Chrome Grille "Restoration"

[Brown_Muscle]

hmmm i have heard of Chromefx

Anyway here is my grille finished. It is definitly not the same silver color as the trim, because it is nickel haha. But it is much better than before and is somewhat reflective, If you look at the previous pic on this thread you can see what it looked like before Oh and I also took off the old FORD symbol and put a new one on cause it was scruffy looking, so now the front and back match





On the left side there is the old nickel paint and a comparison to what was underneath




And heres the amount of reflectiveness it has, not too impressive but its allright, like my cracked headlight?

[1987cp]

They too applied a high gloss black base, color sanded and buffed to a glassy shine. Then he misted the ChromeFX on, and then clear goes over that.

Interesting, sounds like the same process, sort of. Be interesting to know what's in all those big metal canisters in the official ChromeFX application system.

I hadn't thought of colorsanding and buffing the black basecoat. I had been thinking of trying to do that with RustOleum; do you think that would take a colorsanding and buffing once cured? I'll have to find a guinea-pig to paint ....
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[P72Ford]

As long as you give the paint sufficient time to cure out, you should be fine. Make sure to apply an adequate amount of paint, as color sanding could remove alot of material, depending on process.

[1987cp]

Good point. Hopefully about 3 coats should be sufficient, but I'll see how it goes. I imagine if it goes on OK I wouldn't need to wetsand any coarser than 500 grit at the most aggressive.

[P72Ford]

Good point. Hopefully about 3 coats should be sufficient, but I'll see how it goes. I imagine if it goes on OK I wouldn't need to wetsand any coarser than 500 grit at the most aggressive.

I wouldn't ever use anything coaser than 600. Depending how the surface is, I usually do 600 (or I skip the 600), to 1000, to 1200/1500, and if I'm feeling special, 2000. Then I slather on the Meguiar's #3, and wheel it out...

[LTDMan83]

The ChromeFX system is pretty sweet, but damn expensive. Enough so that the shop I work in can't afford it.

From what I understand it is a 3K system. It is comprised of Distilled Water, Acid, and Powderized Chromium, with all the ingredients not being combined until they hit the Airstream at the tip.

It can also be applied to just about any substrate, including Wood, Fiberglass, and Styrofoam.

Pretty Sweet, but a Replacement for Traditional Bumper Chroming, I'm not sold as of yet.

[gabegt90]

looks great grill looks like brandy new you need a new sealed beam lol

[Brown_Muscle]

yeah i know but It's been like that since I got it and it still works, I'm sorta hi jacking my own thread here but does anyone know if they sell higher wattage sealed beams than the 55W or are they 50? Like maybe some 85/100 watt ones? I can't seem to find any, All they have are the "super bright" 6000K ones at pep boys, but they dont say thier wattage and are twice as expensive as the normal bulbs.

[1987cp]

Don't know that much about bulbs ... I've got some of the Sylvania "super" or "silver" or whatever ... they're really quite nice. I've also looked into the possibility of converting to HID, but that looks like one super-major pain in the patootie.

[86GmLsCoupe]

yeah i know but It's been like that since I got it and it still works, I'm sorta hi jacking my own thread here but does anyone know if they sell higher wattage sealed beams than the 55W or are they 50? Like maybe some 85/100 watt ones? I can't seem to find any, All they have are the "super bright" 6000K ones at pep boys, but they dont say thier wattage and are twice as expensive as the normal bulbs.

Sylvania makes great "high performance" sealed beams for our cars, but I think the wattage is standard or close to it. I wouldn't want to add any strain to the headlight wiring without relays because of the crispy switch issue. I've used the Cool Blues and Silverstars, my favorite being the later. My only complaints are a little decrease in lifespan, and that sealed beams in general tend to leak on me. They also make Silverstar Ultras which are supposed to be brighter, increase visibility, and last a bit longer. They do cost much more than regular bulbs but pick them up if you find a good deal. I've gotten them online for decents prices.

[1987cp]

Silverstar. That's the item, thanks!

[86GmLsCoupe]

No problem, they really are pretty great looking bulbs. I'll have to wait till the others go to try and see if the Ultras are any better.

[Brown_Muscle]

I saw them at pepboys i believe they mention about 6000K, isnt that a whiteish blue?? they are 20 dollars each instead of 10, so i suppose that is what i will go with next time i get new bulbs...

[86GmLsCoupe]

The Silverstars are odd to describe color wise and I don't recall the exact color temp specs. The bulb inside the sealed beam has a carnival glass look (pastels pink, green, blue colors) and there isn't really a specific blue tone. It's just really a nice white, not that ugly dimmed out blue you get with the cheap coated bulbs.