As most of you should know, I have a hatred for chrome (among other things). My question is, can it be sanded and painted?

Reason why I'm wondering is because AM has some parts I really like for interior dress up, but I would like to paint some of them red and have the paint actually adhere to the surface. I just don't know if it can be done or how to go about doing it.

 

I don't know for certain, but I would imagine it'd be possible to sand it with something fine then prime and paint like anything else. What dress up items are you looking at?

 

I wondered that too. Except I was wondering if i could paint the aluminum deep dishes on my rims. Good question.

 

All of the following:


http://www.americanmuscle.com/belt-a...vers-0509.html

http://www.americanmuscle.com/chrome...chor-0509.html

http://www.americanmuscle.com/speaker-rings-0509.html

http://www.americanmuscle.com/airvent-covers-0509.html

http://www.americanmuscle.com/radio-3piece-0509.html

http://www.americanmuscle.com/radio-knobcover-0509.html


And quite possibly this:
http://www.americanmuscle.com/chrome...just-0509.html

 

Nice. So are you planning to completely blackout the inside, then?

 

chrome is just a coating on the outside of the material, you should be able to sand it off, you'd probably be better off getting the parts power coated instaed of spray painting them

 

It can be done. Theres a process for it; washing it, sanding it with 220 or 320 grit paper; priming it & painting it just like King said.

 

No, all of the above parts, minus the vent covers are already black.

My idea is to paint everything but the vent covers red. I plan to pain those black.



Thanks to all of you for the ideas. Powder-coating may be in the stars for me. My dad works at a machining company and can probably get it done for me for pretty damn cheap.

 

easily done. i got a chrome billett grill from steeda about 3 years ago for my 05 focus st. as soon as it came out of the box i sanded it down, primered and painted black to match the car and it came out great. def not a dificult thing to do imo.

 

nice, the power coating will give you a nice clean look and it will last way longer

 

Oh yeah you already have the red seats, don't you Val? So that'll look pretty sweet if it's done right. If you're going to use spray paint, use a flat color...shiny sucks.

 

Yeah, the more I think about it, the better powder coating sounds.

Yep, I have red seats. I plan on going flat red, because I hate shiny, too. Not only does it not match, it has too much glare.

I think I may pass on those radio **** covers. I just remembered I have an aftermarket CD player I have yet to install.

 

didn't realize you have a red interior. i heart my black/red interior, ill have to take a look at yours tomorrow

 

Damn that stuff adds up sooooo fast. Ill have to look your interior and see these pieces, you might be able to just get some of your stock pieces painted to save some cash. The red accents will look awesome matched to your seats . Just don't over do it.

 

Chrome can be sanded and sometimes it can't be. It all depends on what kind of chrome it is and what it's on. Like my Cobra R rims were Chrome, I had them powdered coated gloss black. Well all they did was sand blast and sanded it down, it didn't get everything off. They just went ahead and painted it. You can still see some specs and **** on one of my rims or more then one.

Reasoning why is because you have to dip it in acid or some **** to get the chrome off.

 

Hell yes, it adds up. I'm not too sure I want to paint my stock pieces. But, I've definitely thought about it.

I won't over do it. I like subtlety. I want just the right mix of red, satin silver, and black. I just feel like there's too much silver and black right now.

 

You can paint chrome with no real problems, my brother and i just did it to some pieces on his truck. The better your prep work, the better you results will be. I'm assuming rattle-can painting will be easiest unless you have a gun and compressor (btw if you live near san antonio you can borrow mine, lol and that goes for anyone).
Get some 200 to 300 grit sandpaper and scuff the entire item. You're trying to get a rough surface for the paint to grab onto.
Clean the piece well: Damp cloth a couple of times, then a tack cloth a couple of times, and then a clean rag with wax and grease remover on it. (Oh, wear rubber gloves -- the grease and oils on your hands isn't the best for paint. Something like dishwashing gloves are good. I just use latex "surgical" gloves, but I have to clean off some extra dust.)
Figure out how to hang the piece so you can work around it. Basically this will be coat hangers and wire thru the bolt holes or any other tiny opening so that the item wont swing when your painting it. Try not to block too much of the piece to be painted with the hangars.
Buy some paint from Pep Boys or the equivalent. Get primer and paint. The paint can be single stage or "2 stage" base coat/clear coat. Single stage should be just fine. Read the directions. Follow the directions. Watch the temperature, too cold and the paint won't set up right. Buy a little more paint than you think you will need.
Spray on the paint. You want to keep the can the recommended distance away from the part, start spraying before the part and keep spraying until you are past the part for each "stroke" of the paint can. (In other words, you're spraying the air at the beginning and end of each swing of your arm.) Practice a little, and you should be able to get thru this without too many runs. Put on 3 to 5 thin coats. Runs and curtains can be patiently sanded out with 800 to 1200 grit paper. Be carefull you don't eat thru the paint.
When you have it painted to your satisfaction, you can sand it with 1500 to 2000 grit paper and then buff it up, or just buff it up directly.
You aren't going to get a really really great job with this method, but it should be pretty good, and if its on the interior it shouldnt be too exposed to the elements/wear unless your hash on it.