I just bought a light bar for the roof of my Expy from Ebay and it is chrome....my Expy is black. Is there a way I can paint this light bar black? What kind of paint would you recommend?

 

im almost positive that it can be painted, someone will probley come up and finish what i started good luck

 

the chrome may need to be stripped then painted but i am not positive.

 

chrome can be painted. you need to rough up the surface with a scotch bright pad or fine sand paper so that the paint will stick without peeling off. maybe rub it down with some acetone of something to get all the dust off. gooood luck

 

I painted my chrome grille shell the color of my truck. You just need to sand it down real good and use some high quality paint so it will hold.

 

You can paint chrome with no real problems. The better your prep work, the better you results will be. I'm assuming rattle-can painting.

Get some 200 to 300 grit sandpaper and scuff the entire bar. You're trying to get a rough surface for the paint to grab onto.

Clean the piece well: Damp cloth a couple of times, then a tack cloth a couple of times, and then a clean rag with wax and grease remover on it. (Oh, wear rubber gloves -- the grease and oils on your hands isn't the best for paint. Something like dishwashing gloves are good. I just use latex "surgical" gloves, but I have to clean off some extra dust.)

Figure out how to hang the piece so you can work around it. Basically this will be coat hangers and wire thru the bolt holes. Try not to block too much of the piece to be painted with the hangars.

Buy some paint from Pep Boys or the equivalent. Get primer and paint. The paint can be single stage or "2 stage" base coat/clear coat. Single stage should be just fine. Read the directions. Follow the directions. Watch the temperature, too cold and the paint won't set up right. Buy a little more paint than you think you will need.

Spray on the paint. You want to keep the can the recommended distance away from the part, start spraying before the part and keep spraying until you are past the part for each "stroke" of the paint can. (In other words, you're spraying the air at the beginning and end of each swing of your arm.) Practice a little, and you should be able to get thru this without too many runs. Put on 3 to 5 thin coats. Runs and curtains can be patiently sanded out with 800 to 1200 grit paper. Be carefull you don't eat thru the paint.

When you have it painted to your satisfaction, you can sand it with 1500 to 2000 grit paper and then buff it up, or just buff it up directly.

You aren't going to get a really really great job with this method, but it should be pretty good.

Bruce.

 

HI!... Sandblast/beadblast it then epoxy prime and paint it.

 

just take it in and get it powder coated

 

Chrome is a tough finish and you have to use something that will cut the surface. Buy some 400 Wet and Dry paper at your local automotive paint supply center. Pick up a small can of laquer thinner while your there along with some tack cloth. Buy the matching color paint and buy the clear-coat to complete the job just like the finish on your truck.

First, clean the chrome object with the laquer thinner (wearing protective rubber surgeon gloves) to remove all greases and dirt so you won't "grind it into the surface" with the 400 grit paper.

Get a pan and put some liquid soap in with warm water and stir up the solution. Dip your sand paper in the soapy wet solutuion and it will slide easier. This is a pro-body shop trick. Make sure you cover every square inch of the chrome surface so that it is dulled by the abrasive paper.

Dry off the chrome surface and rub it down with the laquer thinner with a dust-free cloth. Then, use the "tac-cloth" to remove any remaining lint, dust and debries.

Shake your color can twice as long as you think you need to. It's also a good idea to warm the can in some hot water to make it easier to spray. (Schuck's Auto Supply has a nifty rattle can sprayer handle that they claim makes a professional spary pattern and I think it might be worth lookng into.)

Hang the object horizontal with wire so it is suspended in mid air and you can turn it to paint all sides without touching the final surface. Try to orient it "flat out" rather than vertical. Vertical surfaces are four times as hard to spray without getting sags and runs...especially with the thin paint in a rattle can. So, lay it out as flat or horizontal as you can. Another advantage of horizontal finishing is you can lay on a really "Wet" final coat without too much fear of getting a sag or a run.

Spay in light coats. 3 to 4 light coat that "tack-up" between coats is best. While the final "thicker" coat is curing up, have your can of Clear-Coat warming up in the warm water so it will be ready to apply as soon as the final "Wet Coat" of color cures out just barely "tacky" to the touch. Don't touch the object, instead touch some part like masking that will never show. When it is only barely able to make a finger print you are ready to put two good coats of Clear Coat on. The first coat goes on light. When it begins to "tack" lay on your final "Wet" coat. Let it hang over night and all the next day. Don't ever be in a big rush to handle it. Patience is the better part of valor!!!

Wait several weeks for the paint to "breath" and to cure before you consider giving it a coat of wax protection. WAIT SEVERALWEEKS!!! Good Luck!!