Opinions Needed on Grille Finish - PAINTED BLACK PICS 5/15/09

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Rahul Sharma

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I'm in the process of building a custom fiberglass grille ring for the gen 1 sport tracs with this as my inspiration...



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I love the look of the fiberglass surround with the grill-mesh in the back. I have an Altima so I have been seeing these for years and always thought they'd look great on a truck. Anyways, I am a decent way into the project (about 30-40 hours already in planning and working) and I must say it's looking really good right now. I'll be spending about 10 hours on it today and another some more tomorrow so i can have it ready this week....



Some of you have seen the way my trac sits currently, and the material I have used on it - the perforated aluminum...



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I want to use the same perforated material....but my question is....



Should i leave the silver aluminum finish on the material, or paint it black??!? :unsure::unsure:



Opinions needed!!
 
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Sorry, But I like the grill inset into the front fascia, Not flush...



Todd Z
 
I am leaning towards black too....



Sorry Todd, I don't follow....you mean you like it the way it is now - bolted on? because the fiberglass ting i am making will be flush with the body, but the grill will be inset into the ring, not flush....?
 
Is it a aluminum mesh grille? If so, how do you think it will fare from being hit with road debris? Just thinking it would be a soft type of material.:unsure:
 
Good point Gary but i did some research on it.



After I wash the grille and remove the dirt and grease off it (it's been on the truck nearly a year) i need to sand it with 150 grit working up to 320 grit. wash again. Then I'll treat it with some zinc primate (self etching aluminum primer). 2-3 coats of paint, and then 3-4 coats of clear coat for protection. This should protect it fairly well....
 
I'd go with black or like a gun metal grey/ graphite color. I like the look of the grilles on top with the outside ring and the mesh inset into the ring like in the pics on top.:banana: :cool:
 
Yes, I don't like it the way it is now..... I LOVE the ST front with the side vents, Covering them will look weird to me...



But the way your making it sounds good...



i would need to see the final product...



Good luck !!



Todd Z
 
Keola,Where did you get your material? I have wanted the punched, inserted like yours. But I want polished stainless or lightly bead blasted stainless. I cando the bead blasting myself. I think it would look good with my silver birch. SS, no rust or corrosion like aluminum.
 
OK - here are the progress pics with the fiberglass shell completed. It fits perfectly in the opening of the trac - as it should. I've propped up the grille mesh behind it to to give you an idea of how it will look...the longer i look at it, the dull aluminum looks pretty good as well...what do you guys think?



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