Taking the Shine Out of a Grill

[Bruce Poage]

The project is a '53 Ford F-150. The grill is nice and shiney right off the sprue--but not very realistic. Do you suggest a wash or maybe a clear satin spray. Thoughts??

[Erik Smith]

Depends on what look you're after. A black wash is a must regardless of sheen. If the grill is matte finish on the real truck, just spray with a flat clear. Or you can strip the chrome and spray with a metallic paint to closer represent the grill you're trying to replicate. A picture would help if you have specific look you are going for.

[MikeMc]

If youare going to paint it with some POP.....stick with thr chrome. Dullkote or semi gloss clears will cut the shine..but then it looks wrong.Mono paint will also work well!

[High octane]

A couple of coats of Dull Cote will take away the shine and it will look more like aluminum. I love Dull Cote over some plated wheels and also on plated "Moon" tanks too.

[Bruce Poage]

If youare going to paint it with some POP.....stick with thr chrome. Dullkote or semi gloss clears will cut the shine..but then it looks wrong.Mono paint will also work well!

Those were great pics. I'm actually working on the '53 Ford Panel Delivery. It will be a 3 color paint job much like a pic I saw--mica red on the bottom, a bit of silver leaf in the middle and blue on the top. Maybe it would be best leave it alone as I think the other paint will indeed "pop".

[Art Anderson]

'53-'55 Ford F-series truck grilles weren't aluminum--rather they were stamped from sheet steel, same material as the body parts. On low-line trucks those were painted "argent" or metallic silver, but for an extra charge, you could get a CHROME plated one (same trim levels included bumpers and hubcaps--headlight bezels were plated on all versions, IIRC.

Art

[diymirage]

on a grille i would use a wash

personally i use acrylic black paint that is watered down to just a bit thicker then milk