Chrome Chipping

[1st Gen Sol]

Spray on chrome paint is not gonna make your grill look any better then it already is at the moment. It is hard to repaint a grill chrome becuase of the chance you have with it bubbling or flaking off if it doesn't stick and set right....because chrome spray paint is thicker then normal spray paint.

If you really want the grill to look brand new or like the original....I would say just buy one from the dealer it should be nomore then $80 bucks new (and this was when I purchased mine last year before the 2nd Gen. Solara even came out) so it'll probably be a little less now.

Once you get the new one you should just sell the one you have that is flaking because I've read in afew posts that there are members on this forum looking for grills to paint or to make a custom grill.

Good Luck with your decision......

[grsd03]

thanks alot for the advice, I'll go to the dealership this week and find out how much it'll cost.

[RichD978]

the dealer told me 105

[AlexNT1]

Newbie here being I'm learning a lot from most of you I figure I should give back something.
In order to take off the remaining Chrome off your grill use Brake fluid... Yes it will take the chrome right off without sanding or harm to the plastic grill. Being that the Grill is large I would simply remove the grill from your car (brake fluid will remove your paint also ) get an old brush and brush on the brake fluid dot3 and repeat until the chrome starts to lift and your done!
As for chrome paint ... well I know of a few paints that you could get a mirror chrome finish (for model car and has to be air brushed on)but I really don't believe they would stand up to the punishment that a grill receives. An alternate is a ultra thin foil film with a adhesive back( again for model cars). This might work better and stand up a little better to the punishment but i am not sure.. You would have to stripped the chrome off with brake fluid or sanded with at least 1000 grit paper to prep the surface (The surface would have to be some what smooth or the scratches would show up being the foil is so thin). Only down fall to this is that the foil is limited to 12"x4.5" sheets so there maybe some seams but I don't think they would be visible until your face to face with the grill(provided you do a neat job).
I will experiment with my grill when I receive my car back from the Toyota body shop. But if I was any of you I would just break the piggie bank buy a new one or paint the old one a color to off set the color of your ride! Sand Black car Gun metal grill with chrome Toyota Emblem anyone? and whoever can get the grill for $105 I would grab it cause the dealer told me $155 without the Toyota emblem!! and get me one too!!! I'm in the market being $105 is a lot less then $155!

Alex

[LatinUSMC]

brake fluid amazing....cheap n eazy... ...good intel...

[AlexNT1]

Sir yes sirrrrrrr

[NeFaRiOuS_SLE]

Re: Chrome spray paint.

My advice: You gotta do it right, like actually fine-sanding, priming, doing several light coats and clear coat the hell out of it. If not, hell, look at my car... I just only used 2 heavy coats, but then again that was almost exactly 1 year ago and I didn't let it cure, and like a dumbass I ran it through a wash too.

Now, it's just a hazy gray and I dread it every time I look at it, but I just haven't had the time to stop by a junk yard.