Expert: William Forster - 12/18/2006

Question
I noticed that the chrome on my front grill is peeling off, Can this be removed and painted with a base/clear coat? I am in the process of painting my 1992 chevy silverado and I figured I would paint the grill as well, its appears to be made of all plastic, also my truck is in great shape, just that the paint is original with minor scratches and some small dings, can I just sand it with 400 grit, seal it and then paint with a base/clear coat or does it need to be primed as well?

Answer
Nothing sticks to chrome. The only way to rough chrome up enough to get paint to stick is to sand blast it. Plastic parts generally don't fare well with even media blasting. By the time you have it blasted, fool around with it, and buy paint and clear, you might as well buy an aftermarket grill. It will look correct and take a lot less time.. Bill