So the biggest mod for me involves the chrome Grill to be black because a gloss black grill contrasts very well against the nose of the car. Does anyone have any experience with selecting the best painting method ?

Does it need to be sand blasted first then powder coated ?
or Powder coating is just fine on Chrome?

And no plasti dip for me, no way

 

Sonic, having played this game in the past, I have 2 recommendations for you. The more difficult method is to use a propane torch and you gently apply some heat to the grill. This will cause the chrome plating to start to bubble without distorting the plastic. You can then poke a small hole in the chrome and peel it off. You can then slowly work the heat over the entire surface and remove all the chrome. While a very slow process, you end up with a bare plastic piece in the end.

Option 2 is to use what is called "etching primer". This will "bite" into the chrome and make it so you can treat it like a normal plastic part. This works pretty good, but it doesn't allow the paint to stick as well as having raw plastic to paint. So, you will notice this is going to be a bit more susceptible to chipping.

 

So option 2, since it is a mesh grill which sits up pretty high, do you really think its an issue with chipping?
What about sandpapering it down a bit?

 

Sonic, sanding with say 400 grit sandpaper will not hurt. The etching primer will do a lot of that for you. Granted, the super fine surface imperfections you are creating with the sand paper will give the etching primer more surface to grab on to.

As for chipping, this is where the paint that you buy is going to be key. I would also recommend following what it says about curing. This will cause the paint to develop its hard outside surface as quickly as possible. Most of the new paints for vehicles as I understand things require to be "baked" with an high intensity infrared light source. So, if you are painting it yourself, this may be something that you will want to look into.

 

I would go with the etching primer route. Or a good coat of adhesion promoter on the chrome plating.
I couldn't imagine trying to sand the intricate details of a mesh grill.

Also, get a 2 part paint system, instead of regular rattle can paint. They do not cure to the same hardness as a 2 part (2K) paint. Sand tends to get inbedded in rattle ca paint. Although you can get 2K paint in aerosol cans now. Spray Max 2K Glamour High Gloss Clear Coat - 3680061 | eBay