[lrscott]

A little while back I decided to take off the grill guard for the summer for two reasons. One, its heavy and didn't need it for the summer. Two, I want to some how restore it as it is looking a bit aged. I thought about repainting it, but I do not know what kind of paint I should use. I know, black, duh! Should I use a rubber paint or anything specific? Thanks in advance!

 

[BeanBean]

I used flat black textured paint on mine. Gave it a rough feeling, but it looks good.

 

[lrscott]

Did you use that for the light guards too?

 

[big-t]

When I got my truck the bush gaurd looked faded and almost white in some spots, my solution was to put coat after coat of Armor All on it and the first few times it just sucked it up and was faded again but I was persistant and kept putting more coats on and now it looks new and I only Armor All it about once every two months. Works great on the back bumper,tail light guards, plenum cover and the window trims too, and it makes dirty black shoes look like new. :lol:

 

[BeanBean]

I painted the brush guard and the rear lamp guards. No need to Armor-All it, ever. LOL

 

[lrscott]

Thanks for the replies! I will try the amour all idea first. The brush guard is dark grey, so I guess theres hope. I will most likely repaint the light guards though, they have some pretty nasty water spots on them that do not want to go away. Right now the brush guard is sitting in the yard drenched in amour all, we'll see how it looks after a few coats. Thanks again!

 

[big-t]

I know what you mean about the tail light gaurds, they're really hard plastic and don't suck up the armor all like the bush gaurd and bumpers. I am going to paint mine semi gloss black with vinyl paint. There is some kind of solvent in the vinyl paint that makes it absorb into the plastic and bond better then regular paint would. If you use regular paint on plastic it starts to let go and crack and peel because of the expansion coefficeint of the plastic being greater then the paint which dries hard where as the vinyl paint even though dry remains plyable and flexs with temperature change. Go get a vinyl top refinish kit, it comes with a good solvent to clean the parts with before you apply the paint and will remove any oil or waxs that would effect your finish. :thumb:

 

[RRToadHall]

I know what you mean about the tail light gaurds, they're really hard plastic and don't suck up the armor all like the bush gaurd and bumpers. I am going to paint mine semi gloss black with vinyl paint. There is some kind of solvent in the vinyl paint that makes it absorb into the plastic and bond better then regular paint would. If you use regular paint on plastic it starts to let go and crack and peel because of the expansion coefficeint of the plastic being greater then the paint which dries hard where as the vinyl paint even though dry remains plyable and flexs with temperature change. Go get a vinyl top refinish kit, it comes with a good solvent to clean the parts with before you apply the paint and will remove any oil or waxs that would effect your finish. :thumb:

Vinyl or plastic paint is the perfect answer for these bits. Unfortunately so many folks have done what is noted above it makes it almost impossible for a good finish. Coatings, wax and the dreaded trailer trash armourall simply oils up the surface and makes furture product adhesion almost impossible. Once you start with a petroleum based product on a porus item you are pretty much screwed. For those wanting to refinish their light guards, stick em in the dish washer. The phosphorus in the detergent will strip things down with almost zero effort on your part. Plastic paint will then be able to soak in and provide a nice finish. As far as the foam on the brushguard, many MANY trips with the coin op and degreaser are needed prior to any serious refinish work. You can also go through a couple gallons of 409/Fantastic to pull the grease out. Just don't use degreaser because it is also petroleum/grease based and will not take care of the root problem. For foam bits, once you finally have them cleaned up, use the vinyl paint products. They penetrate better than the plastic paints and don't leave a hard finish like the regular paints. You will be able to maintain flexibility while gaining new colour.

 

[lrscott]

Wish I would have read that before I put a boat load of amour all on it. :crybaby2: Oh well, it is looking much better though.

 

[ArrowheadKing]

Does anybody have any specifics on the preparation products and paint they used for the Brush Guard and Tail Light Guards? Also any tips on removing the Brush Guard? I am looking to do take care of this over the weekend...