaper did you use as well?

thanks in advance.

 

[aldive]

What black flat paint did you use? (exactly)

Krylon Fusion - http://www.krylon.com/main/product_...lid=10&productid=1751&content=product_details

What grit of sandpaper did you use as well?

thanks in advance.

Various; finished with 200 grit.

Good luck in your project.

 

[jimwww]

Thanks Al..

I will buy the same black paint for my grille - do you know what sandpaper i should 'start' with? (never done this too much before)

 

[tonymac97XL]

I used a 200 grit sanding block and black primer compliments wal-mart. Worked well so far, awiting to see if it stays or not (only on there 2 months so far, no noticeable chips/etc)

 

[otto_klein]

Hi Al,

Given the eternal success of your design, I plan to do a very similar
job on my '01 Limited.

Since the truck is ALL black, no need to re-spray or modify grille
shell. Remains the question of how-to remove and replace the plastic
mesh with stainless wire:

- Shall I dismantle the complete front grille insert to have access
to the mesh behind it, or is there an easyier way around (without
removing corners, etc....)?

also,

- Would other fellow enthusiasts here happen to know by chance
what material is the OEM plastic mesh made of (PP, PE, ABS, Vynil, ....)??
Could have it chrome plated overnight just in case it's ABS
... and only ABS.

Please advise.

Thanks in advance.


________________
91 XLT 4x4 (sold)
01 Limited (For ever)

Brussels ~ Belgium