Antny74

Ok guys so I have had a few requests to post a how to for converting your stock grille to a matte black finish while leaving the nissan emblem chrome

Materials:
Duplicolor Black Primer
Dupilcolor Matte Black Paint
Rubbing Alcohol
Exacto Knife
Blue Painters Tape
400 Grit Sand Paper

Step By Step ... Here ya go

Step 1. Follow the guide to removing the stock grille (link below), just be cautious of the location of the clips, some of which are tucked away pretty good but just take your time releasing them evenly and it will eventually pop out

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/maxima/2009/EXT.pdf

Step 2. Use the 400 Grit Sand Paper to sand the chrome inserts on the grille down to a dull, foggy finish. Essentially remove the protective coating from the Chrome strips so that the finish resembles the photo below



Step 3. Wash the grille with soapy water making sure that any dirt/debris/sanded particles are washed away. Once the grille dries, wipe down the grille with rubbing alcohol using a cloth towel

Step 4. Carefully tape around the chrome emblem so that it is completely masked by the blue painters tape. Use the Exacto knife to make sure the tape follows the curve of the emblem perfectly, trimming any pieces of tape that mask any other parts of the grille. Once this is done gently wipe down the grille one last time with rubbing alcohol to get any remaining grease off and allow to dry completely

Step 5. Once the grille is prepped follow the instructions on the primer to apply 5 coats of the product. This is the foundation of the paint so make sure coats are even. Allow Primer to dry for at least 10 hours before the final paint is applied



Step 6. Follow instructions on the paint can for coating instructions. Apply 6 light coats to the already primed surface. Remember this is a grille the more coats the better when thinking of possible rock impacts etc. while driving. Remove masking tape from emblem to make sure the finish around the piece if perfect



Step 7. Allow at least 4 hours for the final coat of paint to dry in the warm sun before the grille is reinstalled. Before reinstalling the grille use the blue painters tape to protect the edges of the grille where they might come in contact with other body pieces while being installed.

Step 8. Remove all masking tape once all the clips are snapped in and you are all done





If you have any other questions guys feel free to PM me or comment

ANNINO

iTrader: (1)

I popped off the nissan emblem when I painted mine... took an extra 5 min and saved the headache of taping around it.

Antny74

Good call, I didn't even bother to check how to pop it off, taping it only took 5 minutes as well

KillaKam

I've gotta say that is a very nice write up. I actually may consider doing this to mine Thanx

2young2retire

Looks good but I think I will practice on my '04 Murano as the clear coat is starting to peel.

bk2k3max

Thanks Bro, when I get some time off then I'll do mine.

I appreciate you sharing the info, and the grille looks tight.

jdmaxima

grille looks ill. is painting a better option for the front grille or powder coating? does it really matter?

leodi

Great post, thanks for the details......

Antny74

paint was simple and looks just the same as the powder coat, it's preference, you can argue that powder coat in some cases is more durable

dpresidents

I'm surprised nobody sells a direct black replacement yet?

KillaKam

I agree that it is much more durable. I know someone here in CT that painted his grill black on his black Max S model and it chipped in a few spots due to rocks hitting his grill.

rtitan

iTrader: (1)

is it possible to powdercoat the grille?? can it withstand 400 degrees??

dpresidents

What about tracker paint?

I used that to black out the grill on one of my cars, and it lasted forever.
Its strong stuff.

gordoe

Mines chipping like a motha! But I knew it would happen! I hate highway rocks!

zero2sixtyZ

iTrader: (30)

I would strongly recommend some flat clearcoat to protect that.

Antny74

how many coats did you do? did you sand the grille enough prior?

dpresidents

sand it down, tac rag it, then use paint thinner to clean it, then spray away.

I do two coats on my grills, and that lasts forever.

But try that tractor paint. They sell it at ACE, and like tractor stores.

Compusmurf

Detailed enough I added to FAQ section.

MaxxaM

Thanks for this amazing post *_*

JE_PA

Might be a weekend project...thank you

Rking21

ok so i just removed the grill and I am gettin ready to paint but b4 i do just wanted to ask one question. My car is super black so if there going to be a noticeable difference between the two paints??

unnoticedbeauty

This is just what I needed to see! Thanks! Great write up <3

ThatPakiGuy

i want black emblems and i did some searches online and found this...what do you guys think?

http://www.allsentra.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=3491

WrightOne86

A lot of people use Plasti-dip on these forums. You can use it for a bunch of little projects. Some like it because they can see how something looks before they decide to use paint. Others like it simply because if they don't like it they can pull it off and redo it (or turn back in if leased).

You can check out dipyourcar.com

AlDente67

Thanks for the link. This is perfect for what I need. Just wish it was a tiny but glossy instead of flat matte.

WrightOne86

They actually sell a clear coat to spray on as well.

KCMC582

iTrader: (4)

so based on that writeup on the sentra forum, you an just clean and prep the grille, and hit it with the plasti dip. and literally if you dont like the look just peel it off. the can instructions say to use primer, but if it peels off that easy just to test the look it seems like a great option.

maybe ill start a weekend project...sunday project anyway.

MaxDoogie

Just removed my grill and in the process of prepping it atm. Going the plastidip route.

The only tough part in removing the grill with the bumper cover on is the 2 clips near the bottom middle. There is 2 guards right there that you have to get your hands between.

Another tip...If you have some type of plastic panel remover, you can undo a few clips, pull the grill out a little and use the panel remover to keep the grill from popping back into place. The most time I spent removing the grill was going back and popping the tabs back out when I went to the opposite side to remove the other side's clips.

The whole removal process took about 5 minutes, and was not difficult. If you have big hands, you may need to get someone with smaller hands to get those 2 clips in the middle, but there shouldn't be any issues removing the rest.

WrightOne86

Yea those middle 2 really are a pain to get to and are the only real reason the process takes as long as it does.

The first time I painted mine I used Plasti-dip. Last weekend, I pulled it out again, and actually painted it with 3 coats of black (each coats a little heavier than the other) and 3 coats of clear.

I would recommend you guys to take the extra 5 minutes and actually pull the grill apart from the "honeycomb" insert in the grill. This makes painting a whole lot easier...Well for me it did because I wanted to leave the outer chrome intact and just do the bars.

asantos1205

Would powder coating also work ? I'm thinking of definitely doing this.

trailer54

You can't powder coat plastic, so no!

mattz300

Just plasti dipped mine. Clips are not that bad. Just depress the clip and use your other hand to gently push the grill out. Even the bottom two came out easy.

For Plasti dip:

Cleaned the grill once removed. (just wiped it down with water and paper towels)

I used 5 coats with 15 to 20 min btwn each application.

Grill came out great.

14blackbeauty

Plastic grill in oven will melt, so no to powder coating.