Black Chroming my bumpers today.

ChildrenOfBodom: Those taillights are awesome. Your LED's will look even better smoked. I wish I had the LED's. The tails on my Yota were on it when I bought it. Not a big fan. Let us know about your decision on the taillights.

:thumb3:
 
stlfan said:
ChildrenOfBodom: Those taillights are awesome. Your LED's will look even better smoked. I wish I had the LED's. The tails on my Yota were on it when I bought it. Not a big fan. Let us know about your decision on the taillights.

:thumb3:
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Thanks dude, one of the best decisions I think a 4Runner owner can make. I want a glossy finish to them, but also light smoke. The VHT stuff comes out matte... it's not really a big deal anyway, kinda just a way to waste my money lol
 
stlfan said:
Grille is going to be done. The fender flares are going all black. I saw the bumpers in the sunlight just now and they look blue. Not sure about it. It's cold hear and the package said paint in a temp of 60-95. My garage was around 65 but I had the door open a lil bit for ventilation. :wtf:
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yeah thats kind of how my emblems turned out (looking sorta blue) but I think its just the angle of the light and the mix with the color?

for tinting your lights i know i probably sound like a broken record but IMO go with lamin-x you will get the shine instead of the matte look. Plus it will last a long time while protecting your lights!
 
RHeld24 : You read my mind. The headlights, markers and corners will be lightly smoked. Not too dark, I still like the contrast.
 
Nice work on the bumpers! How's the texture of the bumper now?

The blue tint is probably a combination of the chrome's natural color and the black translucent paint. Black paints are either a blue black or a brown black and that will show in certain conditions under direct sunlight.
 
How to Black Chrome bumpers using Duplicolor Shadow

OK. I got the bumper problem fixed. The reason it looked blue is because there wasn't enough coats on. Apparently 3 coats is not enough to do a big surface like bumpers. I also waited too long to apply coats. I applied 3 extra coats waiting only 15 minutes this time and they turned out exactly the way I wanted them too.... I will post new pics when it is cleared and dry.

ADVICE: If you are going to do bumpers, apply 5-6 coats instead of 2-3. I think the Duplicolor guys didn't plan on anyone doing bumpers with their product.

Buy 2 kits of Duplicolor Shadow, roughly $40. Prep surface really well with a good wax grease remover. Allow to dry about 5 minutes. Apply base coat evenly in a well lit warm area. Around 60-80 degrees. Wait 15 minutes between coats. After final coat is applied, wait 30 minutes to apply clear coat. 3 coats is all you'll need. Doing more won't hurt though. The clear doesn't really make it shine that much. It's just for protecting your work.
If your have a lot of imperfections in your chrome you'll want to very lightly wet sand with a 2000 grit. This will maintain the smooth shine to your bumpers.:thanks:
 
004Gunner said:
Nice work on the bumpers! How's the texture of the bumper now?

The blue tint is probably a combination of the chrome's natural color and the black translucent paint. Black paints are either a blue black or a brown black and that will show in certain conditions under direct sunlight.
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I didn't remove the imperfections in the chrome so the texture is not as smooth as I would like, but the look is amazing. So amazing that I overlook the texture.
 
stlfan said:
OK. I got the bumper problem fixed. The reason it looked blue is because there wasn't enough coats on. Apparently 3 coats is not enough to do a big surface like bumpers. I also waited too long to apply coats. I applied 3 extra coats waiting only 15 minutes this time and they turned out exactly the way I wanted them too.... I will post new pics when it is cleared and dry.

ADVICE: If you are going to do bumpers, apply 5-6 coats instead of 2-3. I think the Duplicolor guys didn't plan on anyone doing bumpers with their product.

Buy 2 kits of Duplicolor Shadow, roughly $40. Prep surface really well with a good wax grease remover. Allow to dry about 5 minutes. Apply base coat evenly in a well lit warm area. Around 60-80 degrees. Wait 15 minutes between coats. After final coat is applied, wait 30 minutes to apply clear coat. 3 coats is all you'll need. Doing more won't hurt though. The clear doesn't really make it shine that much. It's just for protecting your work.
If your have a lot of imperfections in your chrome you'll want to very lightly wet sand with a 2000 grit. This will maintain the smooth shine to your bumpers.:thanks:
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Great! I am awaiting your photos, sir :)
 
Here you go

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:cheers:
 

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:thumb3:Keep us updated on the durability! A lot of people here have asked about painting their chrome bumpers and this may be a great solution. :hatsoff:

Edit: I like what you did with the grille too. It flows very well with the rest of the front end :thumb3:
 
On my to-do list. Look good after you put more paint on it.

Its funny though, in the first pictures I was looking at it like "WTF?!" because it looked super thin.
 
SiZ said:
On my to-do list. Look good after you put more paint on it.

Its funny though, in the first pictures I was looking at it like "WTF?!" because it looked super thin.
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I know. When I finished the first time I looked at in the sun and was pissed. I was like "this is f*ing blue, wtf !!!!" Needless to say I was pretty pissed. I don't think Duplicolor expected anyone to do bumpers with their product. Light coats on a big flat surface looks way different than light coats on a wheel or valve cover. In the direct sun now it looks more black chrome than just black paint.
 
so did you just paint over your clear coat to get it right?
are you a firefighter? (i cant see what the sticker says.)
 
GottaBeTRD said:
so did you just paint over your clear coat to get it right?
are you a firefighter? (i cant see what the sticker says.)
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Yeah, I painted over the clear because it was still fresh. The texture of it is not as smooth as I would like but I didn't lightly wet sand the surface before I painted. No I'm not a firefighter. I was a volunteer for awhile though. The sticker is a rememberance of a close friend who died in the line of duty. His name was Ryan Hummert of Maplewood, MO FD
 
Ok. I wasn't liking the look of it at 1st. But after you went back and added a few more coats, WOW! Love it. I'm putting this on my list of things to do. I can't stand chrome either. The less, the better. Can't wait to hear how it holds up after a few trail rides.
 
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