I would like to black out the front grill and bumper on my '07 Silverado. I thought I would hear some insights, what works best, and how it looks. I want to do it all my self, and inexpensively, I am somewhat proficient in bodywork, painting etc.. But always open for input from experienced people. It is a black truck.

My first question is paint over current chrome, or swap with a friend with a w/t grill & bumper and paint that?

Second what kind of finish do other people like and/or done? Flat, semi-gloss, high-gloss, and clear to match rest of paint?

Third, how have others painted their current bowties? Would like a chrome/silver or black with red pinstripe (SS) bowtie. Paint on top or heard of people painting from inside the clear plastic?

Looking for a finish look similar to this



Current look, except on a black truck

 

chrome is a chemical bonding. if you just paint over chrome it will actually crack off again in time. if you want to keep the grille and paint it, sand the chrome as much as possible. look at the plastic. take a knife and shave just a little bit of plastic in an area you wont notice. like the back of the grille. run the blade along an edge so you can see the edges or thicknesses of the chrome layer and plastic layer. then using your body work skills, think about how much to sand.and then sand the chrome away. and normally flat black gives me the idea the person painted something just for color and didnt finish it. color match the grille. its your truck, you spent an arm on it, you cant half *** a piece that gets the most attention at first glance. if it was me, id get a can of color matched paint the same as your truck and spray that on the grille. then go for a automotive clear. with me, i would sand it, prime it, sand it check for even feel, get a straight edge if needed then paint, color sand, clear, buff and done. see, you could probably take the mesh plastic out since thats already black. so it makes it much easier. as for the bowtie, you could try and look on the interwebs and see if you can get a hold of one already done, theres billet ones that you can paint with leftover paint. i know some people just simple sand and paint and clear the stocker.

 

if you wanted to, you could possibly use a chemical to get all the chrome off sand it to smooth than prime it,paint it, clear coat it