DIY Chrome Grill w/pics
#121
Lexus Test Driver
iTrader: (1)
you guys think this stuff will work for the b-pillars btw the doors? theres a thread in the ls forum talking about the chrome underneath the black paint and we are trying to figure out a way to remove the black. i guess we like a little bling over there. i might just do the grill mod on my ls
#122
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Taiwan
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Thought I'd make my first post a productive one...
I have a 2000 GS and it has the paint that doesnt just bubble off... but i wanted to mess with the grill anyways and i took pix as I went along... I live in taiwan at the moment and have no garage here so i did this in my kitchen with the stripping products i could find at the local B&Q (home depot type place). This would have been much easier back in canada...
Anyways... in the liquid can was a mix of gel and water... i found using a tooth brush to spread the gel everywhere worked best... using the metal brushpad adapter on a drill was overkill and useless as it was way too big... dremels might work tho, i didnt have one so... i mainly used that little T-shaped brush thing and a toothbrush...
It's not perfect. It doesnt just come off, a lot of it does but, some doesn't. It looks great from far, even from pretty close, but as u can see from my close-up of a poor area, there is still some residual paint. If you want to use this grill for show purposes, might not be a good idea on a 98-00 grill. Still, I'm pleased!!! Anyways, best of luck to everyone
I have a 2000 GS and it has the paint that doesnt just bubble off... but i wanted to mess with the grill anyways and i took pix as I went along... I live in taiwan at the moment and have no garage here so i did this in my kitchen with the stripping products i could find at the local B&Q (home depot type place). This would have been much easier back in canada...
Anyways... in the liquid can was a mix of gel and water... i found using a tooth brush to spread the gel everywhere worked best... using the metal brushpad adapter on a drill was overkill and useless as it was way too big... dremels might work tho, i didnt have one so... i mainly used that little T-shaped brush thing and a toothbrush...
It's not perfect. It doesnt just come off, a lot of it does but, some doesn't. It looks great from far, even from pretty close, but as u can see from my close-up of a poor area, there is still some residual paint. If you want to use this grill for show purposes, might not be a good idea on a 98-00 grill. Still, I'm pleased!!! Anyways, best of luck to everyone
#123
Lexus Champion
iTrader: (14)
I wanted my grill to stand out some more and decided to do this DIY project this weekend. I used Goo Off, an old towel, and about three Brillo pads. I'm pleased with the results for now. Very inexpensive DIY project but I may replace the entire grill with something custom in the future.
#124
Racer
iTrader: (3)
My method of taking the paint off
I decided to do the DIY chrome grill. I went to the hardware store this morning and looked over the paint strippers. I chose this even though it said not to use on plastic. I applied it on with a Q-tip, it almost immediately started peeling. I just rubbed off with a paper towel and in some spots used my fingernail with the paper towel. I did a few slots at a time until I was finished. No scraping and I think it took maybe 30 minutes to complete. I didn't even remove the grill. I just wanted to tell you my method that was easy, quick and turned out great!
#130
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: OK
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Awesome. Just did it! Looks great. I can't believe how easy this was.
I used Klean Strip's KS-3 Premium Stripper (see http://www.wmbarr.com/product.aspx?catid=72&prodid=117) and the paint started to come off within 5 minutes!
I purchased mine at Walmart. The smallest they had was like $8.00 and you will only use about 1-2 oz.'s so it's a waste of the product but I now have a chrome grill that cost me $12 (I recommend you buy Q-tips and latex gloves) instead of $100-200.
Thanks for the great DIY
I used Klean Strip's KS-3 Premium Stripper (see http://www.wmbarr.com/product.aspx?catid=72&prodid=117) and the paint started to come off within 5 minutes!
I purchased mine at Walmart. The smallest they had was like $8.00 and you will only use about 1-2 oz.'s so it's a waste of the product but I now have a chrome grill that cost me $12 (I recommend you buy Q-tips and latex gloves) instead of $100-200.
Thanks for the great DIY
#131
Hey thanks for all the info on chroming out the grill. Just did mine today, it took about 2 hours. I used Goof Off (found at any home depot) q-tips and super fine grade steel wool to finish off what the q-tips couldn't do. very easy DIY project, thanks again for all the insight.
#135
Driver
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Houston, TX
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Just did mine, looks great! Cant wait to see it in day light. I used aircraft paint remover (gel) and it worked almost instantly. Here is a few of my pix...
before....
half done...
done!!
before....
half done...
done!!