Painted King Ranch Grille - Diesel Forum

bmoney424 · 09-22-2009, 04:19 PM

has anyone painted their chrome King Ranch Grille? my friend has a body shop so i think im going to get him to paint it to the color of my truck instead of getting an RBP gille for $1100.. i wanted to see if anyone has theirs painted so i can get an idea of what it would look like.

powerstrokin03 · 09-22-2009, 05:09 PM

The tan color or the primary color of your truck? If you want it to be the primary color of your truck just get an XLT grill. They sell those at tasca ford for around 300 i think.

powerstrokin03 · 09-22-2009, 05:25 PM

Tasca Auto Group | Your Online Parts Dealer

NEVERSWEAT7 · 09-22-2009, 06:10 PM

Now look.. I may be sick, stupid and spastic all at the same time but other than matching the color scheme.. why or what would prompt you to get rid of the chrome on the grill?

I say this only in anticipation of the delivery of my own King Ranch with all the chrome on white. There is a place on the King Ranch for chrome. Now, on the Jeep, there is no place for chrome but on this King monster.. I think it only compliments it. Is it just a personal thing or is there a technical reasoning..like a better chance for no chipping in a grasshopper (bug) storm?

I have seen many with chrome, some with matching paint and in this questionable author's thought process.. what turned you? What made you decide to go paint? It may be worthy of a concern for the future.
and....thank you

bmoney424 · 09-22-2009, 06:43 PM

dont get me wrong i love the chrome.. thats why i have chrome rims. i just think it would look good because the style of grille painted would look good IMO because the billet inserts i have will accent my rims.

GoingBig · 11-12-2009, 11:32 PM

I got a FX4 because I did not want the chrome grill and chome surround. On the many luxury trucks it is common to have a monotone color vehice with chrome accents. I like the chrome grill on the Harley edition with the rest mono tone. But its all personal choice and taste.

I'd be interested in what you decided to do.

FX4Driver · 11-13-2009, 02:10 PM

I'm not a big fan of chrome and like the grey grill on the FX4. Just one of many reasons I went with the FX4.

The grills on the XLT Sport are sharp. They match the truck so it's monotone.
But - it's just personal preference.

Let us know if you paint it - and of course - then we need pics!

derrick36 · 11-18-2009, 10:04 AM

Not a King Ranch but I just painted my XLT grille yesterday.

Went from this:

To this:

(looks white in this pic b/c of the glare)

Pretty easy process. Sanded down the chrome with 400 grit, cleaned up with soap and warm water, started with 2 coats Bulldog adhesive promoter(I've had good luck with duplicolor adhesive promoter as well. It's a good substitute if you can't afford the $15-$24 price tag of Bulldog), followed by 2-3 coats of the base coat bought here: Automotivetouchup.com Touch Up Paint, Aerosol Spray Paint and Paint Touch Up Accessories, and then covered it with a couple coats of clear. The clear was supplied by the same company that I bought the base coat from. They can mix any color into spray can form, just provide your paint code or call them up and tell them what you're looking for.

Since painting over chrome can be kind of a pain, I wouldn't recommend trying this unless you use some adhesion promoter first. It makes all the difference. The duplicolor stuff is only $5 from Autozone.

You can do this entire job for about $50. There is no need to pay anyone to do it.

Taking the grille off was the hardest part.

FX4Driver · 11-18-2009, 04:03 PM

Nice job - that looks great!

derrick36 · 11-18-2009, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FX4Driver

Nice job - that looks great!

Thanks.

I think it'll look a lot better when I paint the bumpers.

It's coming along though.

FX4Driver · 11-18-2009, 04:36 PM

Then we'll need more pics! With no chrome you'll end up looking sorta like my FX4.

derrick36 · 11-18-2009, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FX4Driver

Then we'll need more pics! With no chrome you'll end up looking sorta like my FX4.

That's kinda the look I'm going for. FX4's look awesome to me. I can't afford an actual FX4 grille so I'll just make do with what I have.

I'm really not a big fan of chrome.

ctjahn · 11-18-2009, 05:54 PM

I just painted my grill (chrome) and bumpers (Chrome) Bumper satin black...On my 05 F250 SD CC 4x4 (white)...What a difference.

Duplicolor adhesion promotor, and bumper/trim coat. Turned out quite nice. The key is sanding...

Now....the question is how long will it look good.

Cj

frank404 · 05-12-2010, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctjahn

I just painted my grill (chrome) and bumpers (Chrome) Bumper satin black...On my 05 F250 SD CC 4x4 (white)...What a difference.

Duplicolor adhesion promotor, and bumper/trim coat. Turned out quite nice. The key is sanding...

Now....the question is how long will it look good.

Cj

I would love to paint my grill and bumpers. D oyou have any tips that I could follow? I have never done much painting, would I be in over my head to try this?

Caribe_Pick_up · 05-13-2010, 12:51 PM

I didn't do it by myself but it is to give an idea of how yours could look.