Ontos

Anyone ever try that DIY bed-liner stuff over chrome? The one thing I absolutly HATE about my 'runner is the chrome bumpers - chrome just doesn't belong on a truck. Unfortunatly I just got laid off, so I have way more time on my hands than money in my pockets, otherwise I'd get an ARB and simply replace it. I don't know.....maybe it would work if I sand-blasted the bumpers first?

X-AWDriver

Chrome free here but that's why I like the Highlanders i.e. Sport package. I think having them sandblasted first would be the only way you'd get anything to stick to the metal.

Jason B

Chrome is your friend.

rimpainter.com

I hate chrome too. Your best chance of getting anything to stick to chrome is to sand it, acetone it, then prime it. Even then paint (or whatever) has a tendacy to come off.

When I worked at Rhino Linings, we would not warranty our work if we sprayed over chrome.

I painted my wheels, fender trim, grill, and rear bumper black. In each case, I sanded them carefully and followed the instructions above. So far, the fender trim has faired the best, and their is a write-up in the tech section about that (done by yours truly). Just follow the steps of that tech article on whatever you want to paint and it will come out well.

2wheelBLACKOUT

i just took a 7" power sander to the chrome and sanded the crap out of it..lay down a primer coat and toped it off with "bumper" trim paint( black )..it looks great. ill post pics as soon as i can.

li_runner

The problem with chrome as mentioned before is adhesion. With the slick surface of finished chrome nothing can “stick” to it. You have to rough up the surface. I painted mine first starting with a drill/wire brush scuffing up the surface (removed a lot of rust as well) and then sanded the bumper with 600 grit sandpaper. I then layed down a coat of primer. One with good adhesion qualities and also decent build characteristics meaning it will cover up all the marks made by the scuffing/sanding, then painted/clear coated over it. I’m not sure that anything will stick without primer. You could try, but I really would not want to paint twice, the first time took long enough for me.

Sandblasting is a good option probably the best, but that also adds a decent amount to the already fairly high cost (if paint is done). It can be done using these other methods.

Fink

Yeah I'm in the same position you are, I'm thinking about just having a custom rear bumper made up. That would let me trash my old trailer hitch and it would look a lot better too...I might have to look into that.

Best looking way to get rid of the chrome on the front is to just spring for a custom made bumper or an ARB like I did

Fink

4Runner4Christ

I would also like to see some pics (up-close & further away) of those who have done this. Especially if your rig is black like mine!

GregStevens

I am in the process of de-chroming, as well. So far, I've taken care of the windshield trim, door handles, side mirrors, front grill and valance. The bumpers I was going to have powdercoated, but if there is a way to do it with sanding, acetone or etching primer, I'd like to know. Even though the powdercoating is only 150 bucks for the bumpers, I may be interested in doing it myself just for the hell of it.

Powdercoating holds up, though...and that is very compelling reason to do it that way. Plus, you are pretty much guaranteed to have even coverage, as opposed to that not being so likely with a rattle can(s).

Here are a couple of shots of the progress thus far. Looking good, IMO. I am not a fan of chrome (see my sig).





And one taken before I got my new wheels last week...



Plese update if anyone decides to take the bumpers upon themselves. And oh, I'm probably going to take the running boards off and put the Bushwacker flares on, which are just sitting in my dining room...

AW1090

Hey greg, how did you go about doing the trim around the windshield? I've wanted to get rid of the chrome on there for a while so if you could give me some detailed steps that'd be great. Also, how much would you want for the bushwackers and do you have any pics of them?

GregStevens

AW, I figured the best way to do the windshield trim was a good old, tried and true method of masking and newspaper. I used a buttload of newspaper to mask off the windshield and any parts of the rest of the rig that might get overspray. I used a sandable primer, but didn't sand any of it, and then used a nice black lacquer rattlecan. Dupli-Color, I believe.

Just masked off the WHOLE trim piece...not just the chrome middle section so that the whole thing would be a uniform black.

The key, I believe, is to make passes while painting. Never start or stop spraying on the piece that you are painting. Always start spraying off of it and stop when you are not on the target. That makes for a really good chance the coverage will be uniform and without any patches.

It's weathered quite well, in fact, it looks factory. I noticed a small rock chip on the pass. side mirror today...but that's easy to fix.

I'm liking the idea of a DIY bed liner on the bumpers the more I think about it. Just like in all painting, the key is in the prep work.

Hope that helps...but it wasn't a real detailed process. Just mask, rough it up a bit, prime and paint. Oh, I always use black primer...

Good luck...it shouldn't take you long to do and I like the look SOOOOOO much better without all the cheap chrome crap. Just gotta do the bumpers somehow now...



And the flares, they are going on the rig. I'm not selling them...I just haven't put them on yet.

UKMyers

Ya know I used to be totally into the chrome till today. I put on some black AR rims for the winter and I have to say I LOVE the way it looks. I am going to have to try very hard to not ditch my chrome pushbar and bumper for an ARB to go with the black wheels....

gwhayduke

Must be a generational thing. My wife and I love the chrome on our '95 and we are so-so about the painted bumpers on the '99 (plastic). One thing about the '95...It took a little rear-ending back in Oct and just got bent a little. It will be replaced by another new chrome bumper. Too bad ARB doesn't make rear bumpers in a nice, shiny aluminum finish with a swing-out, rear tire mount, so I could put a spare gas tank in.

callmej75

I'm a powder coater and one thing I have found that looks good over chrome is a transparent black or blue. You still have the color but it tends to shine with the chrome in the background standing out a little. Really durable too. You can also get things powdercoated over chrome using a dechroming agent that actually strips chrome off. Just my 2 cents...

Ontos

Thanks guys......lots of good ideas here. What I might end up doing is grabbing a chrome bumper off the next abandoned car I run across in the desert, and experimenting a little before I try it on my truck. If I do, I'll be sure to include a write up.

rimpainter.com

Oh and lets not forget safety. Be sure to where one of those $30 breathing masks while you sand chrome. It is really nasty stuff when it becomes airborne.

gwhayduke

Just take it to a sandblaster. After he's finished, park it near a housing project. Some good samaritans will come along and paint it for you.

GregStevens

callmej...what dechroming agent are you referring to? And can mere mortals by it retail (or wholesale, for that matter)? I'd prefer a chemical process as opposed to sanding...what agent would you suggest be used?

turboale

I'd say save up for some steel... not sure how much you guys wheel but those bumpers are like marsmellows. Thats why I haven't bothered to paint mine. Why spend $150 for something thats just going to get dented (and if you wheel more than fire roads it will) when you could put that money towards a real bumper that will not only actually give you some protection but also add a lot more to the badass factor...? Just my .02. I'm half way there, waiting on the rear but I should definatly have one sometime this summer.


(both sways attached )

callmej75

Well if you can find an acid based cleaner then that would prep it for powder coating. Most places i know sell it in bulk to powder coating shops. If I was doing it in my own garage then I would get some steel wool and acetone. Sand it with the steel wool because hard sanding will only cause the chrome plating to "bleed" thru the powder coat....which in turn makes the powder not stick to certain parts that the plating has been broken. The only thing you are looking to do before powder coating it is to get the surface as clean as you can and the acetone combined with the light sanding of steel wool would not break the plating....but give you an "etched" surface for the powder to stick to and not peel off in 6 months or so. Only way of getting the chrome plating off completely is sandblasting. Most powder coating shops with a good reputation will have the dechroming agent in their pretreatment wash. With a little elbow grease and time then you will have a finished product that is durable and look good! Nothing comes easy to the backyard mechanic....